|
Villaescusa-Navarro, F., Bird, S., Pena-Garay, C., & Viel, M. (2013). Non-linear evolution of the cosmic neutrino background. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 03(3), 019–30pp.
Abstract: We investigate the non-linear evolution of the relic cosmic neutrino background by running large box-size, high resolution N-body simulations which incorporate cold dark matter (CDM) and neutrinos as independent particle species. Our set of simulations explore the properties of neutrinos in a reference Lambda CDM model with total neutrino masses between 0.05-0.60 eV in cold dark matter haloes of mass 10(11) – 10(15) h(-1) M-circle dot, over a redshift range z = 0 – 2. We compute the halo mass function and show that it is reasonably well fitted by the Sheth-Tormen formula, once the neutrino contribution to the total matter is removed. More importantly, we focus on the CDM and neutrino properties of the density and peculiar velocity fields in the cosmological volume, inside and in the outskirts of virialized haloes. The dynamical state of the neutrino particles depends strongly on their momentum: whereas neutrinos in the low velocity tail behave similarly to CDM particles, neutrinos in the high velocity tail are not affected by the clustering of the underlying CDM component. We find that the neutrino (linear) unperturbed momentum distribution is modified and mass and redshift dependent deviations from the expected Fermi-Dirac distribution are in place both in the cosmological volume and inside haloes. The neutrino density profiles around virialized haloes have been carefully investigated and a simple fitting formula is provided. The neutrino profile, unlike the cold dark matter one, is found to be cored with core size and central density that depend on the neutrino mass, redshift and mass of the halo, for halos of masses larger than similar to 10(13.5) h(-1) M-circle dot. For lower masses the neutrino profile is best fitted by a simple power-law relation in the range probed by the simulations. The results we obtain are numerically converged in terms of neutrino profiles at the 10% level for scales above similar to 200 h(-1) kpc at z = 0, and are stable with respect to box-size and starting redshift of the simulation. Our findings are particularly important in view of upcoming large-scale structure surveys, like Euclid, that are expected to probe the non-linear regime at the percent level with lensing and clustering observations.
|
|
|
Strege, C., Bertone, G., Feroz, F., Fornasa, M., Ruiz de Austri, R., & Trotta, R. (2013). Global fits of the cMSSM and NUHM including the LHC Higgs discovery and new XENON100 constraints. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 04(4), 013–40pp.
Abstract: We present global fits of the constrained Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (cMSSM) and the Non-Universal Higgs Model (NUHM), including the most recent CMS constraint on the Higgs boson mass, 5.8 fb(-1) integrated luminosity null Supersymmetry searches by ATLAS, the new LHCb measurement of B R ((B) over bar (s) -> mu(+) mu(-)) and the 7-year WMAP dark matter relic abundance determination. We include the latest dark matter constraints from the XENON100 experiment, marginalising over astrophysical and particle physics uncertainties. We present Bayesian posterior and profile likelihood maps of the highest resolution available today, obtained from up to 350M points. We find that the new constraint on the Higgs boson mass has a dramatic impact, ruling out large regions of previously favoured cMSSM and NUHM parameter space. In the cMSSM, light sparticles and predominantly gaugino-like dark matter with a mass of a few hundred GeV are favoured. The NUHM exhibits a strong preference for heavier sparticle masses and a Higgsino-like neutralino with a mass of 1 TeV. The future ton-scale XENON1T direct detection experiment will probe large portions of the currently favoured cMSSM and NUHM parameter space. The LHC operating at 14 TeV collision energy will explore the favoured regions in the cMSSM, while most of the regions favoured in the NUHM will remain inaccessible. Our best-fit points achieve a satisfactory quality-of-fit, with p-values ranging from 0.21 to 0.35, so that none of the two models studied can be presently excluded at any meaningful significance level.
|
|
|
ANTARES Collaboration(Adrian-Martinez, S. et al), Bigongiari, C., Emanuele, U., Gomez-Gonzalez, J. P., Hernandez-Rey, J. J., Lambard, G., et al. (2013). First results on dark matter annihilation in the Sun using the ANTARES neutrino telescope. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 11(11), 032–22pp.
