arXiv subjects

Gary Steigman

Publications and source records attributed to Gary Steigman.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2018

Is The Universal Matter - Antimatter Asymmetry Fine Tuned?

The asymmetry between matter and antimatter is key to the existence and nature of our Universe. A measure of the matter - antimatter asymmetry of the Universe is provided by the present value of the universal ratio of baryons (baryons minus antibaryons) to photons (or the ratio of baryons to entropy). The baryon asymmetry parameter is an important physical and cosmological parameter. But how fine tuned is it? A "natural" value for this parameter is zero, corresponding to equal amounts of matter and antimatter. Another, also possibly natural, choice for this dimensionless parameter would be of order unity, corresponding to nearly equal amounts (by number) of matter (and essentially no antimatter) and photons in every comoving volume. However, observations suggest that in the Universe we inhabit the value of this parameter is nonzero, but smaller than this natural value by some nine to ten orders of magnitude. In this contribution we review the evidence that our Universe does not contain equal amounts of matter and antimatter. Any change in the magnitude of the baryon asymmetry parameter necessarily leads to a universe with physical characteristics different from those in our own. The degree of fine tuning in the baryon asymmetry parameter is determined by the width of the range over which it can be varied and still allow for the existence of life. Our results suggest that the baryon asymmetry parameter can be varied over a very wide range without impacting the prospects for life; this result is not suggestive of fine tuning. [abridged]

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2015

CMB Constraints On The Thermal WIMP Mass And Annihilation Cross Section

A thermal relic, often referred to as a weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP), is a particle produced during the early evolution of the Universe whose present (relic) abundance depends only on its mass and its thermally averaged annihilation cross section (annihilation rate factor) sigma*v_ann. Late time WIMP annihilation has the potential to affect the cosmic microwave background (CMB) power spectrum. Current observational constraints on the absence of such effects provide bounds on the mass and the annihilation cross section of relic particles that may, but need not be dark matter candidates. For a WIMP that is a dark matter candidate, the CMB constraint sets an upper bound to the annihilation cross section, leading to a lower bound to its mass that depends on whether or not the WIMP is its own antiparticle. For a self-conjugate WIMP, m_min = 50f GeV, where f is an electromagnetic energy efficiency factor. For a non self-conjugate WIMP, the minimum mass is a factor of two larger. For a WIMP that is a subdominant component of the dark matter density there is no bound on its mass and the upper bound to its annihilation cross section imposed by the CMB transforms into a lower bound to its annihilation cross section. These results are outlined and quantified here using the latest CMB constraints for a stable, symmetric (equal number of particles and antiparticles), WIMP whose annihilation is s-wave dominated, and for particles that are, or are not, their own antiparticle.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2015

BBN And The CMB Constrain Neutrino Coupled Light WIMPs

(abridged) In the presence of a light WIMP (mass m_chi < 30 MeV), there are degeneracies among the WIMP's nature, its couplings to standard model particles, its mass, and the number of equivalent (additional) neutrinos, Delta N_nu. These degeneracies cannot be broken by the CMB constraint on the effective number of neutrinos, N_eff. However, since big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) is also affected by a light WIMP and equivalent neutrinos, complementary BBN and CMB constraints can break some of the degeneracy. In a previous paper BBN and CMB were combined to explore allowed ranges for m_chi, Delta N_nu, and N_eff for light WIMPs that annihilate electromagnetically (EM) to photons and/or electrons/positrons. In this paper BBN predictions with a light WIMP that only couples to neutrinos are calculated. Recent observed abundances of ^2H and ^4He are used to limit m_chi, Delta N_nu, N_eff, and the present-day baryon density. Allowing for a neutrino coupled light WIMP and nonzero Delta N_nu, combined BBN and CMB data give lower limits to m_chi, with a best fit m_chi > 35 MeV, equivalent to no light WIMP at all. All masses below 4--9 MeV (depending on spin) are excluded. Without any light WIMP, BBN alone prefers Delta N_nu = 0.50 +- 0.23, favoring neither Delta N_nu = 0, nor a fully thermalized sterile neutrino (Delta N_nu = 1). This result is consistent with the CMB constraint, N_eff = 3.30 +- 0.27, limiting "new physics" between BBN and recombination. Combining BBN and CMB data gives Delta N_nu = 0.35 +- 0.16 and N_eff = 3.40 +- 0.16; while BBN and the CMB combined require Delta N_nu > 0 at ~98% confidence, they disfavor Delta N_nu > 1 at > 99% confidence. Allowing a neutrino-coupled light WIMP extends the allowed range slightly downward for Delta N_nu and slightly upward for N_eff simultaneously, leaving best-fit values unchanged.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2014

