arXiv subjects

Joel Meyers

Publications and source records attributed to Joel Meyers.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

Dark Matter Interactions, Helium, and the CMB

The cosmic microwave background (CMB) places a variety of model-independent constraints on the strength interactions of the dominant component of dark matter with the Standard Model. Percent-level subcomponents of the dark matter can evade the most stringent CMB bounds by mimicking the behavior of baryons, allowing for larger couplings and novel experimental signatures. However, in this note, we will show that such tightly coupled subcomponents leave a measurable imprint on the CMB that is well approximated by a change to the helium fraction, $Y_{\rm He}$. Using the existing constraint on $Y_{\rm He}$, we derive a new upper limit on the fraction of tightly coupled dark matter, $f_{\rm TCDM}$, of $f_{\rm TCDM}<0.006$ (95\% C.I.). We show that future CMB experiments can reach $f_{\rm TCDM}<0.001$ (95\% C.I.) and confirm that the bounds derived in this way agree with the results of a complete analysis. We briefly comment on the implications for model building, including milli-charged dark matter.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2018

Aspects of Dark Matter Annihilation in Cosmology

Cosmic microwave background (CMB) constraints on dark matter annihilation are a uniquely powerful tool in the quest to understand the nature of dark matter. Annihilation of dark matter to Standard Model particles between recombination and reionization heats baryons, ionizes neutral hydrogen, and alters the CMB visibility function. Surprisingly, CMB bounds on dark matter annihilation are not expected to improve significantly with the dramatic improvements in sensitivity expected in future cosmological surveys. In this paper, we will present a simple physical description of the origin of the CMB constraints and explain why they are nearly saturated by current observations. The essential feature is that dark matter annihilation primarily affects the ionization fraction which can only increase substantially at times when the universe was neutral. The resulting change to the CMB occurs on large angular scales and leads to a phenomenology similar to that of the optical depth to reionization. We will demonstrate this impact on the CMB both analytically and numerically. Finally, we will discuss the additional impact that changing the ionization fraction has on large scale structure.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2018

Effect of reheating on predictions following multiple-field inflation

We study the sensitivity of cosmological observables to the reheating phase following inflation driven by many scalar fields. We describe a method which allows semi-analytic treatment of the impact of perturbative reheating on cosmological perturbations using the sudden decay approximation. Focusing on $\mathcal{N}$-quadratic inflation, we show how the scalar spectral index and tensor-to-scalar ratio are affected by the rates at which the scalar fields decay into radiation. We find that for certain choices of decay rates, reheating following multiple-field inflation can have a significant impact on the prediction of cosmological observables.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2017

Reconstructing the Primary CMB Dipole

The observed dipole anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature is much larger than the fluctuations observed on smaller scales and is dominated by the kinematic contribution from the Doppler shifting of the monopole due to our motion with respect to the CMB rest frame. In addition to this kinematic component, there is expected to be an intrinsic contribution with an amplitude about two orders of magnitude smaller. Here we explore a method whereby the intrinsic CMB dipole can be reconstructed through observation of temperature fluctuations on small scales which result from gravitational lensing. Though the experimental requirements pose practical challenges, we show that one can in principle achieve a cosmic variance limited measurement of the primary dipole using the reconstruction method we describe. Since the primary CMB dipole is sensitive to the largest observable scales, such a measurement would have a number of interesting applications for early universe physics, including testing large-scale anomalies, extending the lever-arm for measuring local non-Gaussianity, and constraining isocurvature fluctuations on super-horizon scales.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2017

Phases of New Physics in the CMB

Fluctuations in the cosmic neutrino background are known to produce a phase shift in the acoustic peaks of the cosmic microwave background. It is through the sensitivity to this effect that the recent CMB data has provided a robust detection of free-streaming neutrinos. In this paper, we revisit the phase shift of the CMB anisotropy spectrum as a probe of new physics. The phase shift is particularly interesting because its physical origin is strongly constrained by the analytic properties of the Green's function of the gravitational potential. For adiabatic fluctuations, a phase shift requires modes that propagate faster than the speed of fluctuations in the photon-baryon plasma. This possibility is realized by free-streaming relativistic particles, such as neutrinos or other forms of dark radiation. Alternatively, a phase shift can arise from isocurvature fluctuations. We present simple models to illustrate each of these effects. We then provide observational constraints from the Planck temperature and polarization data on additional forms of radiation. We also forecast the capabilities of future CMB Stage IV experiments. Whenever possible, we give analytic interpretations of our results.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2017

