arXiv subjects

Rahul Dhyani

Publications and source records attributed to Rahul Dhyani.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Early- and Late-Time Modifications to $\Lambda$CDM: Implications for the Hubble Tension

We investigate an extension of $\Lambda$CDM in which a fraction of cold Dark Matter (DM) decays into invisible dark radiation (DR) around the radiation-matter equality epoch, together with a non-standard dark energy (DE) equation of state characterized by $w_0$. The decaying DM component modifies the early expansion history and reduces the sound horizon at baryon drag, while the DE alters the expansion rate at the late times. A comprehensive analysis combining \texttt{Planck 2018+ACT DR6+DESI DR2+CMB lensing} datasets has been carried out to explore the viability of this framework in addressing the $H_0$ tension. This model yields a Hubble constant of $H_0 = 69.83 \pm 0.98~\mathrm{km\,s^{-1}\,Mpc^{-1}}$, reducing the discrepancy with SH0ES measurement to ${\sim}2.2\sigma$ and local distance network measurement (H0DN) to ${\sim}2.9\sigma$. Further, considering \texttt{SH0ES} and \texttt{Pantheon+}, the inferred value of the Hubble constant becomes $H_0 = 70.20 \pm 0.66~\mathrm{km\,s^{-1}\,Mpc^{-1}}$. The Bayesian evidence suggests that this framework offers a fit to the relevant cosmological datasets at a statistically similar level as $\Lambda$CDM. It is observed that correlated early- and late-time modifications to the cosmological expansion history provide a more effective route to reducing the $H_0$ tension than either class of modification alone.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2026

Dimming of Photon Ring due to Photon-Axion Conversion around Kerr Black Holes

We investigate photon-axion conversion in the vicinity of rotating Kerr black holes where strong gravity traps photons on near-circular trajectories, effectively enhancing the path length. We explore the observable signatures of such a conversion near the photon region. The process, driven by ambient magnetic fields, is significantly more efficient around supermassive black holes such as M87*, since the luminosity of photons increases with the mass of the BH. By numerically evaluating photon path lengths (on which the conversion depends), we analyze how key parameters-photon frequency, axion mass, photon-axion coupling, magnetic field strength, plasma density, and black hole spin-affect the conversion probability and the resultant dimming of photon spectral luminosity. We find that the conversion is most efficient at high frequencies (X-rays and gamma rays), while the frequency window associated with efficient conversion widens with an increase in the photon-axion coupling and a decrease in the electron density and the axion mass. The magnitude of dimming of the photon spectral luminosity depends primarily on the magnetic field, the photon-axion coupling and the BH spin. Our study reveals that rotating black holes generally exhibit enhanced dimming compared to static ones. Thus, if future telescopes achieving a resolution $\sim 10^{-5}$ arcsec in the X-ray/gamma-ray band detect a dimming of the photon spectral luminosity, then they can provide interesting constraints on the axion mass and its coupling with photons.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2025

Probing Dark Matter-Electron Interactions in the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation

In this article, we consider Dark Matter (DM) interactions and study the same in the light of the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMBR) data. In particular, we focus on the DM-electron interactions. Assuming that such interactions are mediated by rather heavy mediators, we consider effective operators describing the relevant interaction terms in the lagrangian. The presence of such interaction terms leads to both DM annihilation and DM-electron scattering (drag). We focus on operators which lead to velocity-independent DM annihilation and DM-electron scattering cross-sections. Using the CMBR data, we study the implications of both of these effects, imposing constraints on the respective effective operators. This analysis underscores the importance of taking both scattering and annihilation processes into consideration in the study of DM interactions. We observe that the constraints on the DM annihilation and scattering cross-sections can change, up to about 13\% and 12\%, respectively, for the benchmark scenarios we considered, depending on the mass of DM, as compared to the scenario where only DM annihilation is accounted for.

hep-ph↗