arXiv subjects

Marc Kamionkowski

Publications and source records attributed to Marc Kamionkowski.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

arXiv2019

Chiral photons from chiral gravitational waves

We show that a parity-breaking uniform (averaged over all directions on the sky) circular polarization of amplitude $V_{00} \simeq 2.6 \times 10^{-17}\, Δχ(r/0.06)$ can be induced by chiral gravitational-wave (GW) background with tensor-to-scalar ratio $r$ and chirality parameter $Δχ$ (which is $\pm1$ for a maximally chiral background). We also show, however, that a uniform circular polarization can arise from a realization of a non-chiral GW background that spontaneously breaks parity. The magnitude of this polarization is drawn from a distribution of root-variance $\sqrt{< V_{00}^2>} \simeq 1.5\times 10^{-18}\, (r/0.06)^{1/2}$ implying that the chirality parameter must be $Δχ\gtrsim 0.12 (r/0.06)^{-1/2}$ to establish that the GW background is chiral. Although these values are too small to be detected by any experiment in the foreseeable future, the calculation is a proof of principle that cosmological parity breaking in the form of a chiral gravitational-wave background can be imprinted in the chirality of the photons in the cosmic microwave background. It also illustrates how a seemingly parity-breaking cosmological signal can arise from parity-conserving physics.

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arXiv2019

Early Dark Energy Can Resolve The Hubble Tension

Early dark energy (EDE) that behaves like a cosmological constant at early times (redshifts $z\gtrsim3000$) and then dilutes away like radiation or faster at later times can solve the Hubble tension. In these models, the sound horizon at decoupling is reduced resulting in a larger value of the Hubble parameter $H_0$ inferred from the cosmic microwave background (CMB). We consider two physical models for this EDE, one involving an oscillating scalar field and another a slowly-rolling field. We perform a detailed calculation of the evolution of perturbations in these models. A Markov Chain Monte Carlo search of the parameter space for the EDE parameters, in conjunction with the standard cosmological parameters, identifies regions in which $H_0$ inferred from {\it Planck} CMB data agrees with the SH0ES local measurement. In these cosmologies, current baryon acoustic oscillation and supernova data are described as successfully as in \LCDM, while the fit to {\it Planck} data is slightly improved. Future CMB and large-scale-structure surveys will further probe this scenario.

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arXiv2019

Reheating constraints to WIMPflation

Analyses of inflation models are usually conducted assuming a specific range---e.g., $N_k \simeq 50-60$--of the number $N_k$ of $e$-folds of inflation. However, the analysis can also be performed by taking into account constraints imposed by the physics of reheating. In this paper, we apply this analysis to a class of "WIMPflation" models in which the inflaton also plays the role of dark matter. Our analysis also updates prior WIMPflation work with more recent Planck 2018 data. With this new analysis, inflaton potentials $V(ϕ)=λϕ^4$ and $λϕ_0^4[1-\cos(ϕ/ϕ_0)]^2$ are ruled out, while $V(ϕ)=λϕ_0^4\{1-\exp[-(ϕ/ϕ_0)^2]\}^2$ is slightly disfavored, and $V(ϕ)=λϕ_0^4\tanh^4(ϕ/ϕ_0)$ is only viable for certain reheating conditions. In addition, we also discuss for the first time the effect of post-reheating entropy production (from, e.g., cosmological phase transitions) in this reheating-physics analysis. When accounted for, it decreases the number of $e$-folds through $ΔN_k=-(1/3)\ln(1+γ)$, where $γ\equivδs/s$ is the fractional increase in entropy. We discuss briefly the possible impact of entropy production to inflation-model constraints in earlier work.

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arXiv2019

Constraints on the primordial curvature power spectrum from primordial black holes

Large-amplitude density perturbations may have collapsed during the radiation dominated epoch of the Universe to form primordial black holes (PBHs). There are several constraints to the abundance of PBHs that stem from evaporation or gravitational effects. Due to the connection between primordial perturbations and the formation of PBHs, constraints on the present-day abundance of PBHs can be translated into limits on the primordial curvature power spectrum. We introduce several new observational and forecasted constraints to the amplitude of the primordial power spectrum and incorporate in our analysis uncertainties in the critical overdensity for collapse and considerations of ellipsoidal collapse. Our results provide the most stringent limits from PBHs on the primordial curvature power spectrum on small scales.

