arXiv subjects

Tomo Takahashi

Publications and source records attributed to Tomo Takahashi.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2022

Primordial black holes as a probe of strongly first-order electroweak phase transition

Primordial black holes can be produced by density fluctuations generated from delayed vacuum decays of first-order phase transition. The primordial black holes generated at the electroweak phase transition have masses of about $10^{-5}$ solar mass. Such primordial black holes in the mass range can be tested by current and future microlensing observations, such as Subaru HSC, OGLE, PRIME and Roman telescope. Therefore, we may be able to explore new physics models with strongly first-order electroweak phase transition via primordial black holes. We examine this possibility by using models with first-order electroweak phase transition in the standard model effective field theory with dimension 6 and 8 operators. We find that depending on parameters of the phase transition a sufficient number of primordial black holes can be produced to be observed by above mentioned experiments. Our results would suggest that primordial black holes can be used as a new probe of models with strongly first-order electroweak phase transition, which has complementarity with measurements of the triple Higgs boson coupling at future collider experiments and observations of gravitational waves at future space-based interferometers.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2022

Non-minimally assisted chaotic inflation

Conventional wisdom says that a chaotic inflation model with a power-law potential is ruled out by the recent Planck-BICEP/Keck results. We find, however, that the model can be assisted by a non-minimally coupled scalar field and still provides a successful inflation. Considering a power-law chaotic inflation model of the type $V\sim φ^n$ with $n=\{2, 4/3, 1, 2/3, 1/3\}$, we show that $n=1/3$ ($n=\{2/3, 1/3\}$) may be revived with the help of the quadratic (quartic) non-minimal coupling of the assistant field to gravity.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2022

Probing isocurvature perturbations with 21-cm global signal in the light of HERA result

We argue that the 21-cm global signal can be a powerful probe of isocurvature perturbations, particularly for the ones with blue-tilted spectra. Although the 21-cm global signal is much affected by astrophysical processes, which give some uncertainties when cosmological models are investigated, recent results from HERA have constrained several astrophysical parameters, whose information can reduce the ambiguities originating from astrophysics. We show that the size and spectral tilt of isocurvature perturbations can be well inferred from the 21-cm global signal once the information on astrophysics from the HERA results is taken into account.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2022

Double inflation via non-minimally coupled spectator

We argue that double inflation may occur when a spectator field is non-minimally coupled to gravity. As a concrete example, we study a two-field inflationary model where the initial spectator field is non-minimally coupled to gravity while the initial inflaton field is minimally coupled. The non-minimal coupling results in the growth of the spectator field which, in turn, drives the second stage of inflation in a significant region of parameter space. The isocurvature fluctuations originating from the spectator field source adiabatic ones, and hence the spectator non-minimal coupling can modify the inflationary predictions for the spectral index and the tensor-to-scalar ratio even though the initial inflaton field is minimally coupled to gravity. We explicitly show that quadratic chaotic inflation can become viable by the introduction of the spectator non-minimal coupling.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2022

The $R^2$-Higgs inflation with two Higgs doublets

We study $R^2$-Higgs inflation in a model with two Higgs doublets in which the Higgs sector of the Standard Model is extended by an additional Higgs doublet, thereby four scalar fields are involved in the inflationary evolutions. We first derive the set of equations required to follow the inflationary dynamics in this two Higgs doublet model, allowing a nonminimal coupling between the Higgs-squared and the Ricci scalar $R$, as well as the $R^2$ term in the covariant formalism. By numerically solving the system of equations, we find that, in parameter space where a successful $R^2$-Higgs inflation are realized and consistent with low energy constraints, the inflationary dynamics can be effectively described by a single slow-roll formalism even though four fields are involved in the model. We also argue that the parameter space favored by $R^2$-Higgs inflation requires nearly degenerate masses for $m_\mathsf{H}$, $m_A$ and $m_{\mathsf{H}^\pm}$, where $\mathsf{H}$, $A$, and $\mathsf{H}^\pm$ are the extra CP even, CP odd, and charged Higgs bosons in the general two Higgs doublet model taking renormalization group evolutions of the parameters into account. Discovery of such heavy scalars at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) are possible if they are in the sub-TeV mass range. Indirect evidences may also emerge at the LHCb and Belle-II experiments, however, to probe the quasi degenerate mass spectra one would likely require high luminosity LHC or future lepton colliders such as the International Linear Collider and the Future Circular Collider.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2021

Relaxing inflation models with non-minimal coupling: A general study

We investigate the predictions of inflation models with a non-minimal coupling to gravity for inflationary observables such as the spectral index and tensor-to-scalar ratio in a general setting. We argue that, depending on the relation between the Jordan frame potential and a function characterizing the non-minimal coupling, one can classify the model into three categories each of which gives distinctive predictions for the inflationary observables. We derive general predictions for each class and also investigate some explicit models to discuss how the general features arise. Our results would be useful to design an inflation model consistent with observational constraints with a non-minimal coupling to gravity.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