Reconstructing CMB fluctuations and the mean reionization optical depth

The Thomson optical depth from reionization is a limiting factor in measuring the amplitude of primordial fluctuations, and hence in measuring physics that affects the low-redshift amplitude, such as the neutrino masses. Current constraints on the optical depth, based on directly measuring large-scale cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization, are challenging due to foregrounds and systematic effects. Here, we consider an indirect measurement of large-scale polarization, using observed maps of small-scale polarization together with maps of fields that distort the CMB, such as CMB lensing and patchy reionization. We find that very futuristic CMB surveys will be able to reconstruct large-scale polarization, and thus the mean optical depth, using only measurements on small scales.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2016

Establishing the origin of CMB B-mode polarization

Primordial gravitational waves leave a characteristic imprint on the cosmic microwave background (CMB) in the form of $B$-mode polarization. Photons are also deflected by large scale gravitational waves which intervene between the source screen and our telescopes, resulting in curl-type gravitational lensing. Gravitational waves present at the epoch of reionization contribute to both effects, thereby leading to a non-vanishing cross-correlation between $B$-mode polarization and curl lensing of the CMB. Observing such a cross correlation would be very strong evidence that an observation of $B$-mode polarization was due to the presence of large scale gravitational waves, as opposed to astrophysical foregrounds or experimental systematic effects. We study the cross-correlation across a wide range of source redshifts and show that a post-SKA experiment aimed to map out the 21-cm sky between $15 \leq z \leq 30$ could rule out non-zero cross-correlation at high significance for $r \geq 0.01$.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2016

CMB-S4 Science Book, First Edition

This book lays out the scientific goals to be addressed by the next-generation ground-based cosmic microwave background experiment, CMB-S4, envisioned to consist of dedicated telescopes at the South Pole, the high Chilean Atacama plateau and possibly a northern hemisphere site, all equipped with new superconducting cameras. CMB-S4 will dramatically advance cosmological studies by crossing critical thresholds in the search for the B-mode polarization signature of primordial gravitational waves, in the determination of the number and masses of the neutrinos, in the search for evidence of new light relics, in constraining the nature of dark energy, and in testing general relativity on large scales.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2016

Single-Field Inflation and the Local Ansatz: Distinguishability and Consistency

The single-field consistency conditions and the local ansatz have played separate but important roles in characterizing the non-Gaussian signatures of single- and multifield inflation respectively. We explore the precise relationship between these two approaches and their predictions. We demonstrate that the predictions of the single-field consistency conditions can never be satisfied by a general local ansatz with deviations necessarily arising at order $(n_s-1)^2$. This implies that there is, in principle, a minimum difference between single- and (fully local) multifield inflation in observables sensitive to the squeezed limit such as scale-dependent halo bias. We also explore some potential observational implications of the consistency conditions and its relationship to the local ansatz. In particular, we propose a new scheme to test the consistency relations. In analogy with delensing of the cosmic microwave background, one can deproject the coupling of the long wavelength modes with the short wavelength modes and test for residual anomalous coupling.

