arXiv subjects

Shiv Sethi

Publications and source records attributed to Shiv Sethi.

30 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

Cosmological implications of electromagnetically interacting dark matter: milli-charged particles and atoms with singly and doubly charged dark matter

While the behavior of the dominant component of the dark matter is reasonably well established by cosmological observables, its particle nature and interactions with the rest of the matter are not known. We consider three dark matter models that admit electromagnetic interaction between baryons and dark matter: (a) milli-charged particle (CCDM) of charge $q_{\rm ccdm}$ and mass $m_{\rm ccdm}$, (b) a neutral atom of two charged particles of mass $m_{\rm dd}$ (DD), and (c) a neutral atom of doubly charged particle and helium nucleus (HeD). We derive and discuss in detail the formation, stability, and interaction of these atoms with baryons. We derive the implications of this new interaction in the tight-coupling approximation, which allows us to analytically gauge their impact on the matter power spectrum and CMB anisotropy. We incorporate this new interaction into the publicly-available code CLASS to obtain numerical results. We compare our results with Planck 2018 data to constrain the fraction of interacting dark matter. For the range of allowed astrophysical parameters, the HeD atom yields the results of $Λ$CDM model for $k < 1 \, \rm Mpc^{-1}$, and hence its fraction is not constrained by CMB anisotropy data which is sensitive to $k < 0.2 \, \rm Mpc^{-1}$. For $m_{\rm dd} \gtrsim 25 \, \rm GeV$, the DD atom is also not constrained by CMB data. For $m_{\rm dd} = 10 \, \rm GeV$, the CMB data constrains the fraction of DD atoms to be smaller than 4% of the total CDM component. For $q_{\rm ccdm} = 10^{-6}e$ and $m_{\rm ccdm} = 50 \, \rm MeV$, the CCDM fraction is constrained to be less than 1%.

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arXiv2019

Detecting 21 cm EoR Signal using Drift Scans: Correlation of Time-ordered Visibilities

We present a formalism to extract the EoR HI power spectrum for drift scans using radio interferometers. Our main aim is to determine the coherence time scale of time-ordered visibilities. We compute the two-point correlation function of the HI visibilities measured at different times to address this question. We determine, for a given baseline, the decorrelation of the amplitude and the phase of this complex function. Our analysis uses primary beams of four ongoing and future interferometers---PAPER, MWA, HERA, and SKA1-Low. We identify physical processes responsible for the decorrelation of the HI signal and isolate their impact by making suitable analytic approximations. The decorrelation time scale of the amplitude of the correlation function lies in the range of 2--20~minutes for baselines of interest for the extraction of the HI signal. The phase of the correlation function can be made small after scaling out an appropriate term, which also causes the coherence time scale of the phase to be longer than the amplitude of the correlation function. We find that our results are insensitive to the input HI power spectrum and therefore they are directly applicable to the analysis of the drift scan data. We also apply our formalism to a set of point sources and statistically homogeneous diffuse correlated foregrounds. We find that point sources decorrelate on a time scale much shorter than the HI signal. This provides a novel mechanism to partially mitigate the foregrounds in a drift scan.

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arXiv2019

Analytic Formulation of 21 cm Signal from Cosmic Dawn: Ly$α$ Fluctuations

We present an analytic formalism to compute the fluctuating component of the \ion{H}{1} signal and extend it to take into account the effects of partial Lyman-$α$ coupling during the era of cosmic dawn. We use excursion set formalism to calculate the size distribution of randomly distributed self-ionized regions. These ionization bubbles are surrounded by partially heated and Lyman-$α$ coupled regions, which create spin temperature $T_S$ fluctuations. We use the ratio of number of Lyman-$α$ to ionizing photon ($f_L$) and number of X-ray photons emitted per stellar baryons ($N_{\rm heat}$) as modeling parameters. Using our formalism, we compute the global \ion{H}{1} signal, its auto-correlation and power spectrum in the redshift range $10 \le z \le 30$ for the $Λ$CDM model. We check the validity of this formalism for various limits and simplified cases. Our results agree reasonably well with existing results from N-body simulations, in spite of following a different approach and requiring orders of magnitude less computation power and time. We further apply our formalism to study the fluctuating component corresponding to the recent EDGES observation that shows an unexpectedly deep absorption trough in global \ion{H}{1} signal in the redshift range $15 <z< 19$. We show that, generically, the EDGES observation predicts larger signal in this redshift range but smaller signal at higher redshifts. We also explore the possibility of negative real-space auto-correlation of spin temperature and show it can be achieved for partial Lyman-$α$ coupling in many cases corresponding to simplified models and complete model without density perturbations.