Angular correlation as a novel probe of supermassive primordial black holes

We investigate the clustering property of primordial black holes (PBHs) in a scenario where PBHs can explain the existence of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) at high redshifts. We analyze the angular correlation function of PBHs originating from fluctuations of a spectator field which can be regarded as a representative model to explain SMBHs without conflicting with the constraint from the spectral distortion of cosmic microwave background. We argue that the clustering property of PBHs can give a critical test for models with PBHs as the origin of SMBHs and indeed show that the spatial distribution of PBHs in such a scenario is highly clustered, which suggests that those models may be disfavored from observations of SMBHs although a careful comparison with observational data would be necessary.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

Generalized local ansatz for scale-dependent primordial non-Gaussianities and future galaxy surveys

We revisit a possible scale-dependence of local-type primordial non-Gaussianities induced by super-horizon evolution of scalar field perturbations. We develop the formulation based on $δN$ formalism and derive the generalized form of the local-type bispectrum and also trispectrum which allows us to implement the scale-dependence and suitably compare model prediction with observational data. We propose simple but phenomenologically meaningful expressions, which encompass the information of a wide range of physically motivated models. We also formulate large-scale power spectrum and bispectrum of biased objects in the presence of the scale-dependent primordial non-Gaussianities. We perform the Fisher analysis for future galaxy surveys and give the projected constraints on the parameters of the generalized local-form of primordial non-Gaussianities.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

$H_0$ tension without CMB data: beyond the $Λ$CDM

We investigate the $H_0$ tension in a range of extended model frameworks beyond the standard $Λ$CDM without the data from cosmic microwave background (CMB). Specifically, we adopt the data from baryon acoustic oscillation, big bang nucleosynthesis and type Ia supernovae as indirect measurements of $H_0$ to study the tension. We show that the estimated value of $H_0$ from indirect measurements is overall lower than that from direct local ones regardless of the data sets and a range of extended models to be analyzed, which indicates that, although the significance of the tension varies depending on models, the $H_0$ tension persists in a broad framework beyond the standard $Λ$CDM model even without CMB data.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

Blue-tilted inflationary tensor spectrum and reheating in the light of NANOGrav results

We discuss the possibility of explaining the recent NANOGrav results by inflationary gravitational waves (IGWs) with a blue-tilted primordial spectrum. Although such IGWs can account for the NANOGrav signal without contradicting the upper bound on the tensor-to-scalar ratio at the cosmic microwave background scale, the predicted spectrum is in strong tension with the upper bound on the amplitude of the stochastic gravitational wave background by big-bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) and the second LIGO-Virgo observation run. However, the thermal history of the Universe, such as reheating and late-time entropy production, affects the spectral shape of IGWs at high frequencies and permits evading the upper bounds. We show that, for the standard reheating scenario, when the reheating temperature is relatively low, a blue tensor spectrum can explain the recent NANOGrav signal without contradicting the BBN and the LIGO-Virgo constraints. We further find that, when one considers a late-time entropy production, the NANOGrav signal can be explained even for an instant reheating scenario.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

The First Three Seconds: a Review of Possible Expansion Histories of the Early Universe

It is commonly assumed that the energy density of the Universe was dominated by radiation between reheating after inflation and the onset of matter domination 54,000 years later. While the abundance of light elements indicates that the Universe was radiation dominated during Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN), there is scant evidence that the Universe was radiation dominated prior to BBN. It is therefore possible that the cosmological history was more complicated, with deviations from the standard radiation domination during the earliest epochs. Indeed, several interesting proposals regarding various topics such as the generation of dark matter, matter-antimatter asymmetry, gravitational waves, primordial black holes, or microhalos during a nonstandard expansion phase have been recently made. In this paper, we review various possible causes and consequences of deviations from radiation domination in the early Universe - taking place either before or after BBN - and the constraints on them, as they have been discussed in the literature during the recent years.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2020

Cosmological bound on neutrino masses in the light of $H_0$ tension

Although cosmic microwave background (CMB) is the most powerful cosmological probe of neutrino masses, it is in trouble with local direct measurements of $H_0$, which is called the $H_0$ tension. Since neutrino masses are correlated with $H_0$ in CMB, one can expect the cosmological bound on neutrino masses would be much affected by the $H_0$ tension. We investigate what impact this tension brings to cosmological bound on neutrino masses by assuming a model with modified recombination which has been shown to resolve the tension. We argue that constraints on neutrino masses become significantly weaker in models where the $H_0$ tension can be resolved.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2020