BBN And The CMB Constrain Light, Electromagnetically Coupled WIMPs

(Abridged) In the presence of a light WIMP (< 30 MeV), there are degeneracies among the nature of the WIMP, its couplings to standard model particles, its mass m_chi, and the number of equivalent neutrinos beyond the standard model, Delta N_nu. These degeneracies cannot be broken by the CMB constraint on the effective number of neutrinos, N_eff. However, big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) is affected by a light WIMP and equivalent neutrinos, so the combination of BBN and CMB can break some of the degeneracies. Here, BBN predictions for abundances in the presence of a light WIMP and equivalent neutrinos are explored, and estimates of their observationally determined relic abundances are used to limit m_chi, Delta N_nu, and the present Universe baryon density (Omega_B h^2). These constraints are explored for Majorana and Dirac fermion WIMPs, as well as for real and complex scalar WIMPs that couple to electrons, positrons, and photons. In a separate paper this analysis is repeated for WIMPs that couple only to the standard model neutrinos, and constraints for the two cases are contrasted. Without a light WIMP but allowing for equivalent neutrinos, the combined BBN and CMB constraints favor N_eff = 3.46 +/- 0.17, Omega_B h^2 = 0.0224 +/- 0.0003, and Delta N_nu = 0.40 +/- 0.17. In this case, standard BBN (Delta N_nu = 0) is disfavored at ~98% confidence, and the presence of one sterile neutrino (Delta N_nu = 1) is disfavored at > 99% confidence. Allowing a light WIMP and Delta N_nu equivalent neutrinos together, the combined BBN and CMB data provide lower limits to the WIMP masses (> 0.5 - 5 MeV) that depend on the nature of the WIMP, favor m_chi ~8 MeV slightly over no WIMP, and loosen constraints on equivalent neutrinos, Delta N_nu = 0.65+0.46-0.35. While Delta N_nu = 0 is still disfavored at ~95% confidence with a light WIMP, Delta N_nu = 1 is now allowed.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2014

Light WIMPs And Equivalent Neutrinos

Very light WIMPs (chi), thermal relics that annihilate late in the early Universe, change the energy and entropy densities at BBN and at recombination. BBN, in combination with the CMB, can remove some of the degeneracies among light WIMPs and equivalent neutrinos, constraining the existence and properties of each. Depending on the nature of the light WIMP (Majorana or Dirac fermion, real or complex scalar) the joint BBN + CMB analyses set lower bounds to m_chi in the range 0.5 - 5 MeV (m_chi/m_e > 1 - 10), and they identify best fit values for m_chi in the range 5 - 10 MeV. The joint BBN + CMB analysis finds a best fit value for the number of equivalent neutrinos, Delta N_nu ~ 0.65, nearly independent of the nature of the WIMP. In the absence of a light WIMP (m_chi > 20 MeV), N_eff = 3.05(1 + Delta N_nu /3). In this case, there is excellent agreement between BBN and the CMB, but the joint fit reveals Delta N_nu = 0.40+-0.17, disfavoring standard big bang nucleosynthesis (SBBN) (Delta N_nu = 0) at ~ 2.4 sigma, as well as a sterile neutrino (Delta N_nu = 1) at ~ 3.5 sigma. The best BBN + CMB joint fit disfavors the absence of dark radiation (Delta N_nu = 0 at ~ 95% confidence), while allowing for the presence of a sterile neutrino (Delta N_nu = 1 at ~ 1 sigma). For all cases considered here, the lithium problem persists. These results, presented at the TAUP 2013 Conference, are based on Nollett & Steigman (2013).