hep-th↗

arXiv2016

CMB Delensing Beyond the B Modes

Gravitational lensing by large-scale structure significantly impacts observations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB): it smooths the acoustic peaks in temperature and $E$-mode polarization power spectra, correlating previously uncorrelated modes; and it converts $E$-mode polarization into $B$-mode polarization. The act of measuring and removing the effect of lensing from CMB maps, or delensing, has been well studied in the context of $B$ modes, but little attention has been given to the delensing of the temperature and $E$ modes. In this paper, we model the expected delensed $T$ and $E$ power spectra to all orders in the lensing potential, demonstrating the sharpening of the acoustic peaks and a significant reduction in lens-induced power spectrum covariances. We then perform cosmological forecasts, demonstrating that delensing will yield improved sensitivity to parameters with upcoming surveys. We highlight the breaking of the degeneracy between the effective number of neutrino species and primordial helium fraction as a concrete application. We also show that delensing increases cosmological information as long as the measured lensing reconstruction is included in the analysis. We conclude that with future data, delensing will be crucial not only for primordial $B$-mode science but for a range of other observables as well.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2016

Monthly Modulation in Dark Matter Direct-Detection Experiments

The signals in dark matter direct-detection experiments should exhibit modulation signatures due to the Earth's motion with respect to the Galactic dark matter halo. The annual and daily modulations, due to the Earth's revolution about the Sun and rotation about its own axis, have been explored previously. Monthly modulation is another such feature present in direct detection signals, and provides a nearly model-independent method of distinguishing dark matter signal events from background. We study here monthly modulations in detail for both WIMP and WISP dark matter searches, examining both the effect of the motion of the Earth about the Earth-Moon barycenter and the gravitational focusing due to the Moon. For WIMP searches, we calculate the monthly modulation of the count rate and show the effects are too small to be observed in the foreseeable future. For WISP dark matter experiments, we show that the photons generated by WISP to photon conversion have frequencies which undergo a monthly modulating shift which is detectable with current technology and which cannot in general be neglected in high resolution WISP searches.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2016

Cosmic Neutrinos and Other Light Relics

Cosmological measurements of the radiation density in the early universe can be used as a sensitive probe of physics beyond the standard model. Observations of primordial light element abundances have long been used to place non-trivial constraints on models of new physics and to inform our understanding of the thermal history to the first few minutes of our present phase of expansion. Precision measurements of the angular power spectrum of the cosmic microwave background temperature and polarization will drastically improve our measurement of the cosmic radiation density over the next decade. These improved measurements will either uncover new physics or place much more stringent constraints on physics beyond the standard model, while pushing our understanding of the early universe to much earlier times.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2016

On CMB B-Mode Non-Gaussianity

We study the degree to which the cosmic microwave background (CMB) can be used to constrain primordial non-Gaussianity involving one tensor and two scalar fluctuations, focusing on the correlation of one polarization $B$ mode with two temperature modes. In the simplest models of inflation, the tensor-scalar-scalar primordial bispectrum is non-vanishing and is of the same order in slow-roll parameters as the scalar-scalar-scalar bispectrum. We calculate the $\langle BTT\rangle$ correlation arising from a primordial tensor-scalar-scalar bispectrum, and show that constraints from an experiment like CMB-Stage IV using this observable are more than an order of magnitude better than those on the same primordial coupling obtained from temperature measurements alone. We argue that $B$-mode non-Gaussianity opens up an as-yet-unexplored window into the early Universe, demonstrating that significant information on primordial physics remains to be harvested from CMB anisotropies.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2015

Multi-wavelength constraints on the inflationary consistency relation

We present the first attempt to use a combination of CMB, LIGO, and PPTA data to constrain both the tilt and the running of primordial tensor power spectrum through constraints on the gravitational wave energy density generated in the early universe. Combining measurements at different cosmological scales highlights how complementary data can be used to test the predictions of early universe models including the inflationary consistency relation. Current data prefers a slightly positive tilt ($n_t = 0.06^{+0.63}_{-0.89}$) and a negative running ($n_{t, {\rm run}} < -0.22$) for the tensor power spectrum spectrum. Interestingly, the addition of direct gravitational wave detector data alone puts strong bounds on the tensor-to-scalar ratio $r < 0.2$ since the large positive tensor tilt preferred by the \textit{Planck} temperature power spectrum is no longer allowed. Adding the recently released BICEP2/KECK and Planck 353 GHz Polarization cross correlation data puts an even stronger bound $r<0.1$ . We comment on possible effects of a large positive tilt on the background expansion and show that depending on the assumptions regarding the UV cutoff ($k_{\rm UV}/k_* = 10^{24}$) of the primordial spectrum of gravitational waves, the strongest bounds on $n_t = 0.07^{+0.52}_{-0.80}$ are derived from this effect.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2014

