Barenboim, G., & Park, W. I. (2015). Spiral inflation. Phys. Lett. B, 741, 252–255.
Abstract: We propose a novel scenario of primordial inflation in which the inflaton goes through a spiral motion starting from around the top of a symmetry breaking potential. We show that, even though inflation takes place for a field value much smaller than Planck scale, it is possible to obtain relatively large tensor-to-scalar ratio (r similar to 0.1) without fine tuning. The inflationary observables perfectly match Planck data.
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Barenboim, G., Park, W. I., & Kinney, W. H. (2016). Eternal hilltop inflation. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 05(5), 030–15pp.
Abstract: We consider eternal inflation in hilltop-type inflation models, favored by current data, in which the scalar field in inflation rolls off of a local maximum of the potential. Unlike chaotic or plateau-type inflation models, in hilltop inflation the region of field space which supports eternal inflation is finite, and the expansion rate H-EI during eternal inflation is almost exactly the same as the expansion rate H-* during slow roll inflation. Therefore, in any given Hubble volume, there is a finite and calculable expectation value for the lifetime of the “eternal” inflation phase, during which quantum flucutations dominate over classical field evolution. We show that despite this, inflation in hilltop models is nonetheless eternal in the sense that the volume of the spacetime at any finite time is exponentially dominated by regions which continue to inflate. This is true regardless of the energy scale of inflation, and eternal inflation is supported for inflation at arbitrarily low energy scale.
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Barenboim, G., & Rasero, J. (2014). Structure formation during an early period of matter domination. J. High Energy Phys., 04(4), 138–17pp.
Abstract: In this work we show that modifying the thermal history of the Universe by including an early period of matter domination can lead to the formation of astronomical objects. However, the survival of these objects can only be possible if the dominating matter decays to a daughter particle which is not only almost degenerate with the parent particle but also has an open annihilation channel. This requirement translates in an upper bound for the coupling of such a channel and makes the early structure formation viable.
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Barenboim, G., & Rasero, J. (2012). Electroweak baryogenesis window in non standard cosmologies. J. High Energy Phys., 07(7), 028–20pp.
Abstract: In this work we show that the new bounds on the Higgs mass are more than difficult to reconcile with the strong constraints on the physical parameters of the Standard Model and the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model imposed by the preservation of the baryon asymmetry. This bound can be weakened by assuming a nonstandard cosmology at the time of the electroweak phase transition, reverting back to standard cosmology by BBN time. Two explicit examples are an early period of matter dominated expansion due to a heavy right handed neutrino (see-saw scale), or a nonstandard braneworld expansion.
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Barenboim, G., & Rasero, J. (2011). Baryogenesis from a right-handed neutrino condensate. J. High Energy Phys., 03(3), 097–15pp.
Abstract: We show that the baryon asymmetry of the Universe can be generated by a strongly coupled right handed neutrino condensate which also drives inflation. The resulting model has only a small number of parameters, which completely determine not only the baryon asymmetry of the Universe and the mass of the right handed neutrino but also the inflationary phase. This feature allows us to make predictions that will be tested by current and planned experiments. As compared to the usual approach our dynamical framework is both economical and predictive.
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Barenboim, G., & Salvado, J. (2017). Cosmology and CPT violating neutrinos. Eur. Phys. J. C, 77(11), 766–18pp.
Abstract: The combination charge conjugation-parity-time reversal (CPT) is a fundamental symmetry in our current understanding of nature. As such, testing CPT violation is a strongly motivated path to explore new physics. In this paper we study CPT violation in the neutrino sector, giving for the first time a bound, for a fundamental particle, in the CPT violating particle-antiparticle gravitational mass difference. We argue that cosmology is nowadays the only data sensitive to CPT violation for the neutrino-antineutrino mass splitting and we use the latest data release from Planck combined with the current baryonic-acoustic-oscillation measurement to perform a full cosmological analysis. To show the potential of the future experiments we also show the results for Euclid, a next generation large scale structure experiment.
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Barenboim, G., Sanchis, H., Kinney, W. H., & Rios, D. (2024). Bound on thermal y distortion of the cosmic neutrino background. Phys. Rev. D, 110(12), 123535–8pp.