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2014

Light WIMPs, Equivalent Neutrinos, BBN, and the CMB

Recent updates to the observational determinations of the primordial abundances of helium and deuterium are compared to the predictions of BBN to infer the universal ratio of baryons to photons (or, the present Universe baryon mass density parameter Omega_B h^2), as well as to constrain the effective number of neutrinos (N_eff) and the number of equivalent neutrinos (Delta N_nu). These BBN results are compared to those derived independently from the Planck CMB data. In the absence of a light WIMP (chi), N_eff = 3.05(1 + Delta N_nu/3). In this case, there is excellent agreement between BBN and the CMB, but the joint fit finds that Delta N_nu = 0.40 +/- 0.17, disfavoring standard big bang nucleosynthesis (SBBN: Delta N_nu = 0) at 2.4 sigma, as well as a sterile neutrino (Delta N_nu = 1) at 3.5 sigma. In the presence of a light WIMP, the relation between N_eff and Delta N_nu depends on the WIMP mass, leading to degeneracies among N_eff, Delta N_nu, and m_chi. The complementary and independent BBN and CMB data can break some of these degeneracies. Depending on the nature of the light WIMP (Majorana or Dirac fermion, real or complex scalar) the joint BBN + CMB analyses set a lower bound to m_chi in the range from 0.5 to 5 MeV, and they identify best fit values for m_chi in the range from 5 to 10 MeV. The joint BBN + CMB analyses find a best fit value for the number of equivalent neutrinos, Delta N_nu = 0.65, nearly independent of the nature of the WIMP. The best fit still disfavors the absence of dark radiation (Delta N_nu = 0 at 95% confidence), while allowing for the presence of a sterile neutrino (Delta N_nu = 1 at less than 1 sigma). For all cases considered here, the lithium problem persists. These results, presented at the 2013 Rencontres de l'Observatoire de Paris - ESO Workshop, are based on Nollett & Steigman 2013 (arXiv:1312.5725 [astro-ph.CO]).

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2013

Equivalent Neutrinos, Light WIMPs, and the Chimera of Dark Radiation

According to conventional wisdom, in the standard model (SM) of particle physics and cosmology the effective number of neutrinos is Neff=3 (more precisely, 3.046). In extensions of the standard model allowing for the presence of DeltaNnu equivalent neutrinos (or dark radiation), Neff is generally >3. The canonical results are reconsidered here, revealing that a measurement of Neff>3 can be consistent with DeltaNnu=0 (dark radiation without dark radiation). Conversely, a measurement consistent with Neff=3 is not inconsistent with the presence of dark radiation (DeltaNnu>0). In particular, if there is a light WIMP that annihilates to photons after the SM neutrinos have decoupled, the photons are heated beyond their usual heating from e+- annihilation, reducing the late time ratio of neutrino and photon temperatures (and number densities), leading to Neff<3. This opens the window for one or more equivalent neutrinos, including sterile neutrinos, to be consistent with Neff=3. By reducing the neutrino number density at present, this allows for more massive neutrinos, relaxing the current constraints on the sum of the neutrino masses. In contrast, if the light WIMP only couples to the SM neutrinos and not to the photons, its late time annihilation heats the neutrinos but not the photons, resulting in Neff>3 even in the absence of equivalent neutrinos or dark radiation. A measurement of Neff>3 is thus no guarantee of the presence of equivalent neutrinos or dark radiation. In the presence of light WIMPs and/or equivalent neutrinos there are degeneracies among the light WIMP mass and its nature (fermion or boson, as well as its couplings to neutrinos or photons), the number and nature (fermion or boson) of the equivalent neutrinos, and their decoupling temperature (the strength of their interactions with the SM particles). There's more to a measurement of Neff than meets the eye.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2012