Abstract: A search for high-energy neutrinos coming from the direction of the Sun has been performed using the data recorded by the ANTARES neutrino telescope during 2007 and 2008. The neutrino selection criteria have been chosen to maximize the selection of possible signals produced by the self-annihilation of weakly interacting massive particles accumulated in the centre of the Sun with respect to the atmospheric background. After data unblinding, the number of neutrinos observed towards the Sun was found to be compatible with background expectations. The 90% CL upper limits in terms of spin-dependent and spin-independent WIMP-proton cross-sections are derived and compared to predictions of two supersymmetric models, CMSSM and MSSM-7. The ANTARES limits are comparable with those obtained by other neutrino observatories and are more stringent than those obtained by direct search experiments for the spin-dependent WIMP-proton cross-section in the case of hard self-annihilation channels (W+W-, tau(+)tau(-)).
|
|
|
Ruiz de Austri, R., & Perez de los Heros, C. (2013). Impact of nucleon matrix element uncertainties on the interpretation of direct and indirect dark matter search results. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 11(11), 049–19pp.
Abstract: We study in detail the impact of the current uncertainty in nucleon matrix elements on the sensitivity of direct and indirect experimental techniques for dark matter detection. We perform two scans in the framework of the cMSSM: one using recent values of the pion-sigma term obtained from Lattice QCD, and the other using values derived from experimental measurements. The two choices correspond to extreme values quoted in the literature and reflect the current tension between different ways of obtaining information about the structure of the nucleon. All other inputs in the scans, astrophysical and from particle physics, are kept unchanged. We use two experiments, XENON100 and IceCube, as benchmark cases to illustrate our case. We find that the interpretation of dark matter search results from direct detection experiments is more sensitive to the choice of the central values of the hadronic inputs than the results of indirect search experiments. The allowed regions of cMSSM parameter space after including XENON100 constrains strongly differ depending on the assumptions on the hadronic matrix elements used. On the other hand, the constraining potential of IceCube is almost independent of the choice of these values.
|
|
|
Aristizabal Sierra, D., Tortola, M., Valle, J. W. F., & Vicente, A. (2014). Leptogenesis with a dynamical seesaw scale. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 07(7), 052–20pp.
Abstract: In the simplest type-I seesaw leptogenesis scenario right-handed neutrino annihilation processes are absent. However, in the presence of new interactions these processes are possible and can affect the resulting B – L asymmetry in an important way. A prominent example is provided by models with spontaneous lepton number violation, where the existence of new dynamical degrees of freedom can play a crucial role. In this context, we provide a model-independent discussion of the effects of right-handed neutrino annihilations. We show that in the weak washout regime, as long as the scattering processes remain slow compared with the Hubble expansion rate throughout the relevant temperature range, the efficiency can be largely enhanced, reaching in some cases maximal values. Moreover, the B – L asymmetry yield turns out to be independent upon initial conditions, in contrast to the “standard” case. On the other hand, when the annihilation processes are fast, the right-handed neutrino distribution tends to a thermal one down to low temperatures, implying a drastic suppression of the efficiency which in some cases can render the B – L generation mechanism inoperative.
|
|
|
Pallis, C. (2014). Induced-gravity in inflation no-scale supergravity and beyond. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 08(8), 057–20pp.
Abstract: Supersymmetric versions of induced-gravity inflation are formulated within Supergravity (SUGRA) employing two gauge singlet chiral super fields. The proposed super-potential is uniquely determined by applying a continuous R and a discrete Z(n) symmetry. We select two types of logarithmic Kahler potentials, one associated with a no-scale-type SU(2, 1)/SU(2) x U(1)(R) x Z(n) Kahler manifold and one more generic. In both cases, imposing a lower bound on the parameter c R involved in the coupling between the inflaton and the Ricci scalar curvature – e.g. c(R) greater than or similar to 76, 105, 310 for n – 2, 3 and 6 respectively -, inflation can be attained even for subplanckian values of the inflaton while the corresponding effective theory respects the perturbative unitarity. In the case of no-scale SUGRA we show that, for every n, the inflationary observables remain unchanged and in agreement with the current data while the inflaton mass is predicted to be 3 . 10(13) GeV. Beyond no-scale SUGRA the inflationary observables depend mildly on n and crucially on the coefficient involved in the fourth order term of the Kahler potential which mixes the inflaton with the accompanying non-inflaton field.
|
|
|
Pallis, C. (2014). Linking Starobinsky-type inflation in no-scale supergravity to MSSM. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 04(4), 024–31pp.