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arXiv2018

Probing star formation in galaxies at $z \approx 1$ via a Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope stacking analysis

We have used the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) to carry out deep 610 MHz continuum imaging of four sub-fields of the DEEP2 Galaxy Redshift Survey. We stacked the radio emission in the GMRT images from a near-complete (absolute blue magnitude ${\rm M_B} \leq -21$) sample of 3698 blue star-forming galaxies with redshifts $0.7 \lesssim z \lesssim 1.45$ to detect (at $\approx 17σ$ significance) the median rest-frame 1.4 GHz radio continuum emission of the sample galaxies. The stacked emission is unresolved, with a rest-frame 1.4 GHz luminosity of $\rm L_{1.4 \; GHz} = (4.13 \pm 0.24) \times 10^{22}$ W Hz$^{-1}$. We used the local relation between total star formation rate (SFR) and 1.4 GHz luminosity to infer a median total SFR of $\rm (24.4 \pm 1.4)\; M_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$ for blue star-forming galaxies with $\rm M_B \leq -21$ at $0.7 \lesssim z \lesssim 1.45$. We detect the main-sequence relation between SFR and stellar mass, $\rm M_\star$, obtaining $\rm SFR = (13.4 \pm 1.8) \times [(M_{\star}/(10^{10} \;M_\odot)]^{0.73 \pm 0.09} \; M_\odot \; yr^{-1}$; the power-law index shows no change over $z \approx 0.7 - 1.45$. We find that the nebular line emission suffers less extinction than the stellar continuum, contrary to the situation in the local Universe; the ratio of nebular extinction to stellar extinction increases with decreasing redshift. We obtain an upper limit of 0.87 Gyr to the atomic gas depletion time of a sub-sample of the DEEP2 galaxies at $z \approx 1.3$; neutral atomic gas thus appears to be a transient phase in high-$z$ star-forming galaxies.

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arXiv2018

An Analytic Formulation of 21-cm Signal from Early Phase of Epoch of Reionization

We present an analytic formulation to model the fluctuating component of the HI signal from the epoch of reionization during the phase of partial heating. During this phase, we assume self-ionized regions, whose size distribution can be computed using excursion set formalism, to be surrounded by heated regions. We model the evolution of heating profile around these regions (near zone) and their merger into the time-dependent background (far zone). We develop a formalism to compute the two-point correlation function for this topology, taking into account the heating auto-correlation and heating-ionization cross-correlation. We model the ionization and X-ray heating using four parameters: efficiency of ionization, $ζ$, number of X-ray photons per stellar baryon, $N_{\rm heat}$, the spectral index of X-ray photons, $α$, and the minimum frequency of X-ray photons, $ν_{\rm min}$. We compute the HI signal in the redshift range $10 < z < 20$ for the $Λ$CDM model for a set of these parameters. We show that the HI signal for a range of scales $1\hbox{-}8 \, \rm Mpc$ show a peak strength $100\hbox{-}1000 \, \rm (mK)^2$ during the partially heated era. The redshift at which the signal makes a transition to uniformly heated universe depends on modelling parameters, e.g. if $ν_{\rm min}$ is changed from $100 \, \rm eV$ to $1 \, \rm keV$, this transition moves from $z \simeq 15$ to $z \simeq 12$. This result, along with the dependence of the HI signal on modelling parameters, is in reasonable agreement with existing results from N-body simulations.