Right-Handed Neutrinos as the Dark Radiation: Status and Forecasts for the LHC

Precision data from cosmology (probing the CMB decoupling epoch) and light-element abundances (probing the BBN epoch) have hinted at the presence of extra relativistic degrees of freedom, the so-called "dark radiation." We present a model independent study to account for the dark radiation by means of the right-handed partners of the three, left-handed, standard model neutrinos. We show that milli-weak interactions of these Dirac states (through their coupling to a TeV-scale Z' gauge boson) may allow the ν_R's to decouple much earlier, at a higher temperature, than their left-handed counterparts. If the ν_R's decouple during the quark-hadron crossover transition, they are considerably cooler than the ν_L's and contribute less than 3 extra "equivalent neutrinos" to the early Universe energy density. For decoupling in this transition region, the 3 ν_R generate ΔN_ν= 3(T_{ν_R}/T_{ν_ L})^4 < 3, extra relativistic degrees of freedom at BBN and at the CMB epochs. Consistency with present constraints on dark radiation permits us to identify the allowed region in the parameter space of Z' masses and couplings. Remarkably, the allowed region is within the range of discovery of LHC14.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2012

Precise Relic WIMP Abundance and its Impact on Searches for Dark Matter Annihilation

If dark matter (DM) is a weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) that is a thermal relic of the early Universe, then its total self-annihilation cross section is revealed by its present-day mass density. The canonical thermally averaged cross section for a generic WIMP is usually stated as 3*10^-26 cm^3s^-1, with unspecified uncertainty, and taken to be independent of WIMP mass. Recent searches for annihilation products of DM annihilation have just reached the sensitivity to exclude this canonical cross section for 100% branching ratio to certain final states and small WIMP masses. The ultimate goal is to probe all kinematically allowed final states as a function of mass and, if all states are adequately excluded, set a lower limit to the WIMP mass. Probing the low-mass region is further motivated due to recent hints for a light WIMP in direct and indirect searches. We revisit the thermal relic abundance calculation for a generic WIMP and show that the required cross section can be calculated precisely. It varies significantly with mass at masses below 10 GeV, reaching a maximum of 5.2*10^-26 cm^3s^-1 at masses around 0.3 GeV, and is 2.2*10^-26 cm^3s^-1 with feeble mass-dependence for masses above 10 GeV. These results, which differ significantly from the canonical value and have not been taken into account in searches for annihilation products from generic WIMPs, have a noticeable impact on the interpretation of present limits from Fermi-LAT and WMAP+ACT.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2012

Neutrinos And Big Bang Nucleosynthesis

According to the standard models of particle physics and cosmology, there should be a background of cosmic neutrinos in the present Universe, similar to the cosmic microwave photon background. The weakness of the weak interactions renders this neutrino background undetectable with current technology. The cosmic neutrino background can, however, be probed indirectly through its cosmological effects on big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) and the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation. In this BBN review, focused on neutrinos and, more generally on dark radiation, the BBN constraints on the number of "equivalent neutrinos" (dark radiation), on the baryon asymmetry (baryon density), and on a possible lepton asymmetry (neutrino degeneracy) are reviewed and updated. The BBN constraints on dark radiation and on the baryon density following from considerations of the primordial abundances of deuterium and helium-4 are in excellent agreement with the complementary results from the CMB, providing a suggestive, but currently inconclusive, hint of the presence of dark radiation and, they constrain any lepton asymmetry. For all the cases considered here there is a "lithium problem": the BBN-predicted lithium abundance exceeds the observationally inferred primordial value by a factor of ~3.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2011

Requiem for an FCHAMP?