Testing Inflation with Large Scale Structure: Connecting Hopes with Reality

The statistics of primordial curvature fluctuations are our window into the period of inflation, where these fluctuations were generated. To date, the cosmic microwave background has been the dominant source of information about these perturbations. Large scale structure is however from where drastic improvements should originate. In this paper, we explain the theoretical motivations for pursuing such measurements and the challenges that lie ahead. In particular, we discuss and identify theoretical targets regarding the measurement of primordial non-Gaussianity. We argue that when quantified in terms of the local (equilateral) template amplitude $f_{\rm NL}^{\rm loc}$ ($f_{\rm NL}^{\rm eq}$), natural target levels of sensitivity are $Δf_{\rm NL}^{\rm loc, eq.} \simeq 1$. We highlight that such levels are within reach of future surveys by measuring 2-, 3- and 4-point statistics of the galaxy spatial distribution. This paper summarizes a workshop held at CITA (University of Toronto) on October 23-24, 2014.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2014

Perturbative Reheating After Multiple-Field Inflation: The Impact on Primordial Observables

We study the impact of perturbative reheating on primordial observables in models of multiple-field inflation. By performing a sudden decay calculation, we derive analytic expressions for the local-type non-linearity parameter $f_{\rm NL}^{\rm local}$, the scalar spectral index $n_ζ$, and the tensor-to-scalar ratio $r_T$ as functions of the decay rates of the inflationary fields. We compare our analytic results to a fully numerical classical field theory simulation, finding excellent agreement. We find that the sensitivity of $f_{\rm NL}$, $n_ζ$, and $r_T$ to the reheating phase depends heavily on the underlying inflationary model. We quantify this sensitivity, and discuss conditions that must be satisfied if observable predictions are to be insensitive to the dynamics of reheating. We demonstrate that upon completion of reheating, all observable quantities take values within finite ranges, the limits of which are determined completely by the conditions during inflation. Furthermore, fluctuations in both fields play an important role in determining the full dependence of the observables on the dynamics of reheating. By applying our formalism to two concrete examples, we demonstrate that variations in $f_{\rm NL}$, $n_ζ$, and $r_T$ caused by changes in reheating dynamics are well within the sensitivity of Planck, and as such the impact of reheating must be accounted for when making predictions for models of multiple-field inflation. Our final expressions are very general, encompassing a wide range of two-field inflationary models, including the standard curvaton scenario. Our results allow a much more unified approach to studying two-field inflation including the effects of perturbative reheating. As such, entire classes of models can be studied together, allowing a more systematic approach to gaining insight into the physics of the early universe through observation.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2012

Non-Gaussian Correlations Outside the Horizon in Local Thermal Equilibrium

Making a connection between observations of cosmological correlation functions and those calculated from theories of the early universe requires that these quantities are conserved through the periods of the universe which we do not understand. In this paper, the results of [0810.2831] are extended to show that tree-approximation correlation functions of Heisenberg picture operators for the reduced spatial metric are constant outside the horizon during local thermal equilibrium with no non-zero conserved quantum numbers.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2011

Adiabaticity and the Fate of Non-Gaussianities: The Trispectrum and Beyond

Extending the analysis of [1011.4934] beyond the bispectrum, we explore the superhorizon generation of local non-gaussianities and their subsequent approach to adiabaticity. Working with a class of two field models of inflation with potentials amenable to treatment with the delta N formalism we find that, as is the case for f_{NL}^{local}, the local trispectrum parameters tau_{NL} and g_{NL} are exponentially driven toward values which are slow roll suppressed if the fluctuations are driven into an adiabatic mode by a phase of effectively single field inflation. We argue that general considerations should ensure that a similar behavior will hold for the local forms of higher point correlations as well.

astro-ph.CO↗