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arXiv2019

Pulsar-timing arrays, astrometry, and gravitational waves

We discuss the theory of pulsar-timing and astrometry probes of a stochastic gravitational-wave background with a recently developed "total-angular-momentum" (TAM) formalism for cosmological perturbations. We review the formalism, emphasizing in particular the features relevant for this work and describe the observables we consider (i.e. the pulsar redshift and stellar angular displacement). Using the TAM approach, we calculate the angular power spectra for the observables and from them derive angular auto- and cross-correlation functions. We provide the full set of power spectra and correlation functions not only for the standard transverse-traceless propagating degrees of freedom in general relativity, but also for the four additional non-Einsteinian polarizations that may arise in alternative-gravity theories. We discuss how pulsar-timing and astrometry surveys can complement and serve as cross checks to one another and comment on the importance of testing the chirality of the gravitational-wave background as a tool to understand the nature of its sources. A simple rederivation of the power spectra from the plane-wave formalism is provided in an Appendix.

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arXiv2019

Where do the AMS-02 anti-helium events come from?

We discuss the origin of the anti-helium-3 and -4 events possibly detected by AMS-02. Using up-to-date semi-analytical tools, we show that spallation from primary hydrogen and helium nuclei onto the ISM predicts a $\overline{{}^3{\rm He}}$ flux typically one to two orders of magnitude below the sensitivity of AMS-02 after 5 years, and a $\overline{{}^4{\rm He}}$ flux roughly 5 orders of magnitude below the AMS-02 sensitivity. We argue that dark matter annihilations face similar difficulties in explaining this event. We then entertain the possibility that these events originate from anti-matter-dominated regions in the form of anti-clouds or anti-stars. In the case of anti-clouds, we show how the isotopic ratio of anti-helium nuclei might suggest that BBN has happened in an inhomogeneous manner, resulting in anti-regions with a anti-baryon-to-photon ratio $\barη\simeq10^{-3}η$. We discuss properties of these regions, as well as relevant constraints on the presence of anti-clouds in our Galaxy. We present constraints from the survival of anti-clouds in the Milky-Way and in the early Universe, as well as from CMB, gamma-ray and cosmic-ray observations. In particular, these require the anti-clouds to be almost free of normal matter. We also discuss an alternative where anti-domains are dominated by surviving anti-stars. We suggest that part of the unindentified sources in the 3FGL catalog can originate from anti-clouds or anti-stars. AMS-02 and GAPS data could further probe this scenario.

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arXiv2019

Inflation and Dark Energy from spectroscopy at $z > 2$

The expansion of the Universe is understood to have accelerated during two epochs: in its very first moments during a period of Inflation and much more recently, at $z < 1$, when Dark Energy is hypothesized to drive cosmic acceleration. The undiscovered mechanisms behind these two epochs represent some of the most important open problems in fundamental physics. The large cosmological volume at $2 < z < 5$, together with the ability to efficiently target high-$z$ galaxies with known techniques, enables large gains in the study of Inflation and Dark Energy. A future spectroscopic survey can test the Gaussianity of the initial conditions up to a factor of ~50 better than our current bounds, crossing the crucial theoretical threshold of $σ(f_{NL}^{\rm local})$ of order unity that separates single field and multi-field models. Simultaneously, it can measure the fraction of Dark Energy at the percent level up to $z = 5$, thus serving as an unprecedented test of the standard model and opening up a tremendous discovery space.

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arXiv2019

Direct millicharged dark matter cannot explain EDGES

Heat transfer between baryons and millicharged dark matter has been invoked as a possible explanation for the anomalous 21-cm absorption signal seen by EDGES. Prior work has shown that the solution requires that millicharged particles make up only a fraction $(m_χ/{\rm MeV})\ 0.0115\% \lesssim f \lesssim 0.4\%$ of the dark matter and that their mass $m_χ$ and charge $q_χ$ have values $0.1 \lesssim (m_χ/{\rm MeV})\lesssim 10$ and $10^{-6} \lesssim (q_χ/e)\lesssim 10^{-4}$. Here we show that such particles come into chemical equilibrium before recombination, and so are subject to a constraint on the effective number $N_{\rm eff}$ of relativistic degrees of freedom, which we update using Planck 2018 data. We moreover determine the precise relic abundance $f$ that results for a given mass $m_χ$ and charge $q_χ$ and incorporate this abundance into the constraints on the millicharged-dark-matter solution to EDGES. With these two results, the solution is ruled out if the relic abundance is set by freeze-out.

