arXiv subjects

Rachel Bean

Publications and source records attributed to Rachel Bean.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2008

Reconstructing a general inflationary action

If inflation is to be considered in an unbiased way, as possibly originating from one of a wide range of underlying theories, then observations need not be simply applied to reconstructing the inflaton potential, V(ϕ), or a specific kinetic term, as in DBI inflation, but rather to reconstruct the inflationary action in its entirety. We discuss the constraints that can be placed on a general single field action from measurements of the primordial scalar and tensor fluctuation power spectra and non-Gaussianities. We also present the flow equation formalism for reconstructing a general inflationary Lagrangian, L(X,ϕ), with X={1/2}\partial_μϕ\partial^μϕ, in a general gauge, that reduces to canonical and DBI inflation in the specific gauge \partial L/\partial X = c_s^{-1}.

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arXiv2008

Comparing Infrared Dirac-Born-Infeld Brane Inflation to Observations

We compare the Infrared Dirac-Born-Infeld (IR DBI) brane inflation model to observations using a Bayesian analysis. The current data cannot distinguish it from the \LambdaCDM model, but is able to give interesting constraints on various microscopic parameters including the mass of the brane moduli potential, the fundamental string scale, the charge or warp factor of throats, and the number of the mobile branes. We quantify some distinctive testable predictions with stringy signatures, such as the large non-Gaussianity, and the large, but regional, running of the spectral index. These results illustrate how we may be able to probe aspects of string theory using cosmological observations.

hep-th↗

arXiv2008

Nonlinear growth in modified gravity theories of dark energy

Theoretical differences in the growth of structure offer the possibility that we might distinguish between modified gravity theories of dark energy and \LambdaCDM. A significant impediment to applying current and prospective large scale galaxy and weak lensing surveys to this problem is that, while the mildly nonlinear regime is important, there is a lack of numerical simulations of nonlinear growth in modified gravity theories. A major question exists as to whether existing analytical fits, created using simulations of standard gravity, can be confidently applied. In this paper we address this, presenting results of N-body simulations of a variety of models where gravity is altered including the Dvali, Gabadadze and Porrati model. We consider modifications that alter the Poisson equation and also consider the presence of anisotropic shear stress that alters how particles respond to the gravitational potential gradient. We establish how well analytical fits of the matter power spectrum by Peacock and Dodds and Smith et al. are able to predict the nonlinear growth found in the simulations from z=50 up to today, and also consider implications for the weak lensing convergence power spectrum. We find that the analytical fits provide good agreement with the simulations, being within 1σof the simulation results for cases with and without anisotropic stress and for scale-dependent and independent modifications of the Poisson equation. No strong preference for either analytical fit is found.

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arXiv2007

A discriminating probe of gravity at cosmological scales

The standard cosmological model is based on general relativity and includes dark matter and dark energy. An important prediction of this model is a fixed relationship between the gravitational potentials responsible for gravitational lensing and the matter overdensity. Alternative theories of gravity often make different predictions for this relationship. We propose a set of measurements which can test the lensing/matter relationship, thereby distinguishing between dark energy/matter models and models in which gravity differs from general relativity. Planned optical, infrared and radio galaxy and lensing surveys will be able to measure $E_G$, an observational quantity whose expectation value is equal to the ratio of the Laplacian of the Newtonian potentials to the peculiar velocity divergence, to percent accuracy. We show that this will easily separate alternatives such as $Λ$CDM, DGP, TeVeS and $f(R)$ gravity.

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arXiv2007

The Adiabatic Instability on Cosmology's Dark Side

We consider theories with a nontrivial coupling between the matter and dark energy sectors. We describe a small scale instability that can occur in such models when the coupling is strong compared to gravity, generalizing and correcting earlier treatments. The instability is characterized by a negative sound speed squared of an effective coupled dark matter/dark energy fluid. Our results are general, and applicable to a wide class of coupled models and provide a powerful, redshift-dependent tool, complementary to other constraints, with which to rule many of them out. A detailed analysis and applications to a range of models are presented in a longer companion paper.

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arXiv2007

Dynamics of Linear Perturbations in f(R) Gravity

We consider predictions for structure formation from modifications to general relativity in which the Einstein-Hilbert action is replaced by a general function of the Ricci scalar. We work without fixing a gauge, as well as in explicit popular coordinate choices, appropriate for the modification of existing cosmological code. We present the framework in a comprehensive and practical form that can be directly compared to standard perturbation analyses. By considering the full evolution equations, we resolve perceived instabilities previously suggested, and instead find a suppression of perturbations. This result presents significant challenges for agreement with current cosmological structure formation observations. The findings apply to a broad range of forms of f(R) for which the modification becomes important at low curvatures, disfavoring them in comparison with the LCDM scenario. As such, these results provide a powerful method to rule out a wide class of modified gravity models aimed at providing an alternative explanation to the dark energy problem.