Abstract: A novel realization of the Starobinsky inflationary model within a moderate extension of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) is presented. The proposed superpotential is uniquely determined by applying a continuous R and a Z2 discrete symmetry, whereas the Kahler potential is associated with a no-scale-type SU(54, 1)/ SU(54) x U(1) R X Z2 Kahler manifold. The inflaton is identified with a Higgs-like modulus whose the vacuum expectation value controls the gravitational strength. Thanks to a strong enough coupling (with a parameter CT involved) between the inflaton and the Ricci scalar curvature, inflation can be attained even for subplanckian values of the inflaton with CT >= 76 and the corresponding effective theory being valid up to the Planck scale. The inflationary observables turn out to be in agreement with the current data and the inflaton mass is predicted to be 3 10(3) GeV. At the cost of a relatively small superpotential coupling constant, the model offers also a resolution of the f,t problem of MSSM for CT <= 4500 and gravitino heavier than about 10(4) GeV. Supplementing MSSM by three right-handed neutrinos we show that spontaneously arising couplings between the inflaton and the particle content of MSSM not only ensure a sufficiently low reheating temperature but also support a scenario of non-thermal leptogenesis consistently with the neutrino oscillation parameters.
|
|
|
Lineros, R. A., & Pereira dos Santos, F. A. (2014). Inert scalar dark matter in an extra dimension inspired model. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 10(10), 059–17pp.
Abstract: In this paper we analyze a dark matter model inspired by theories with extra dimensions. The dark matter candidate corresponds to the first Kaluza-Klein mode of an real scalar added to the Standard Model. The tower of new particles enriches the calculation of the relic abundance. For large mass splitting, the model converges to the predictions of the inert singlet dark matter model. For nearly degenerate mass spectrum, coannihilations increase the cross-sections used for direct and indirect dark matter searches. Moreover, the Kaluza-Klein zero mode can mix with the SM higgs and further constraints can be applied.
|
|
|
Pallis, C. (2014). Reconciling induced-gravity inflation in supergravity with the Planck 2013 & BICEP2 results. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 10(10), 058–18pp.
Abstract: We generalize the embedding of induced-gravity inflation beyond the no-scale Supergravity presented in ref. [1] employing two gauge singlet chiral superfields, a superpotential uniquely determined by applying a continuous R and a discrete Z(n) symmetries, and a logarithmic Kahler potential including all the allowed terms up to fourth order in powers of the various fields. We show that, increasing slightly the prefactor (-3) encountered in the adopted Kahler potential, an efficient enhancement of the resulting tensor-to-scalar ratio can be achieved rendering the predictions of the model consistent with the recent BICEP2 results, even with subplanckian excursions of the original inflaton field. The remaining inflationary observables can become compatible with the data by mildly tuning the coefficient involved in the fourth order term of the Kahler potential which mixes the inflaton with the accompanying non-inflaton field. The inflaton mass is predicted to be close to 10(14) GeV.
|
|
|
Vincent, A. C., Fernandez Martinez, E., Hernandez, P., Mena, O., & Lattanzi, M. (2015). Revisiting cosmological bounds on sterile neutrinos. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 04(4), 006–23pp.
Abstract: We employ state-of-the art cosmological observables including supernova surveys and BAO information to provide constraints on the mass and mixing angle of a non-resonantly produced sterile neutrino species, showing that cosmology can effectively rule out sterile neutrinos which decay between BBN and the present day. The decoupling of an additional heavy neutrino species can modify the time dependence of the Universe's expansion between BBN and recombination and, in extreme cases, lead to an additional matter-dominated period; while this could naively lead to a younger Universe with a larger Hubble parameter, it could later be compensated by the extra radiation expected in the form of neutrinos from sterile decay. However, recombination-era observables including the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), the shift parameter R-CMB and the sound horizon r(s) from Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO) severely constrain this scenario. We self-consistently include the full time-evolution of the coupled sterile neutrino and standard model sectors in an MCMC, showing that if decay occurs after BBN, the sterile neutrino is essentially bounded by the constraint sin(2) theta less than or similar to 0.026(m(s)/eV)(-2).
|
|