Fractionally charged massive particles (FCHAMPs) appear in extensions of the standard model, especially those with superstring constructions. The lightest FCHAMP would be absolutely stable and any produced during the early evolution of the Universe would be present today. The production, annihilation, and survival of L, a lepton with electroweak but no strong interactions, of mass m_L and charge Q_L (in units of the positron charge) are explored. Since massive charged particles behave like baryons, primordial nucleosynthesis and the cosmic background radiation temperature anisotropies limit the FCHAMP relic density leading to constraints on the Q_L - m_L relation. Further constraints are provided by the invisible width of the Z and by accelerator searches for massive, charged particles. We exploit the fact that in the early Universe the negatively charged L will combine with alpha particles and protons forming tightly bound, positively charged states. The Coulomb barriers between these positively charged bound states and the free L+ suppress late time annihilation in the Galaxy and on Earth, limiting any late-time reduction of relic FCHAMP pairs. The surviving FCHAMP abundance on Earth is orders of magnitude higher than the limits from terrestrial searches for fractionally charged particles, appearing to close the window on FCHAMPs. However, as Q_L approaches an integer these searches become increasingly insensitive, leaving some "islands" in the Q_L - m_L plane which may be explored by searching for FCHAMPs in the cosmic rays.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2010

Primordial Nucleosynthesis: The Predicted and Observed Abundances and Their Consequences

For a brief time in its early evolution the Universe was a cosmic nuclear reactor. The expansion and cooling of the Universe limited this epoch to the first few minutes, allowing time for the synthesis in astrophysically interesting abundances of only the lightest nuclides (D, 3He, 4He, 7Li). For big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) in the standard models of cosmology and particle physics (SBBN), the SBBN-predicted abundances depend on only one adjustable parameter, the baryon density parameter (the ratio by number of baryons (nucleons) to photons). The predicted and observed abundances of the relic light elements are reviewed, testing the internal consistency of primordial nucleosynthesis. The consistency of BBN is also explored by comparing the values of the cosmological parameters inferred from primordial nucleosynthesis for the standard model and for models with non-standard early Universe expansion rates with those determined from studies of the cosmic background radiation, which provides a snapshot of the Universe some 400 thousand years after BBN ended.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2010

Primordial Nucleosynthesis After WMAP

During its early evolution, the hot, dense Universe provided a laboratory for probing fundamental physics at high energies. By studying the relics from those early epochs, such as the light elements synthesized during primordial nucleosynthesis when the Universe was only a few minutes old, and the relic, cosmic microwave photons, last scattered when the protons, alphas, and electrons (re)combined some 400 thousand years later, the evolution of the Universe may be used to test the standard models of cosmology and particle physics and to set constraints on proposals of physics beyond these standard models.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2010

Primordial Nucleosynthesis: A Cosmological Probe

During its early evolution the Universe provided a laboratory to probe fundamental physics at high energies. Relics from those early epochs, such as the light elements synthesized during primordial nucleosynthesis when the Universe was only a few minutes old, and the cosmic background photons, last scattered when the protons (and alphas) and electrons (re)combined some 400 thousand years later, may be used to probe the standard models of cosmology and of particle physics. The internal consistency of primordial nucleosynthesis is tested by comparing the predicted and observed abundances of the light elements, and the consistency of the standard models is explored by comparing the values of the cosmological parameters inferred from primordial nucleosynthesis with those determined by studying the cosmic background radiation.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2010