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arXiv2007

Comparing Brane Inflation to WMAP

We compare the simplest realistic brane inflationary model to recent cosmological data, including WMAP 3-year cosmic microwave background (CMB) results, Sloan Digital Sky Survey luminous red galaxies (SDSS LRG) power spectrum data and Supernovae Legacy Survey (SNLS) Type 1a supernovae distance measures. Here, the inflaton is simply the position of a $D3$-brane which is moving towards a $\bar{D}3$-brane sitting at the bottom of a throat (a warped, deformed conifold) in the flux compactified bulk in Type IIB string theory. The analysis includes both the usual slow-roll scenario and the Dirac-Born-Infeld scenario of slow but relativistic rolling. Requiring that the throat is inside the bulk greatly restricts the allowed parameter space. We discuss possible scenarios in which large tensor mode and/or non-Gaussianity may emerge. Here, the properties of a large tensor mode deviate from that in the usual slow-roll scenario, providing a possible stringy signature. Overall, within the brane inflationary scenario, the cosmological data is providing information about the properties of the compactification of the extra dimensions.

hep-th↗

arXiv2007

Massive neutrinos and dark energy

We consider the impact of the Heidelberg-Moscow claim for a detection of neutrino mass on the determination of the dark energy equation of state. By combining the Heidelberg-Moscow result with the WMAP 3-years data and other cosmological datasets we constrain the equation of state to -1.67< w <-1.05 at 95% c.l., While future data are certainly needed for a confirmation of the controversial Heildelberg-Moscow claim, our result shows that future laboratory searches for neutrino masses may play a crucial role in the determination of the dark energy properties.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

Cosmological constraints in the presence of ionizing and resonance radiation at recombination

With the recent measurement of full sky cosmic microwave background polarization from WMAP, key cosmological degeneracies have been broken, allowing tighter constraints to be placed on cosmological parameters inferred assuming a standard recombination scenario. Here we consider the effect on cosmological constraints if additional ionizing and resonance radiation sources are present at recombination. We find that the new CMB data significantly improve the constraints on the additional radiation sources, with $\log_{10}[ε_α] < -0.5$ and $\log_{10}[ε_{i}] <-2.4$ at 95% c.l. for resonance and ionizing sources respectively. Including the generalized recombination scenario, however, we find that the constraints on the scalar spectral index $n_s$ are weakened to $n_s=0.98\pm0.03$, with the $n_s=1$ case now well inside the 95% c.l.. The relaxation of constraints on tensor modes, scale invariance, dark energy and neutrino masses are also discussed.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

The impact of neutrino masses on the determination of dark energy properties

Recently, the Heidelberg-Moscow double beta decay experiment has claimed a detection for a neutrino mass with high significance. Here we consider the impact of this measurement on the determination of the dark energy equation of state. By combining the Heidelberg-Moscow result with the WMAP 3-years data and other cosmological datasets we constrain the equation of state to -1.67< w <-1.05 at 95% c.l., ruling out a cosmological constant at more than 95% c.l.. Interestingly enough, coupled neutrino-dark energy models may be consistent with such equation of state. While future data are certainly needed for a confirmation of the controversial Heildelberg-Moscow claim, our result shows that future laboratory searches for neutrino masses may play a crucial role in the determination of the dark energy properties.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Impact of Systematic Errors in Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Surveys of Galaxy Clusters

Future high-resolution microwave background measurements hold the promise of detecting galaxy clusters throughout our Hubble volume through their Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) signature, down to a given limiting flux. The number density of galaxy clusters is highly sensitive to cluster mass through fluctuations in the matter power spectrum, as well as redshift through the comoving volume and the growth factor. This sensitivity in principle allows tight constraints on such quantities as the equation of state of dark energy and the neutrino mass. We evaluate the ability of future cluster surveys to measure these quantities simultaneously when combined with PLANCK-like CMB data. Using a simple effective model for uncertainties in the cluster mass-SZ flux relation, we evaluate systematic shifts in cosmological constraints from cluster SZ surveys. We find that a systematic bias of 10% in cluster mass measurements can give rise to shifts in cosmological parameter estimates at levels larger than the $1σ$ statistical errors. Systematic errors are unlikely to be detected from the mass and redshift dependence of cluster number counts alone; increasing survey size has only a marginal effect. Implications for upcoming experiments are discussed.

