Yang, W. Q., Mena, O., Pan, S., & Di Valentino, E. (2019). Dark sectors with dynamical coupling. Phys. Rev. D, 100(8), 083509–11pp.
Abstract: Coupled dark matter-dark energy scenarios arc modeled via a dimensionless parameter xi, which controls the strength of their interaction. While this coupling is commonly assumed to be constant, there is no underlying physical law or symmetry that forbids a time-dependent xi parameter. The most general and complete interacting scenarios between the two dark sectors should therefore allow for such a possibility, and it is the main purpose of this study to constrain two possible and well-motivated coupled cosmologies by means of the most recent and accurate early- and late-time universe observations. We find that CMB data alone prefer xi(z) > 0 and therefore a smaller amount of dark matter, alleviating some crucial and well-known cosmological data tensions. An objective assessment of the Bayesian evidence for the coupled models explored here shows no particular preference for the presence of a dynamical dark sector coupling.
|
Yang, W. Q., Di Valentino, E., Mena, O., Pan, S., & Nunes, R. C. (2020). All-inclusive interacting dark sector cosmologies. Phys. Rev. D, 101(8), 083509–15pp.
Abstract: In this paper we explore possible extensions of interacting dark energy cosmologies, where dark energy and dark matter interact nongravitationally with one another. In particular, we focus on the neutrino sector, analyzing the effect of both neutrino masses and the effective number of neutrino species. We consider the Planck 2018 legacy release data combined with several other cosmological probes, finding no evidence for new physics in the dark radiation sector. The current neutrino constraints from cosmology should therefore be regarded as robust, as they are not strongly dependent on the dark sector physics, once all the available observations are combined. Namely, we find a total neutrino mass g, < 0.15 eV and a number of effective relativistic degrees of freedom N-eff = 3.03(-0.33)(+0.33), both at 95% C.L., which are close to those obtained within the ACDM cosmology, M-v < 0.12 eV and N-eff = (+0.36)(-0.35), for the same data combination.
|
Di Valentino, E., Gariazzo, S., Giare, W., & Mena, O. (2023). Impact of the damping tail on neutrino mass constraints. Phys. Rev. D, 108(8), 083509–11pp.
Abstract: Model-independent mass limits assess the robustness of current cosmological measurements of the neutrino mass scale. Consistency between high-multipole and low-multiple cosmic microwave background observations measuring such scale further valuates the constraining power of present data. We derive here up-to-date limits on neutrino masses and abundances exploiting either the Data Release 4 of the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) or the South Pole Telescope polarization measurements from SPT-3G, envisaging different nonminimal background cosmologies and marginalizing over them. By combining these high-l observations with supernova Ia, baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO), redshift space distortions (RSD) and a prior on the reionization optical depth fromWMAP data, we find that the marginalized bounds are competitive with those from Planck analyses. We obtain Sigma m(nu) < 0.139 eV and N-eff = 2.82 +/- 0.25 in a dark energy quintessence scenario, both at 95% CL. These limits translate into Sigma m(nu) < 0.20 eV and N-eff = 2.79(-0.28)(+0.30) after marginalizing over a plethora of well-motivated fiducial models. Our findings reassess both the strength and the reliability of cosmological neutrino mass constraints.
|
Esteban, I., Mena, O., & Salvado, J. (2022). Nonstandard neutrino cosmology dilutes the lensing anomaly. Phys. Rev. D, 106(8), 083516–9pp.
Abstract: Despite the impressive success of the standard cosmological model, several anomalies defy its triumph. Among them is the so-called lensing anomaly: The Planck satellite observes stronger cosmic microwave background (CMB) gravitational lensing than expected. The role of neutrinos in this anomaly has been mostly overlooked, despite their key role in CMB lensing, because in the standard scenario they tend to increase the tension. Here, we show that this strongly depends on the assumed neutrino equation of state. We demonstrate that if neutrinos have yet undiscovered long-range interactions, the lensing pattern is significantly affected, rendering the lensing anomaly as a statistical fluctuation. Our results, thus, open up a window to link anomalous CMB lensing with present and future cosmological, astrophysical, and laboratory measurements of neutrino properties.
|
Giusarma, E., Archidiacono, M., de Putter, R., Melchiorri, A., & Mena, O. (2012). Sterile neutrino models and nonminimal cosmologies. Phys. Rev. D, 85(8), 083522–9pp.
Abstract: Cosmological measurements are affected by the energy density of massive neutrinos. We extend here a recent analysis of current cosmological data to nonminimal cosmologies. Several possible scenarios are examined: a constant w not equal -1 dark energy equation of state, a nonflat universe, a time-varying dark energy component and coupled dark matter-dark energy universes or modified gravity scenarios. When considering cosmological data only, (3 + 2) massive neutrino models with similar to 0.5 eV sterile species are allowed at 95% confidence level. This scenario has been shown to reconcile reactor, LSND and MiniBooNE positive signals with null results from other searches. Big bang nucleosynthesis bounds could compromise the viability of (3 + 2) models if the two sterile species are fully thermalized states at decoupling.
|