Constraints on Primordial Power Spectrum from Galaxy Luminosity Functions

We derive constraints on primordial power spectrum, for the first time, from galaxy UV luminosity functions (LFs) at high redshifts. Since the galaxy LFs reflect an underlying halo mass function which depends on primordial fluctuations, one can constrain primordial power spectrum, particularly on small scales. We perform a Markov Chain Monte Carlo analysis by varying parameters for primordial power spectrum as well as those describing astrophysics. We adopt the UV LFs derived from Hubble Frontier Fields data at $z = 6 -10$, which enable us to probe primordial fluctuations on the scales of $k \sim 10 - 10^3~{\rm Mpc}^{-1}$. Our analysis also clarifies how the assumption on cosmology such as primordial power spectrum affects the determination of astrophysical parameters.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2020

Violation of slow-roll in non-minimal inflation

We show that a non-minimal coupling to gravity can not only make some inflationary models consistent with cosmological data, similar to the case of Higgs inflation, but can also invoke slow-roll violation to realize graceful exit from inflation. In particular, this is the case in models where a destabilizing mechanism that ends inflation should be assumed when the model is minimally coupled to gravity. As explicit examples, we consider the power-law and inverse monomial inflation models with a non-minimal coupling to gravity. While these models are excluded in the minimally coupled case, we show that they can become viable again in non-minimally coupled scenarios. In most scenarios we considered, reheating can be naturally realized via gravitational particle production but that this depends on the underlying theory of gravity in a non-trivial way.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2020

Early recombination as a solution to the $H_0$ tension

We show that the $H_0$ tension can be resolved by making recombination earlier, keeping the fit to cosmic microwave background (CMB) data almost intact. We provide a suite of general necessary conditions to give a good fit to CMB data while realizing a high value of $H_0$ suggested by local measurements. As a concrete example for a successful scenario with early recombination, we demonstrate that a model with time-varying $m_e$ can indeed satisfy all the conditions. We further show that such a model can also be well fitted to low-$z$ distance measurements of baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) and type-Ia supernovae (SNeIa) with a simple extension of the model. Time-varying $m_e$ in the framework of $Ω_kΛ$CDM is found to be a sufficient and excellent example as a solution to the $H_0$ tension, yielding $H_0=72.3_{-2.8} ^{+2.7}\,$km/sec/Mpc from the combination of CMB, BAO and SNeIa data even without incorporating any direct local $H_0$ measurements. Apart from the $H_0$ tension, this model is also favored from the viewpoint of the CMB lensing anomaly.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2020

Probing Small Scale Primordial Power Spectrum with 21cm Line Global Signal

We argue that the global signal of neutral hydrogen 21cm line can be a powerful probe of primordial power spectrum on small scales. Since the amplitude of small scale primordial fluctuations is important to determine the early structure formation and the timing when the sources of Lyman $α$ photons are produced, they in turn affect the neutral hydrogen 21cm line signal. We show that the information of the position of the absorption trough can severely constrain the small scale amplitude of primordial fluctuations once astrophysical parameters relevant to the 21cm line signal are fixed. We also discuss how the uncertainties of astrophysical parameters affect the constraints.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2019

Smallest Halos in Thermal Wino Dark Matter

(Mini) split supersymmetry explains the observed Higgs mass and evades stringent constraints, while keeping good features of TeV-scale supersymmetry other than the little hierarchy problem. Such scenarios naturally predict thermal wino dark matter whose mass is around $3 \, {\rm TeV}$. Its non-perturbatively enhanced annihilation is a promising target of indirect detection experiments. It is known that identifying the smallest halos is essential for reducing an uncertainty in interpreting indirect detection experiments. Despite its importance, the smallest halos of thermal wino dark matter have not been well understood and thus are investigated in this work. In particular, we remark on two aspects: 1) the neutral wino is in kinetic equilibrium with primordial plasma predominantly through inelastic processes involving the slightly heavier charged wino; and 2) the resultant density contrast shows larger powers at dark acoustic oscillation peaks than in cold dark matter, which is known as an overshooting phenomenon. By taking them into account, we provide a rigorous estimate of the boost factor. Our result facilitates accurately pinning down thermal wino dark matter through vigorous efforts in indirect detection experiments.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2019

Insight into primordial magnetic fields from 21-cm line observation with EDGES experiment

The recent observation of the 21-cm global absorption signal by EDGES suggests that the intergalactic medium (IGM) gas has been cooler than the cosmic microwave background during $15 \lesssim z \lesssim 20$. This result can provide a strong constraint on heating sources for the IGM gas at these redshifts. In this paper we study the constraint on the primordial magnetic fields (PMFs) by the EDGES result. The PMFs can heat the IGM gas through their energy dissipation due to the magnetohydrodynamic effects. By numerically solving the thermal evolution of the IGM gas with the PMFs, we find that the EDGES result gives a stringent limit on the PMFs as $B_{1\mathrm{Mpc}} \lesssim 10^{-10}$ G.

astro-ph.CO↗