arXiv subjects

Sunny Vagnozzi

Publications and source records attributed to Sunny Vagnozzi.

86 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

Constraints on the sum of the neutrino masses in dynamical dark energy models with $w(z) \geq -1$ are tighter than those obtained in $Λ$CDM

We explore cosmological constraints on the sum of the three active neutrino masses $M_ν$ in the context of dynamical dark energy (DDE) models with equation of state (EoS) parametrized as a function of redshift $z$ by $w(z)=w_0+w_a\,z/(1+z)$, and satisfying $w(z)\geq-1$ for all $z$. We perform a Bayesian analysis and show that, within these models, the bounds on $M_ν$ \textit{do not degrade} with respect to those obtained in the $Λ$CDM case; in fact the bounds are slightly tighter, despite the enlarged parameter space. We explain our results based on the observation that, for fixed choices of $w_0\,,w_a$ such that $w(z)\geq-1$ (but not $w=-1$ for all $z$), the upper limit on $M_ν$ is tighter than the $Λ$CDM limit because of the well-known degeneracy between $w$ and $M_ν$. The Bayesian analysis we have carried out then integrates over the possible values of $w_0$-$w_a$ such that $w(z)\geq-1$, all of which correspond to tighter limits on $M_ν$ than the $Λ$CDM limit. We find a 95\% confidence level (C.L.) upper bound of $M_ν<0.13\,\mathrm{eV}$. This bound can be compared with $M_ν<0.16\,\mathrm{eV}$ at 95\%~C.L., obtained within the $Λ$CDM model, and $M_ν<0.41\,\mathrm{eV}$ at 95\%~C.L., obtained in a DDE model with arbitrary EoS (which allows values of $w < -1$). Contrary to the results derived for DDE models with arbitrary EoS, we find that a dark energy component with $w(z)\geq-1$ is unable to alleviate the tension between high-redshift observables and direct measurements of the Hubble constant $H_0$. Finally, in light of the results of this analysis, we also discuss the implications for DDE models of a possible determination of the neutrino mass hierarchy by laboratory searches. (abstract abridged)

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2018

Tale of stable interacting dark energy, observational signatures, and the $H_0$ tension

We investigate the observational consequences of a novel class of stable interacting dark energy (IDE) models, featuring interactions between dark matter (DM) and dark energy (DE). In the first part of our work, we start by considering two IDE models which are known to present early-time linear perturbation instabilities. Applying a transformation depending on the dark energy equation of state (EoS) to the DM-DE coupling, we then obtain two novel stable IDE models. Subsequently, we derive robust and accurate constraints on the parameters of these models, assuming a constant EoS $w_x$ for the DE fluid, in light of some of the most recent publicly available cosmological data. These include Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) temperature and polarization anisotropy measurements from the \textit{Planck} satellite, a selection of Baryon Acoustic Oscillation measurements, Supernovae Type-Ia luminosity distance measurements from the JLA sample, and measurements of the Hubble parameter up to redshift $2$ from cosmic chronometers. Our analysis displays a mild preference for the DE fluid residing in the phantom region ($w_x<-1$), with significance up to 95\% confidence level, while we obtain new upper limits on the coupling parameter between the dark components. The preference for a phantom DE suggests a coupling function $Q<0$, thus a scenario where energy flows from the DE to the DM. We also examine the possibility of addressing the $H_0$ and $σ_8$ tensions, finding that only the former can be partially alleviated. Finally, we perform a Bayesian model comparison analysis to quantify the possible preference for the two IDE models against the standard concordance $Λ$CDM model, finding that the latter is always preferred with the strength of the evidence ranging from positive to very strong.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2018