Abstract: We consider the possibility that the cosmic neutrino background might have a nonthermal spectrum, and investigate its effect on cosmological parameters relative to standard A-cold dark matter (ACDM) cosmology. As a specific model, we consider a thermal y- distortion, which alters the distribution function of the neutrino background by depleting the population of low-energy neutrinos and enhancing the highenergy tail. We constrain the thermal y- parameter of the cosmic neutrino background using cosmic microwave background (CMB) and baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) measurements, and place a 95%-confidence upper bound of y <= 0.043. The y- parameter increases the number of effective relativistic degrees of freedom, reducing the sound horizon radius and increasing the best-fit value for the Hubble constant H 0 . We obtain an upper bound on the Hubble constant of H 0 = 71.12 km/s/Mpc at 95% confidence, substantially reducing the tension between CMB/BAO constraints and direct measurement of the expansion rate from type-Ia supernovae. Including a spectral distortion also allows for a higher value of the spectral index of scalar fluctuations, with a best-fit of n S = 0.9720 +/- 0.0063, and a 95%-confidence upper bound of n S <= 0.9842.
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Barenboim, G., Ternes, C. A., & Tortola, M. (2020). CPT and CP, an entangled couple. J. High Energy Phys., 07(7), 155–12pp.
Abstract: Even though it is undoubtedly very appealing to interpret the latest T2K results as evidence of CP violation, this claim assumes CPT conservation in the neutrino sector to an extent that has not been tested yet. As we will show, T2K results are not robust against a CPT-violating explanation. On the contrary, a CPT-violating CP-conserving scenario is in perfect agreement with current neutrino oscillation data. Therefore, to elucidate whether T2K results imply CP or CPT violation is of utter importance. We show that, even after combining with data from NO nu A and from reactor experiments, no claims about CP violation can be made. Finally, we update the bounds on CPT violation in the neutrino sector.
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Barenboim, G., Ternes, C. A., & Tortola, M. (2019). New physics vs new paradigms: distinguishing CPT violation from NSI. Eur. Phys. J. C, 79(5), 390–7pp.
Abstract: Our way of describing Nature is based on local relativistic quantum field theories, and then CPT symmetry, a natural consequence of Lorentz invariance, locality and hermiticity of the Hamiltonian, is one of the few if not the only prediction that all of them share. Therefore, testing CPT invariance does not test a particular model but the whole paradigm. Current and future long baseline experiments will assess the status of CPT in the neutrino sector at an unprecedented level and thus its distinction from similar experimental signatures arising from non-standard interactions is imperative. Whether the whole paradigm is at stake or just the standard model of neutrinos crucially depends on that.
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Barenboim, G., Ternes, C. A., & Tortola, M. (2018). Neutrinos, DUNE and the world best bound on CPT invariance. Phys. Lett. B, 780, 631–637.
Abstract: CPT symmetry, the combination of Charge Conjugation, Parity and Time reversal, is a cornerstone of our model building strategy and therefore the repercussions of its potential violation will severely threaten the most extended tool we currently use to describe physics, i.e. local relativistic quantum fields. However, limits on its conservation from the Kaon system look indeed imposing. In this work we will show that neutrino oscillation experiments can improve this limit by several orders of magnitude and therefore are an ideal tool to explore the foundations of our approach to Nature. Strictly speaking testing CPT violation would require an explicit model for how CPT is broken and its effects on physics. Instead, what is presented in this paper is a test of one of the predictions of CPT conservation, i.e., the same mass and mixing parameters in neutrinos and antineutrinos. In order to do that we calculate the current CPT bound on all the neutrino mixing parameters and study the sensitivity of the DUNE experiment to such an observable. After deriving the most updated bound on CPT from neutrino oscillation data, we show that, if the recent T2K results turn out to be the true values of neutrino and antineutrino oscillations, DUNE would measure the fallout of CPT conservation at more than 3 sigma. Then, we study the sensitivity of the experiment to measure CPT invariance in general, finding that DUNE will be able to improve the current bounds on Delta(Delta m(31)(2)) by at least one order of magnitude. We also study the sensitivity to the other oscillation parameters. Finally we show that, if CPT is violated in nature, combining neutrino with antineutrino data in oscillation analysis will produce imposter solutions.
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