Primordial Helium And the Cosmic Background Radiation

The products of primordial nucleosynthesis and the cosmic microwave background (CMB) photons are relics from the early evolution of the Universe whose observations probe the standard model of cosmology and provide windows on new physics beyond the standard models of cosmology and of particle physics. In the standard, hot big bang cosmology, long before any stars have formed a significant fraction (~25%) of the baryonic mass in the Universe should be in the form of helium-4 nuclei. Since current 4He observations are restricted to low redshift regions where stellar nucleosynthesis has occurred, observations of high redshift, prestellar 4He would constitute a fundamental test of the hot, big bang cosmology. At recombination, long after big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) has ended, the temperature anisotropy spectrum imprinted on the CMB depends on the 4He abundance through its connection to the electron density and the effect of the electron density on Silk damping. Since the relic abundance of 4He is relatively insensitive to the universal density of baryons, but is sensitive to a non-standard, early Universe expansion rate, the primordial mass fraction of 4He, Yp, offers a test of the consistency of the standard models of BBN and the CMB and, provides constraints on non-standard physics. Here, the WMAP seven year data (supplemented by other CMB experiments), which lead to an indirect determination of Yp at high redshift, are compared to the BBN predictions and to the independent, direct observations of 4He in low redshift, extragalactic HII regions. At present, given the very large uncertainties in the CMB-determined primordial 4He abundance (as well as for the helium abundances inferred from H II region observations), any differences between the BBN predictions and the CMB observations are small, at a level < 1.5 sigma.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2010

The Deuterium Abundance in the Local Interstellar Medium

As the Galaxy evolves, the abundance of deuterium in the interstellar medium (ISM) decreases from its primordial value: deuterium is "astrated". The deuterium astration factor, f_D, the ratio of the primordial D abundance (the D to H ratio by number) to the ISM D abundance, is determined by the competition between stellar destruction and infall, providing a constraint on models of the chemical evolution of the Galaxy. Although conventional wisdom suggests that the local ISM (i.e., within ~1-2 kpc of the Sun) should be well mixed and homogenized on timescales short compared to the chemical evolution timescale, the data reveal gas phase variations in the deuterium, iron, and other metal abundances as large as factors of ~4-5 or more, complicating the estimate of the "true" ISM D abundance and of the deuterium astration factor. Here, assuming that the variations in the observationally inferred ISM D abundances result entirely from the depletion of D onto dust, rather than from unmixed accretion of nearly primordial material, a model-independent, Bayesian approach is used to determine the undepleted abundance of deuterium in the ISM (or, a lower limit to it). We find the best estimate for the undepleted, ISM deuterium abundance to be D/H_ISM >= (2.0+-0.1)x10^(-5). This result is used to provide an estimate of (or, an upper bound to) the deuterium astration factor, f_D = (D/H)_P/D/H_ISM <= 1.4+-0.1.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2010

Cahill's Cosmological Model Exacerbates The Primordial Lithium Problem And Creates New Problems For Primordial Deuterium And Helium

In a recent article R. T. Cahill claims that the cosmological model based on his "new physics of a dynamical 3-space" resolves the CMB-BBN Lithium-7 and Helium-4 abundance anomalies. In this note it is shown that this conclusion is wrong, resulting from a misunderstanding. In fact, primordial nucleosynthesis in this non-standard cosmological model exacerbates the LIthium-7 problem and creates new problems for primordial Helium-4 and Deuterium.

physics.gen-ph↗

arXiv2009

Tracking The Post-BBN Evolution Of Deuterium

The primordial abundance of deuterium produced during Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) depends sensitively on the universal ratio of baryons to photons, an important cosmological parameter probed independently by the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation. Observations of deuterium in high-redshift, low-metallicity QSO Absorption Line Systems (QSOALS) provide a key baryometer, determining the baryon abundance at the time of BBN to a precision of 5%. Alternatively, if the CMB-determined baryon to photon ratio is used in the BBN calculation of the primordial abundances, the BBN-predicted deuterium abundance may be compared with the primordial value inferred from the QSOALS, testing the standard cosmological model. In the post-BBN universe, as gas is cycled through stars, deuterium is only destroyed so that its abundance measured anytime, anywhere in the Universe, bounds the primordial abundance from below. Constraints on models of post-BBN Galactic chemical evolution follow from a comparison of the relic deuterium abundance with the FUSE-inferred deuterium abundances in the chemically enriched, stellar processed material of the local ISM.

astro-ph.GA↗