Bias due to neutrinos must not uncorrect'd go

In cosmologies with massive neutrinos, the galaxy bias defined with respect to the total matter field (cold dark matter, baryons, and non-relativistic neutrinos) depends on the sum of the neutrino masses $M_ν$, and becomes scale-dependent even on large scales. This effect has been usually neglected given the sensitivity of current surveys, but becomes a severe systematic for future surveys aiming to provide the first detection of non-zero $M_ν$. The effect can be corrected for by defining the bias with respect to the density field of cold dark matter and baryons instead of the total matter field. In this work, we provide a simple prescription for correctly mitigating the neutrino-induced scale-dependent bias effect in a practical way. We clarify a number of subtleties regarding how to properly implement this correction in the presence of redshift-space distortions and non-linear evolution of perturbations. We perform a MCMC analysis on simulated galaxy clustering data that match the expected sensitivity of the \textit{Euclid} survey. We find that the neutrino-induced scale-dependent bias can lead to important shifts in both the inferred mean value of $M_ν$, as well as its uncertainty. We show how these shifts propagate to other cosmological parameters correlated with $M_ν$, such as the cold dark matter physical density $Ω_{cdm} h^2$ and the scalar spectral index $n_s$. In conclusion, we find that correctly accounting for the neutrino-induced scale-dependent bias will be of crucial importance for future galaxy clustering analyses. We encourage the cosmology community to correctly account for this effect using the simple prescription we present in our work. The tools necessary to easily correct for the neutrino-induced scale-dependent bias will be made publicly available in an upcoming release of the Boltzmann solver \texttt{CLASS}.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2018

Covariant Horava-like and mimetic Horndeski gravity: cosmological solutions and perturbations

We consider a variant of the Nojiri-Odintsov covariant Horava-like gravitational model, where diffeomorphism invariance is broken dynamically via a non-standard coupling to a perfect fluid. The theory allows to address some of the potential instability problems present in Horava-Lifshitz gravity due to explicit diffeomorphism invariance breaking. The fluid is instead constructed from a scalar field constrained by a Lagrange multiplier. In fact, the Lagrange multiplier construction allows for an extension of the Horava-like model to include the scalar field of mimetic gravity, an extension which we thoroughly explore. By adding a potential for the scalar field, we show how one can reproduce a number of interesting cosmological scenarios. We then turn to the study of perturbations around a flat FLRW background, showing that the fluid in question behaves as an irrotational fluid, with zero sound speed. To address this problem, we consider a modified version of the theory, adding higher derivative terms in a way which brings us beyond the Horndeski framework. We compute the sound speed in this modified higher order mimetic Horava-like model and show that it is non-zero, which means that perturbations therein can be sensibly defined. Caveats to our analysis, as well as comparisons to projectable Horava-Lifshitz gravity, are also discussed. In conclusion, we present a theory of gravity which preserves diffeomorphism invariance at the level of the action but breaks it dynamically in the UV, reduces to General Relativity in the IR, allows the realization of a number of interesting cosmological scenarios, is well defined when considering perturbations around a flat FLRW background, and features cosmological dark matter emerging as an integration constant.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

Brane-world extra dimensions in light of GW170817

The search for extra dimensions is a challenging endeavor to probe physics beyond the Standard Model. The joint detection of gravitational waves (GW) and electromagnetic (EM) signals from the merging of a binary system of compact objects like neutron stars (NS), can help constrain the geometry of extra dimensions beyond our 3+1 spacetime ones. A theoretically well-motivated possibility is that our observable Universe is a 3+1-dimensional hypersurface, or brane, embedded in a higher 4+1-dimensional Anti-de Sitter (AdS$_5$) spacetime, in which gravity is the only force which propagates through the infinite bulk space, while other forces are confined to the brane. In these types of brane-world models, GW and EM signals between two points on the brane would, in general, travel different paths. This would result in a time-lag between the detection of GW and EM signals emitted simultaneously from the same source. We consider the recent near-simultaneous detection of the GW event GW170817 from the LIGO/Virgo collaboration, and its EM counterpart, the short gamma-ray burst GRB170817A detected by the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor and the INTEGRAL Anti-Coincidence Shield spectrometer. Assuming the standard $Λ$-Cold Dark Matter ($Λ$CDM) scenario and performing a likelihood analysis which takes into account astrophysical uncertainties associated to the measured time-lag, we set an upper limit of $\ell \lesssim 0.535\,$Mpc at $68\%$ confidence level on the AdS$_5$ radius of curvature $\ell$. Although the bound is not competitive with current Solar System constraints, it is the first time that data from a multi-messenger GW-EM measurement is used to constrain extra-dimensional models. Thus, our work provides a proof-of-principle for the possibility of using multi-messenger astronomy for probing the geometry of our space-time.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