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arXiv2019

Primordial Non-Gaussianity

Our current understanding of the Universe is established through the pristine measurements of structure in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and the distribution and shapes of galaxies tracing the large scale structure (LSS) of the Universe. One key ingredient that underlies cosmological observables is that the field that sources the observed structure is assumed to be initially Gaussian with high precision. Nevertheless, a minimal deviation from Gaussianityis perhaps the most robust theoretical prediction of models that explain the observed Universe; itis necessarily present even in the simplest scenarios. In addition, most inflationary models produce far higher levels of non-Gaussianity. Since non-Gaussianity directly probes the dynamics in the early Universe, a detection would present a monumental discovery in cosmology, providing clues about physics at energy scales as high as the GUT scale.

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arXiv2019

Messengers from the Early Universe: Cosmic Neutrinos and Other Light Relics

The hot dense environment of the early universe is known to have produced large numbers of baryons, photons, and neutrinos. These extreme conditions may have also produced other long-lived species, including new light particles (such as axions or sterile neutrinos) or gravitational waves. The gravitational effects of any such light relics can be observed through their unique imprint in the cosmic microwave background (CMB), the large-scale structure, and the primordial light element abundances, and are important in determining the initial conditions of the universe. We argue that future cosmological observations, in particular improved maps of the CMB on small angular scales, can be orders of magnitude more sensitive for probing the thermal history of the early universe than current experiments. These observations offer a unique and broad discovery space for new physics in the dark sector and beyond, even when its effects would not be visible in terrestrial experiments or in astrophysical environments. A detection of an excess light relic abundance would be a clear indication of new physics and would provide the first direct information about the universe between the times of reheating and neutrino decoupling one second later.

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arXiv2019

Dark Matter Science in the Era of LSST

Astrophysical observations currently provide the only robust, empirical measurements of dark matter. In the coming decade, astrophysical observations will guide other experimental efforts, while simultaneously probing unique regions of dark matter parameter space. This white paper summarizes astrophysical observations that can constrain the fundamental physics of dark matter in the era of LSST. We describe how astrophysical observations will inform our understanding of the fundamental properties of dark matter, such as particle mass, self-interaction strength, non-gravitational interactions with the Standard Model, and compact object abundances. Additionally, we highlight theoretical work and experimental/observational facilities that will complement LSST to strengthen our understanding of the fundamental characteristics of dark matter.

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arXiv2019

Science from an Ultra-Deep, High-Resolution Millimeter-Wave Survey

Opening up a new window of millimeter-wave observations that span frequency bands in the range of 30 to 500 GHz, survey half the sky, and are both an order of magnitude deeper (about 0.5 uK-arcmin) and of higher-resolution (about 10 arcseconds) than currently funded surveys would yield an enormous gain in understanding of both fundamental physics and astrophysics. In particular, such a survey would allow for major advances in measuring the distribution of dark matter and gas on small-scales, and yield needed insight on 1.) dark matter particle properties, 2.) the evolution of gas and galaxies, 3.) new light particle species, 4.) the epoch of inflation, and 5.) the census of bodies orbiting in the outer Solar System.

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arXiv2019

A Summary of Multimessenger Science with Neutron Star Mergers

Neutron star mergers, referring to both binary neutron star and neutron star black hole mergers, are the canonical multimessenger events. They have been detected across the electromagnetic spectrum, have recently been detected in gravitational waves, and are likely to produce neutrinos over several decades in energy. The non-thermal prompt and afterglow emission of short gamma-ray bursts and the quasi-thermal emission from the radioactively powered kilonovae provide distinct insights into the physics of neutron star mergers. When combined with direct information on coalescence from gravitational waves and neutrinos these sources may become the best understood astrophysical transients. Multimessenger observations of these cataclysmic events will determine sources of gravitational waves and astrophysical neutrinos, enable precision cosmology, and unique tests of fundamental physics, the origin of heavy elements, the behavior of relativistic jets, and the equation of state of supranuclear matter. In this white paper we present a summary of the science discoveries possible with multimessenger observations of neutron star mergers and provide recommendations to enable them in the new era of time-domain, multimessenger astronomy.

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arXiv2019

Primordial-black-hole mergers in dark-matter spikes

It has been suggested that primordial black holes (PBHs) of roughly 30 solar masses could make up the dark matter and if so, might account for the recent detections by LIGO involving binary black holes in this mass range. It has also been argued that the super-massive black holes (SMBHs) that reside at galactic centers may be surrounded by extremely-dense dark-matter (DM) spikes. Here we show that the rate for PBH mergers in these spikes may well exceed the merger rate considered before in galactic dark-matter halos, depending on the magnitudes of two competing effects on the DM spikes: depletion of PBHs due to relaxation and replenishment due to PBHs in loss cone. This may provide a plausible explanation for the current rate of detection of mergers of 30-solar-mass black holes, even if PBHs make up a subdominant contribution to the dark matter. The gravitational-wave signals from such events will always originate in galactic centers, as opposed to those from halos, which are expected to have little correlation with luminous-galaxy positions.