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arXiv2005

Insights into Dark Energy: Interplay Between Theory and Observation

The nature of Dark Energy is still very much a mystery, and the combination of a variety of experimental tests, sensitive to different potential Dark Energy properties, will help elucidate its origins. This white paper briefly surveys the array of theoretical approaches to the Dark Energy problem and their relation to experimental questions.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2003

Recombining WMAP: constraints on ionizing and resonance radiation at recombination

We place new constraints on sources of ionizing and resonance radiation at the epoch of the recombination process using the recent CMB temperature and polarization spectra coming from WMAP. We find that non-standard recombination scenarios are still consistent with the current data. In light of this we study the impact that such models can have on the determination of several cosmological parameters. In particular, the constraints on curvature and baryon density appear to be weakly affected by a modified recombination scheme. However, it may affect the current WMAP constraints on inflationary parameters like the spectral index and its running. Physically motivated models, like those based on primordial black hole or super heavy dark matter decay, are able to provide a good fit to the current data. Future observations in both temperature and polarization will be needed to more stringently test these models.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2003

Are Chaplygin gases serious contenders to the dark energy throne?

We study the implications on both background and perturbation evolution of introducing a Chaplygin gas component in the universe's ingredients. We perform likelihood analyses using wide-ranging, SN1a, CMB and large scale structure observations to assess whether such a component could be a genuine alternative to a cosmological constant. We find that current data favors an adiabatic Chaplygin gas with behavior akin to a cosmological constant.

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arXiv2003

Probing dark energy perturbations: the dark energy equation of state and speed of sound as measured by WMAP

We review the implications of having a non-trivial matter component in the universe and the potential for detecting such a component through the matter power spectrum and ISW effect. We adopt a phenomenological approach and consider the mysterious dark energy to be a cosmic fluid. It is thus fully characterized, up to linear order, by its equation of state and its speed of sound. Whereas the equation of state has been widely studied in the literature, less interest has been devoted to the speed of sound. Its observational consequences come predominantly from very large scale modes of dark matter perturbations (k < 0.01 h.Mpc^{-1}). Since these modes have hardly been probed so far by large scale galaxy surveys, we investigate whether joint constraints that can be placed on those two quantities using the recent CMB fluctuations measurements by WMAP as well as the recently measured CMB large scale structure cross-correlation. We find only a tentative 1$sigma$ detection of the speed of sound, from CMB alone, c_{s}^{2}<0.04 at this low significance level. Furthermore, the current uncertainties in bias in the matter power spectrum preclude any constraints being placed using the cross correlation of CMB with the NVSS radio survey. We believe however that improvements in bias through improved survey scales and depths in the near future will improve hopes of detecting the speed of sound.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2002

Could supermassive black holes be quintessential primordial black holes?

There is growing observational evidence for a population of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in galactic bulges. We examine in detail the conditions under which these black holes must have originated from primordial black holes (PBHs). We consider the merging and accretion history experienced by SMBHs to find that, whereas it is possible that they were formed by purely astrophysical processes, this is unlikely and most probably a populations of primordial progenitors is necessary. We identify the mass distribution and comoving density of this population and then propose a cosmological scenario producing PBHs with the right properties. Although this is not essential we consider PBHs produced at the end of a period of inflation with a blue spectrum of fluctuations. We constrain the value of the spectral tilt in order to obtain the required PBH comoving density. We then assume that PBHs grow by accreting quintessence showing that their mass scales like the horizon mass while the quintessence field itself is scaling. We find that if scaling is broken just before nucleosynthesis (as is the case with some attractive non-minimally coupled models) we obtain the appropriate PBH mass distribution. Hawking evaporation is negligible in most cases, but we also discuss situations in which the interplay of accretion and evaporation is relevant.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2002

Constraining the Dark Universe

We combine complementary datasets to constrain dark energy. Using standard Big Bang Nucleosynthesis and the observed abundances of primordial nuclides to put constraints on $Ω_Q$ at temperatures near $T \sim 1MeV$, we find the strong constraint $Ω_Q({MeV}) < 0.045$ at $2σ$ c.l.. Under the assumption of flatness, using results from Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) anisotropy measurements, high redshift supernovae (SN-Ia) observations and data from local cluster abundances we put a new constraint on the equation of state parameter $w_Q < -0.85$ at 68% c.l..

astro-ph↗

arXiv2001

Current constraints on the dark energy equation of state

We combine complementary datasets from Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) anisotropy measurements, high redshift supernovae (SN-Ia) observations and data from local cluster abundances and galaxy clustering (LSS) to constrain the dark energy equation of state parameterized by a constant pressure-to-density ratio $w_Q$. Under the assumption of flatness, we find $w_Q < -0.85$ at 68% c.l., providing no significant evidence for quintessential behaviour different from that of a cosmological constant. We then generalise our result to show that the constraints placed on a constant $w_{Q}$ can be safely extended to dynamical theories. We consider a variety of quintessential dynamical models based on inverse power law, exponential and oscillatory scaling potentials. We find that SN1a observations are `numbed' to dynamical shifts in the equation of state, making the prospect of reconstructing $w(z)$, a challenging one indeed.

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