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arXiv2016

The gas mass of star-forming galaxies at $z \approx 1.3$

We report a Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) search for HI 21cm emission from a large sample of star-forming galaxies at $z \approx 1.18 - 1.34$, lying in sub-fields of the DEEP2 Redshift Survey. The search was carried out by co-adding ("stacking") the HI 21cm emission spectra of 857 galaxies, after shifting each galaxy's HI 21cm spectrum to its rest frame. We obtain the $3σ$ upper limit S$_{\rm{HI}} < 2.5 μ$Jy on the average HI 21cm flux density of the 857 galaxies, at a velocity resolution of $\approx 315$ km s$^{-1}$. This yields the $3σ$ constraint M$_{\rm{HI}} < 2.1 \times 10^{10} \times \left[Δ{\rm V}/315 \rm{km/s} \right]^{1/2} \textrm{M}_\odot$ on the average HI mass of the 857 stacked galaxies, the first direct constraint on the atomic gas mass of galaxies at $z > 1$. The implied limit on the average atomic gas mass fraction (relative to stars) is ${\rm M}_{\rm GAS}/{\rm M}_* < 0.5$, comparable to the cold molecular gas mass fraction in similar star-forming galaxies at these redshifts. We find that the cosmological mass density of neutral atomic gas in massive star-forming galaxies at $z \approx 1.3$ is $Ω_{\rm GAS} < 3.7 \times 10^{-4}$, significantly lower than $Ω_{\rm GAS}$ estimates in both galaxies in the local Universe and damped Lyman-$α$ absorbers at $z \geq 2.2$. Massive blue star-forming galaxies thus do not appear to dominate the neutral atomic gas content of the Universe at $z \approx 1.3$.

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arXiv2016

3-cm Fine Structure Masers: A Unique Signature of Supermassive Black Hole Formation via Direct Collapse in the Early Universe

The direct collapse black hole (DCBH) scenario describes the isothermal collapse of a pristine gas cloud directly into a massive, M_BH=10^4-10^6 M_sun black hole. In this paper we show that large HI column densities of primordial gas at T~10^4 K with low molecular abundance - which represent key aspects of the DCBH scenario - provide optimal conditions for pumping of the 2p-level of atomic hydrogen by trapped Lyman alpha (Lya) photons. This Lya pumping mechanism gives rise to inverted level population of the 2s_1/2-2p_3/2 transition, and therefore to stimulated fine structure emission at 3.04 cm (rest-frame). We show that simplified models of the DCBH scenario amplify the CMB by up to a factor of 10^5, above which the maser saturates. Hyperfine splitting of the 3-cm transition gives rise to a characteristic broad (FWHM ~ tens of MHz in the observers frame) asymmetric line profile. This signal subtends an angular scale of ~ 1-10 mas, which translates to a flux of ~ 0.3-3 microJy, which is detectable with ultra-deep surveys being planned with SKA1-MID. While challenging, as the signal is visible for a fraction of the collapse time of the cloud, the matching required physical conditions imply that a detection of the redshifted 3-cm emission line would provide direct evidence for the DCBH scenario.

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arXiv2015

SARAS measurement of the Radio Background at long wavelengths

SARAS is a correlation spectrometer connected to a frequency independent antenna that is purpose-designed for precision measurements of the radio background at long wavelengths. The design, calibration and observing strategies admit solutions for the internal additive contributions to the radiometer response, and hence a separation of these contaminants from the antenna temperature. We present here a wideband measurement of the radio sky spectrum by SARAS that provides an accurate measurement of the absolute brightness and spectral index between 110 and 175 MHz. Accuracy in the measurement of absolute sky brightness is limited by systematic errors of magnitude 1.2%; errors in calibration and in the joint estimation of sky and system model parameters are relatively smaller. We use this wide-angle measurement of the sky brightness using the precision wide-band dipole antenna to provide an improved absolute calibration for the 150-MHz all-sky map of Landecker & Wielebinski (1970):subtracting an offset of 21.4 K and scaling by factor 1.05 will reduce the overall offset error to 8 K (from 50 K) and scale error to 0.8% (from 5%). The SARAS measurement of the temperature spectral index is in the range -2.3 to -2.45 in the 110 to 175 MHz band and indicates that the region towards the Galactic bulge has a relatively flatter index.

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arXiv2007

Can We Detect the Anisotropic Shapes of Quasar HII Regions During Reionization Through The Small-Scale Redshifted 21cm Power Spectrum?