Cosmological dynamics of mimetic gravity

We present a detailed investigation of the dynamical behavior of mimetic gravity with a general potential for the mimetic scalar field. Performing a phase-space and stability analysis, we show that the scenario at hand can successfully describe the thermal history of the universe, namely the successive sequence of radiation, matter, and dark-energy eras. Additionally, at late times the universe can either approach a de Sitter solution, or a scaling accelerated attractor where the dark-matter and dark-energy density parameters are of the same order, thus offering an alleviation of the cosmic coincidence problem. Applying our general analysis to various specific potential choices, including the power-law and the exponential ones, we show that mimetic gravity can be brought into good agreement with the observed behavior of the universe. Moreover, with an inverse square potential we find that mimetic gravity offers an appealing unified cosmological scenario where both dark energy and dark matter are characterized by a single scalar field, and where the cosmic coincidence problem is alleviated.

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arXiv2017

Unveiling $ν$ secrets with cosmological data: neutrino masses and mass hierarchy

Using some of the latest cosmological datasets publicly available, we derive the strongest bounds in the literature on the sum of the three active neutrino masses, $M_ν$, within the assumption of a background flat $Λ$CDM cosmology. In the most conservative scheme, combining Planck cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature anisotropies and baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) data, as well as the up-to-date constraint on the optical depth to reionization ($τ$), the tightest $95\%$ confidence level (C.L.) upper bound we find is $M_ν<0.151$~eV. The addition of Planck high-$\ell$ polarization data, which however might still be contaminated by systematics, further tightens the bound to $M_ν<0.118$~eV. A proper model comparison treatment shows that the two aforementioned combinations disfavor the IH at $\sim 64\%$~C.L. and $\sim 71\%$~C.L. respectively. In addition, we compare the constraining power of measurements of the full-shape galaxy power spectrum versus the BAO signature, from the BOSS survey. Even though the latest BOSS full shape measurements cover a larger volume and benefit from smaller error bars compared to previous similar measurements, the analysis method commonly adopted results in their constraining power still being less powerful than that of the extracted BAO signal. Our work uses only cosmological data; imposing the constraint $M_ν>0.06\,{\rm eV}$ from oscillations data would raise the quoted upper bounds by ${\cal O}(0.1σ)$ and would not affect our conclusions.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2017

Recovering a MOND-like acceleration law in mimetic gravity

We reconsider the recently proposed mimetic gravity, focusing in particular on whether the theory is able to reproduce the inferred flat rotation curves of galaxies. We extend the theory by adding a non-minimal coupling between matter and mimetic field. Such coupling leads to the appearance of an extra force which renders the motion of test particles non-geodesic. By studying the weak field limit of the resulting equations of motion, we demonstrate that in the Newtonian limit the acceleration law induced by the non-minimal coupling reduces to a Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND)-like one. In this way, it is possible to reproduce the successes of MOND, namely the explanation for the flat galactic rotation curves and the Tully-Fisher relation, within the framework of mimetic gravity, without the need for particle dark matter. The scale-dependence of the recovered acceleration scale opens up the possibility of addressing the missing mass problem not only on galactic but also on cluster scales: we defer a full study of this issue, together with a complete analysis of fits to spiral galaxy rotation curves, to an upcoming companion paper.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2017

