Caputo, A., Liu, H. W., Mishra-Sharma, S., & Ruderman, J. T. (2020). Modeling dark photon oscillations in our inhomogeneous Universe. Phys. Rev. D, 102(10), 103533–26pp.
Abstract: A dark photon may kinetically mix with the Standard Model photon, leading to observable cosmological signatures. The mixing is resonantly enhanced when the dark photon mass matches the primordial plasma frequency, which depends sensitively on the underlying spatial distribution of electrons. Crucially, inhomogeneities in this distribution can have a significant impact on the nature of resonant conversions. We develop and describe, for the first time, a general analytic formalism to treat resonant oscillations in the presence of inhomogeneities. Our formalism follows from the theory of level crossings of random fields and only requires knowledge of the one-point probability density function (PDF) of the underlying electron number density fluctuations. We validate our formalism using simulations and illustrate the photon-to-dark photon conversion probability for several different choices of PDFs that are used to characterize the low-redshift Universe.
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Caputo, A., Liu, H. W., Mishra-Sharma, S., & Ruderman, J. T. (2020). Dark Photon Oscillations in Our Inhomogeneous Universe. Phys. Rev. Lett., 125(22), 221303–8pp.
Abstract: A dark photon kinetically mixing with the ordinary photon represents one of the simplest viable extensions to the standard model, and would induce oscillations with observable imprints on cosmology. Oscillations are resonantly enhanced if the dark photon mass equals the ordinary photon plasma mass, which tracks the free electron number density. Previous studies have assumed a homogeneous Universe; in this Letter, we introduce for the first time an analytic formalism for treating resonant oscillations in the presence of inhomogeneities of the photon plasma mass. We apply our formalism to determine constraints from cosmic microwave background photons oscillating into dark photons, and from heating of the primordial plasma due to dark photon dark matter converting into low-energy photons. Including the effect of inhomogeneities demonstrates that prior homogeneous constraints are not conservative, and simultaneously extends current experimental limits into a vast new parameter space.
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Caputo, A., Sberna, L., Toubiana, A., Babak, S., Barausse, E., Marsat, S., et al. (2020). Gravitational-wave Detection and Parameter Estimation for Accreting Black-hole Binaries and Their Electromagnetic Counterpart. Astrophys. J., 892(2), 90–13pp.
Abstract: We study the impact of gas accretion on the orbital evolution of black-hole binaries initially at large separation in the band of the planned Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). We focus on two sources: (i).stellar-origin black-hole binaries.(SOBHBs) that can migrate from the LISA band to the band of ground-based gravitational-wave (GW) observatories within weeks/months; and (ii) intermediate-mass black-hole binaries.(IMBHBs) in the LISA band only. Because of the large number of observable GW cycles, the phase evolution of these systems needs to be modeled to great accuracy to avoid biasing the estimation of the source parameters. Accretion affects the GW phase at negative (-4) post-Newtonian order, being thus dominant for binaries at large separations. Accretion at the Eddington or at super-Eddington rate will leave a detectable imprint on the dynamics of SOBHBs. For super-Eddington rates and a 10 yr mission, a multiwavelength strategy with LISA and a ground-based interferometer can detect about 10 (a few) SOBHB events for which the accretion rate can be measured at 50% (10%) level. In all cases, the sky position can be identified within much less than 0.4 deg(2) uncertainty. Likewise, accretion at greater than or similar to 100% of the Eddington rate can be measured in IMBHBs up to redshift z approximate to 0.1, and the position of these sources can be identified within less than 0.01 deg(2) uncertainty. Altogether, a detection of SOBHBs or IMBHBs would allow for targeted searches of electromagnetic counterparts to black-hole mergers in gas-rich environments with future X-ray detectors (such as Athena) and/or radio observatories (such as SKA).
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Toubiana, A., Sberna, L., Caputo, A., Cusin, G., Marsat, S., Jani, K., et al. (2021). Detectable Environmental Effects in GW190521-like Black-Hole Binaries with LISA. Phys. Rev. Lett., 126(10), 101105–6pp.
Abstract: GW190521 is the compact binary with the largest masses observed to date, with at least one black hole in the pair-instability gap. This event has also been claimed to be associated with an optical flare observed by the Zwicky Transient Facility in an active galactic nucleus (AGN), possibly due to the postmerger motion of the merger remnant in the AGN gaseous disk. The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) may detect up to ten such gas-rich black-hole binaries months to years before their detection by Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory or Virgo-like interferometers, localizing them in the sky within approximate to 1 degrees(2). LISA will also measure directly deviations from purely vacuum and stationary waveforms arising from gas accretion, dynamical friction, and orbital motion around the AGN's massive black hole (acceleration, strong lensing, and Doppler modulation). LISA will therefore be crucial to enable us to point electromagnetic telescopes ahead of time toward this novel class of gas-rich sources, to gain direct insight on their physics, and to disentangle environmental effects from corrections to general relativity that may also appear in the waveforms at low frequencies.
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Caputo, A., Liu, H. W., Mishra-Sharma, S., Pospelov, M., Ruderman, J. T., & Urbano, A. (2021). Edges and Endpoints in 21-cm Observations from Resonant Photon Production. Phys. Rev. Lett., 127(1), 011102–7pp.
Abstract: We introduce a novel class of signatures-spectral edges and end points-in 21-cm measurements resulting from interactions between the standard and dark sectors. Within the context of a kinetically mixed dark photon, we demonstrate how resonant dark photon-to-photon conversions can imprint distinctive spectral features in the observed 21-cm brightness temperature, with implications for current, upcoming, and proposed experiments targeting the cosmic dawn and the dark ages. These signatures open up a qualitatively new way to look for physics beyond the Standard Model using 21-cm observations.