Light travel time delays distort the apparent shapes of HII regions surrounding bright quasars during early stages of cosmic reionization. Individual HII regions may remain undetectable in forthcoming redshifted 21 cm experiments. However, the systematic deformation along the line of sight may be detectable statistically, either by stacking tomographic 21cm images of quasars identified, for example, by JWST, or as small-scale anisotropy in the three-dimensional 21cm power spectrum. Here we consider the detectability of this effect. The anisotropy is largest when HII regions are large and expand rapidly, and we find that if bright quasars contributed to the early stages of reionization, then they can produce significant anisotropy, on scales comparable to the typical sizes of HII regions of the bright quasars (approx. 30 Mpc and below). The effect therefore cannot be ignored when analyzing future 21cm power spectra on small scales. If 10 percent of the volume of the IGM at redshift z=10 is ionized by quasars with typical ionizing luminosity of S= 5 x 10^{56} photons/second, the distortions can enhance by more than 10 percent the 21cm power spectrum in the radial (redshift) direction, relative to the transverse directions. The level of this anisotropy exceeds that due to redshift-space distortion, and has the opposite sign. We show that on-going experiments such as MWA should be able to detect this effect. A detection would reveal the presence of bright quasars, and shed light on the ionizing yield and age of the ionizing sources, and the distribution and small-scale clumping of neutral intergalactic gas in their vicinity.

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arXiv2004

Generation of Magnetic Field in the Pre-recombination Era

We study the possibility of generating magnetic fields during the evolution of electron, proton, and photon plasma in the pre-recombination era. We show that a small magnetic field can be generated in the second order of perturbation theory for scalar modes with adiabatic initial conditions. The amplitude of the field is $\la 10^{-30} \rm G$ at the present epoch for scales from sub-kpc to $\ga 100 \rm Mpc$.

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arXiv2001

Luminosity Function of GRBs

We attempt to constrain the luminosity function of Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) from the observed number count--flux relation and the afterglow redshift data. We assume three classes of luminosity functions for our analysis: (a) Log-normal distribution, (b) Schechter distribution, and (c) Scale-free distribution. We assume several models of the evolution of the GRB population for each luminosity function. Our analysis shows that: (a) log-normal is the only luminosity function that is compatible with both the observations. This result is independent of the GRB evolution model, (b) for log-normal function, the average photon luminosity $L_0$ and the width of the luminosity function $σ$ that are compatible with both the observations fall in the range: $10^{55} sec^{-1} \la L_0 \la 10^{56} sec^{-1}$ and $2 \la σ\la 3$, (c) the agreement of observations with other luminosity functions requires the GRB population to evolve more strongly than the evolution of the star-formation rate of the universe.

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arXiv1998

Photoelectric heating for dust grains at high redshifts

Lyman-$α$ absorption systems at $z \sim 3$ with $N_{HI} \ga 3 \times 10^{14}$ cm$^{-2}$ have been found to be enriched with a mean metallicity of $Z/Z_{\odot} \sim 10^{-2.5}$, and a large scatter in the metallicity. It is reasonable to assume that the process of initial enrichment of the intergalactic medium (IGM) at $z \ga 3$ also produced dust grains. We explore the implications of the presence of dust grains in the IGM at high redshift, in particular, the contribution of photoelectric emission from grains by hard background photons to the net heating rate of the IGM. We show that (i) the charge on dust particles and the characteristics of photo-emitted electrons differ substantially from those in the interstellar medium (ISM) in several respects: a) grains are exposed to and charged by photons beyond the Lyman limit, and b) because of this, the photoelectrons have typical energy of tens of eV. We also show that ii) silicates are more efficient heating agents than graphites; iii) small grains contribute mostly to the net heating; iv) at densities typical of the IGM at $z\sim 3$ and for Lyman-$α$ absorbers, dust heating can be comparable or exceed photoionization heating within an order of magnitude; v) this increases the temperature of overdense regions, compared to the case of no dust heating, by factor of $\sim 2$. We discuss the implications of this extra heating source in Lyman-$α$ absorbing systems.

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