Solar models in light of new high metallicity measurements from solar wind data

We study the impact of new metallicity measurements, from solar wind data, on the solar model. The "solar modelling problem" refers to the persisting discrepancy between helioseismological observations and predictions of solar models computed implementing state-of-the-art photospheric abundances. We critically reassess the problem, in particular considering the new set of abundances of von Steiger \& Zurbuchen 2016, determined through the \textit{in situ} collection of solar wind samples from polar coronal holes. This new set of abundances indicates a solar metallicity $Z_{\odot} \geq 0.0196 \pm 0.0014$, significantly higher than the currently established value. The new values hint at an abundance of volatile elements (i.e. C, N, O, Ne) close to previous results of Grevesse \& Sauval 1998, whereas the abundance of refractory elements (i.e. Mg, Si, S, Fe) is considerably increased. Using the Linear Solar Model formalism, we determine the variation of helioseismological observables in response to the changes in elemental abundances, in order to explore the consistency of these new measurements with constraints from helioseismology. We find that, for observables that are particularly sensitive to the abundance of volatile elements, in particular the radius of the convective zone boundary (CZB) and the sound speed around the radius of CZB, improved agreement over previous models is obtained. Conversely, the high abundance of refractories correlates with a higher core temperature, resulting in an overproduction of neutrinos and a huge increase in the surface Helium abundance. We conclude that the "solar modelling problem" remains unsolved.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2016

Impact of neutrino properties on the estimation of inflationary parameters from current and future observations

We study the impact of assumptions about neutrino properties on the estimation of inflationary parameters from cosmological data, with a specific focus on the allowed contours in the $n_s/r$ plane. We study the following neutrino properties: (i) the total neutrino mass $ M_ν=\sum_i m_i$; (ii) the number of relativistic degrees of freedom $N_{eff}$; and (iii) the neutrino hierarchy: whereas previous literature assumed 3 degenerate neutrino masses or two massless neutrino species (that do not match neutrino oscillation data), we study the cases of normal and inverted hierarchy. Our basic result is that these three neutrino properties induce $< 1 σ$ shift of the probability contours in the $n_s/r$ plane with both current or upcoming data. We find that the choice of neutrino hierarchy has a negligible impact. However, the minimal cutoff on the total neutrino mass $M_{ν,{min}}=0 $ that accompanies previous works using the degenerate hierarchy does introduce biases in the $n_s/r$ plane and should be replaced by $M_{ν,min}= 0.059$ eV as required by oscillation data. Using current CMB data from Planck and Bicep/Keck, marginalizing over $ M_ν$ and over $r$ can lead to a shift in the mean value of $n_s$ of $\sim0.3σ$ towards lower values. However, once BAO measurements are included, the standard contours in the $n_s/r$ plane are basically reproduced. Larger shifts of the contours in the $n_s/r$ plane (up to 0.8$σ$) arise for nonstandard values of $N_{eff}$. We also provide forecasts for the future CMB experiments COrE and Stage-IV and show that the incomplete knowledge of neutrino properties, taken into account by a marginalization over $M_ν$, could induce a shift of $\sim0.4σ$ towards lower values in the determination of $n_s$ (or a $\sim 0.8σ$ shift if one marginalizes over $N_{eff}$). Comparison to specific inflationary models is shown.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2016