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arXiv2019

Searching for Oscillations in the Primordial Power Spectrum with CMB and LSS Data

Different inflationary models predict oscillatory features in the primordial power spectrum. These can leave an imprint on both the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and the large-scale structure (LSS) of our Universe, that can be searched for with current data. Inspired by the axion-monodromy model of inflation, we search for primordial oscillations that are logarithmic in wavenumber, using both CMB data from the Planck satellite and LSS data from the WiggleZ galaxy survey. We find that, within our search range for the new oscillation parameters (amplitude, frequency and phase), both CMB-only and CMB+LSS data yield the same best-fit oscillation frequency of $\log_{10}ω=1.5$, improving the fit over $Λ$CDM by $Δχ^2\! =\! -9$ and $Δχ^2\! =\! -13$ (roughly corresponding to $2σ$ and $2.8σ$ significance), respectively. Bayesian evidence for the log-oscillation model versus $Λ$CDM indicates a very slight preference for the latter. Future CMB and LSS data will further probe this scenario.

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arXiv2019

Circular polarization of the cosmic microwave background from vector and tensor perturbations

Circular polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) can be induced by Faraday conversion of the primordial linearly polarized radiation as it propagates through a birefringent medium. Recent work has shown that the dominant source of birefringence from primordial density perturbations is the anisotropic background CMB. Here we extend prior work to allow for the additional birefringence that may arise from primordial vector and tensor perturbations. We derive the formulas for the power spectrum of the induced circular polarization and apply those to the standard cosmology. We find the root-variance of the induced circular polarization to be $\sqrt{ }\sim 3\times 10^{-14}$ for scalar perturbations and $\sqrt{ }\sim 7\times 10^{-18} (r/0.06)$ for tensor perturbations with a tensor-to-scalar ratio $r$.

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arXiv2019

Cross-correlations between scalar perturbations and magnetic fields in bouncing universes

Bouncing scenarios offer an alternative to the inflationary paradigm for the generation of perturbations in the early universe. Recently, there has been a surge in interest in examining the issue of primordial magnetogenesis in the context of bouncing universes. As in the case of inflation, the conformal invariance of the electromagnetic action needs to be broken in bouncing scenarios in order to generate primordial magnetic fields which correspond to observed strengths today. The non-minimal coupling, which typically depends on a scalar field that possibly drives the homogeneous background, leads to a cross-correlation at the level of the three-point function between the perturbation in the scalar field and the magnetic fields. This has been studied in some detail in the context of inflation and, specifically, it has been established that the three-point function satisfies the so-called consistency relation in the squeezed limit. In this work, we study the cross-correlation between the magnetic fields and the perturbation in an auxiliary scalar field in a certain class of bouncing scenarios. We consider couplings that lead to scale invariant spectra of the magnetic field and evaluate the corresponding cross-correlation between the magnetic field and the perturbation in the scalar field. We find that, when compared to de Sitter inflation, the dimensionless non-Gaussianity parameter that characterizes the amplitude of the cross-correlations proves to be considerably larger in bouncing scenarios. We also show that the aforementioned consistency condition governing the cross-correlation is violated in the bouncing models. We discuss the implications of our results.

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arXiv2018

Enhancing the cross-correlations between magnetic fields and scalar perturbations through parity violation

One often resorts to a non-minimal coupling of the electromagnetic field in order to generate magnetic fields during inflation. The coupling is expected to depend on a scalar field, possibly the same as the one driving inflation. At the level of three-point functions, such a coupling leads to a non-trivial cross-correlation between the perturbation in the scalar field and the magnetic field. This cross-correlation has been evaluated analytically earlier for the case of non-helical electromagnetic fields. In this work, we numerically compute the cross-correlation for helical magnetic fields. Non-Gaussianities are often generated as modes leave the Hubble radius. The helical electromagnetic modes evolve strongly (when compared to the non-helical case) around Hubble exit and one type of polarization is strongly amplified immediately after Hubble exit. We find that helicity considerably boosts the amplitude of the dimensionless non-Gaussianity parameter that characterizes the amplitude and shape of the cross-correlation between the perturbations in the scalar field and the magnetic field. We discuss the implications of the enhancement in the non-Gaussianity parameter due to parity violation.

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