arXiv subjects

Omar F. Ramadan

Publications and source records attributed to Omar F. Ramadan.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

First Constraints on a Pixelated Universe in Light of DESI

Pixelated dark energy is a string theory scenario with a quantum mechanically stable cosmological constant. The number of pixels that make up the universe slowly increases, manifesting as a time-dependent source of dark energy. DESI has recently reported evidence for dynamical dark energy that fits within this framework. In light of this, we perform the first cosmological analysis of the pixelated model. We find that the simplest model where the pixel growth rate is constant is able to accommodate the data, providing a marginally better fit than $Λ$CDM; and we show that models where the pixel growth rate is increasing and of order the Hubble constant today could provide better fits. Our analysis helps to clarify the features of UV constructions of dark energy necessary to accommodate the data.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2024

Cosmology and Astrophysics of CP-Violating Axions

We study the cosmology and astrophysics of axion-like particles (ALPs) with CP-violating Yukawa couplings to nucleons. At finite nucleon density, the ALP's dynamics is governed by an effective potential which is the sum of the bare periodic potential and a linear potential whose strength depends on the nucleon density. We identify a critical nucleon density $ρ_c$ controlling the dynamics. At densities smaller than $ρ_c$ the effective potential is a tilted sinusoidal curve and the field is displaced from its zero-density minimum. At densities larger than $ρ_c$ the minima (and maxima) are absent, and the ALP is destabilized. Astrophysically, this implies that neutron stars can source a radial ALP field, providing a complementary probe to equivalence principle tests. Cosmologically, the ALP may have been destabilized in the early Universe and could have made large field excursions. We discuss model-building applications of our results for such early universe scenarios.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2024

DESI Constraints on Exponential Quintessence

The DESI collaboration have recently analyzed their first year of data, finding a preference for thawing dark energy scenarios when using parameterized equations of state for dark energy. We investigate whether this preference persists when the data is analyzed within the context of a well-studied field theory model of thawing dark energy, exponential quintessence. No preference for this model over $Λ$CDM is found, and both models are poorer fits to the data than the Chevallier-Polarski-Linder $w_0$--$w_a$ parameterization. We demonstrate that the worse fit is due to a lack of sharp features in the potential that results in a slowly-evolving dark energy equation of state that does not have enough freedom to simultaneously fit the combination of the supernovae, DESI, and cosmic microwave background data. Our analysis provides guidance for constructing dynamical dark energy models that are able to better accommodate the data.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2024

An Attractive Proposal for Resolving the Hubble Tension: Dynamical Attractors that Unify Early and Late Dark Energy

Early dark energy is a promising potential resolution of the Hubble tension. Unfortunately, many models suffer from the need to fine-tune their initial conditions to ensure that the epoch of early dark energy coincides with matter-radiation equality. We propose a class of attractive early dark energy models where this coincidence arises naturally as a saddle point of a dynamical system that attracts a large volume of phase-space trajectories regardless of the initial conditions. The system approaches a global dark energy attractor at late-times. Our framework therefore unifies early and late dark energy using a single scalar degree of freedom. We analyze a fiducial attractive early dark energy model and find that it is disfavored by cosmological data due to the presence of a long-lived saddle point in the matter era where the scalar plays the role of an additional component of (non-clustering) dark matter. Our investigations provide lessons for future model-building efforts aimed at constructing viable attractive early dark energy models.

astro-ph.CO↗