Solving the small-scale structure puzzles with dissipative dark matter

Small-scale structure is studied in the context of dissipative dark matter, arising for instance in models with a hidden unbroken Abelian sector, so that dark matter couples to a massless dark photon. The dark sector interacts with ordinary matter via gravity and photon-dark photon kinetic mixing. Mirror dark matter is a theoretically constrained special case where all parameters are fixed except for the kinetic mixing strength, $ε$. In these models, the dark matter halo around spiral and irregular galaxies takes the form of a dissipative plasma which evolves in response to various heating and cooling processes. It has been argued previously that such dynamics can account for the inferred cored density profiles of galaxies and other related structural features. Here we focus on the apparent deficit of nearby small galaxies ("missing satellite problem"), which these dissipative models have the potential to address through small-scale power suppression by acoustic and diffusion damping. Using a variant of the extended Press-Schechter formalism, we evaluate the halo mass function for the special case of mirror dark matter. Considering a simplified model where $M_{\text{baryons}} \propto M_{\text{halo}}$, we relate the halo mass function to more directly observable quantities, and find that for $ε/10^{-10} \approx 2$ such a simplified description is compatible with the measured galaxy luminosity and velocity functions. On scales $M_{\text{halo}} \lesssim 10^8 \ M_\odot$, diffusion damping exponentially suppresses the halo mass function, suggesting a nonprimordial origin for dwarf spheroidal satellite galaxies, which we speculate were formed via a top-down fragmentation process as the result of nonlinear dissipative collapse of larger density perturbation. This could explain the planar orientation of satellite galaxies around Andromeda and the Milky Way.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2016

On the improvement of cosmological neutrino mass bounds

The most recent measurements of the temperature and low-multipole polarization anisotropies of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) from the Planck satellite, when combined with galaxy clustering data from the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) in the form of the full shape of the power spectrum, and with Baryon Acoustic Oscillation measurements, provide a $95\%$ confidence level (CL) upper bound on the sum of the three active neutrinos $\sum m _ν< 0.183$ eV, among the tightest neutrino mass bounds in the literature, to date, when the same datasets are taken into account. This very same data combination is able to set, at $\sim70\%$ CL, an upper limit on $\sum m _ν$ of $0.0968$ eV, a value that approximately corresponds to the minimal mass expected in the inverted neutrino mass hierarchy scenario. If high-multipole polarization data from Planck is also considered, the $95\%$ CL upper bound is tightened to $\sum m _ν< 0.176$ eV. Further improvements are obtained by considering recent measurements of the Hubble parameter. These limits are obtained assuming a specific non-degenerate neutrino mass spectrum; they slightly worsen when considering other degenerate neutrino mass schemes. Current cosmological data, therefore, start to be mildly sensitive to the neutrino mass ordering. Low-redshift quantities, such as the Hubble constant or the reionization optical depth, play a very important role when setting the neutrino mass constraints. We also comment on the eventual shifts in the cosmological bounds on $\sum m_ν$ when possible variations in the former two quantities are addressed.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2016

Static spherically symmetric solutions in mimetic gravity: rotation curves & wormholes

In this work, we analyse static spherically symmetric solutions in the framework of mimetic gravity, an extension of general relativity where the conformal degree of freedom of gravity is isolated in a covariant fashion. Here we extend previous works by considering in addition a potential for the mimetic field. An appropriate choice of such potential allows for the reconstruction of a number of interesting cosmological and astrophysical scenarios. We explicitly show how to reconstruct such a potential for a general static spherically symmetric space-time. A number of applications and scenarios are then explored, among which traversable wormholes. Finally, we analytically reconstruct potentials which leads to solutions to the equations of motion featuring polynomial corrections to the Schwarzschild spacetime. Accurate choices for such corrections could provide an explanation for the inferred flat rotation curves of spiral galaxies within the mimetic gravity framework, without the need for particle dark matter.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2015

Mimetic covariant renormalizable gravity

Covariant renormalizable gravity is a Horava-like extension of general relativity, enjoying full diffeomorphism invariance. However, the price to pay in order to maintain both covariance and renormalizability is the presence of an unknown fluid, whose non-standard coupling dynamically breaks Lorentz invariance. In this brief work we identify and explain the nature of this fluid, which we note describes the conformal mode of gravity, and arises naturally in frameworks such as that of mimetic gravity. Finally, we lay out extensions of the covariant Horava-like model, which can serve as a guide for future model-building in this area.

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