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Caputo, A., Regis, M., Taoso, M., & Witte, S. J. (2019). Detecting the stimulated decay of axions at radio frequencies. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 03(3), 027–22pp.
Abstract: Assuming axion-like particles account for the entirety of the dark matter in the Universe, we study the possibility of detecting their decay into photons at radio frequencies. We discuss different astrophysical targets, such as dwarf spheroidal galaxies, the Galactic Center and halo, and galaxy clusters. The presence of an ambient radiation field leads to a stimulated enhancement of the decay rate; depending on the environment and the mass of the axion, the effect of stimulated emission may amplify the photon flux by serval orders of magnitude. For axion-photon couplings allowed by astrophysical and laboratory constraints (and possibly favored by stellar cooling), we find the signal to be within the reach of next-generation radio telescopes such as the Square Kilometer Array.
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Bloch, I. M., Caputo, A., Essig, R., Redigolo, D., Sholapurkar, M., & Volansky, T. (2021). Exploring new physics with O(keV) electron recoils in direct detection experiments. J. High Energy Phys., 01(1), 178–63pp.
Abstract: Motivated by the recent XENON1T results, we explore various new physics models that can be discovered through searches for electron recoils in O(keV)-threshold direct-detection experiments. First, we consider the absorption of axion-like particles, dark photons, and scalars, either as dark matter relics or being produced directly in the Sun. In the latter case, we find that keV mass bosons produced in the Sun provide an adequate fit to the data but are excluded by stellar cooling constraints. We address this tension by introducing a novel Chameleon-like axion model, which can explain the excess while evading the stellar bounds. We find that absorption of bosonic dark matter provides a viable explanation for the excess only if the dark matter is a dark photon or an axion. In the latter case, photophobic axion couplings are necessary to avoid X-ray constraints. Second, we analyze models of dark matter-electron scattering to determine which models might explain the excess. Standard scattering of dark matter with electrons is generically in conflict with data from lower-threshold experiments. Momentum-dependent interactions with a heavy mediator can fit the data with dark matter mass heavier than a GeV but are generically in tension with collider constraints. Next, we consider dark matter consisting of two (or more) states that have a small mass splitting. The exothermic (down)scattering of the heavier state to the lighter state can fit the data for keV mass splittings. Finally, we consider a subcomponent of dark matter that is accelerated by scattering off cosmic rays, finding that dark matter interacting though an O(100 keV)-mass mediator can fit the data. The cross sections required in this scenario are, however, typically challenged by complementary probes of the light mediator. Throughout our study, we implement an unbinned Monte Carlo analysis and use an improved energy reconstruction of the XENON1T events.
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Barducci, D., Bertuzzo, E., Caputo, A., Hernandez, P., & Mele, B. (2021). The see-saw portal at future Higgs Factories. J. High Energy Phys., 03(3), 117–32pp.
Abstract: We consider an extension of the Standard Model with two right-handed singlet fermions with mass at the electroweak scale that induce neutrino masses, plus a generic new physics sector at a higher scale Lambda. We focus on the effective operators of lowest dimension d = 5, which induce new production and decay modes for the singlet fermions. We assess the sensitivity of future Higgs Factories, such as FCC-ee, CLIC-380, ILC and CEPC, to the coefficients of these operators for various center of mass energies. We show that future lepton colliders can test the cut-off of the theory up to Lambda similar or equal to 500-1000 TeV, surpassing the reach of future indirect measurements of the Higgs and Z boson widths. We also comment on the possibility of determining the underlying model flavor structure should a New Physics signal be observed, and on the impact of higher dimensional d = 6 operators on the experimental signatures.
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Caputo, A., Hernandez, P., Lopez-Pavon, J., & Salvado, J. (2017). The seesaw portal in testable models of neutrino masses. J. High Energy Phys., 06(6), 112–20pp.
Abstract: A Standard Model extension with two Majorana neutrinos can explain the measured neutrino masses and mixings, and also account for the matter-antimatter asymmetry in a region of parameter space that could be testable in future experiments. The testability of the model relies to some extent on its minimality. In this paper we address the possibility that the model might be extended by extra generic new physics which we parametrize in terms of a low-energy effective theory. We consider the effects of the operators of the lowest dimensionality, d = 5, and evaluate the upper bounds on the coefficients so that the predictions of the minimal model are robust. One of the operators gives a new production mechanism for the heavy neutrinos at LHC via higgs decays. The higgs can decay to a pair of such neutrinos that, being long-lived, leave a powerful signal of two displaced vertices. We estimate the LHC reach to this process.
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Caputo, A., Zavala, J., & Blas, D. (2018). Binary pulsars as probes of a Galactic dark matter disk. Phys. Dark Universe, 19, 1–11.
Abstract: As a binary pulsar moves through a wind of dark matter particles, the resulting dynamical friction modifies the binary's orbit. We study this effect for the double disk dark matter (DDDM) scenario, where a fraction of the dark matter is dissipative and settles into a thin disk. For binaries within the dark disk, this effect is enhanced due to the higher dark matter density and lower velocity dispersion of the dark disk, and due to its co-rotation with the baryonic disk. We estimate the effect and compare it with observations for two different limits in the Knudsen number (Kn). First, in the case where DDDM is effectively collisionless within the characteristic scale of the binary (Kn >> 1) and ignoring the possible interaction between the pair of dark matter wakes. Second, in the fully collisional case (Kn << 1), where a fluid description can be adopted and the interaction of the pair of wakes is taken into account. We find that the change in the orbital period is of the same order of magnitude in both limits. A comparison with observations reveals good prospects to probe currently allowed DDDM models with timing data from binary pulsars in the near future. We finally comment on the possibility of extending the analysis to the intermediate (rarefied gas) case with Kn similar to 1.
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