Continuous Energy Injection Research Articles

Structured Jet Model for Multiwavelength Observations of the Jetted Tidal Disruption Event AT 2022cmc

AT 2022cmc is a recently documented tidal disruption event that exhibits a luminous jet, accompanied by fast-declining X-ray and long-lasting radio and millimeter emission. Motivated by the distinct spectral and temporal signatures between the X-ray and radio observations, we propose a multizone model involving relativistic jets with different Lorentz factors. We systematically study the evolution of faster and slower jets in an external density profile, considering the continuous energy injection rate associated with time-dependent accretion rates before and after the mass fallback time. We investigate time-dependent multiwavelength emission from both the forward shock (FS) and reverse shock (RS) regions of the fast and slow jets, in a self-consistent manner. Our analysis demonstrates that the energy injection rate can significantly impact the jet evolution and subsequently influence the lightcurves. We find that the X-ray spectra and lightcurves could be described by electron synchrotron emission from the RS of the faster jet, in which the late-time X-ray upper limits, extending to 400 days after the disruption, could be interpreted as a jet break. Meanwhile, the radio observations can be interpreted as a result of synchrotron emission from the FS region of the slower jet. We also discuss prospects for testing the model with current and future observations.

Activity affects the stability, deformation and breakage dynamics of colloidal architectures.

Living network architectures, such as the cytoskeleton, are characterized by continuous energy injection, leading to rich but poorly understood non-equilibrium physics. There is a need for a well-controlled (experimental) model system that allows basic insight into such non-equilibrium processes. Activated self-assembled colloidal architectures can fulfill this role, as colloidal patchy particles can self-assemble into colloidal architectures such as chains, rings and networks, while self-propelled colloidal particles can simultaneously inject energy into the architecture, alter the dynamical behavior of the system, and cause the self-assembled structures to deform and break. To gain insight, we conduct a numerical investigation into the effect of introducing self-propelled colloids modeled as active Brownian particles, into self-assembling colloidal dispersions of dipatch and tripatch particles. For the interaction potential, we use a previously designed model that accurately can reproduce experimental colloidal self-assembly via the critical Casimir force [Jonas et al., J. Chem. Phys., 2021, 135, 034902]. Here, we focus primarily on the breakage dynamics of three archetypal substructures, namely, dimers, chains, and rings. We find a rich response behavior to the introduction of self-propelled particles, in which the activity can enhance as well as reduce the stability of the architecture, deform the intact structures and alter the mechanisms of fragmentation. We rationalize these findings in terms of the rate and mechanisms of breakage as a function of the direction and magnitude of the active force by separating the bond breakage process into two stages: escaping the potential well and separation of the particles. The results set the stage for investigating more complex architectures.

MHD Simulation of Homologous Eruptions from Solar Active Region 10930 Caused by Sunspot Rotation

The relationship between solar eruption and sunspot rotation has been widely reported, and the underlying mechanism needs to be studied. Here we performed a full 3D MHD simulation using a data-constrained approach to study the mechanism of flare eruptions in active region (AR) NOAA 10930, which is characterized by continuous sunspot rotation and homologous eruptions. We reconstructed the potential magnetic field from the magnetogram of Hinode/SOT as the initial condition and drove the MHD system by applying continuous sunspot rotation at the bottom boundary. The key magnetic structure before the major eruptions and the preformed current sheet were derived, which is responsible for the complex MHD evolution with multiple stages. The major eruptions were triggered directly by fast reconnection in the preformed current sheet above the main polarity inversion line between the two major magnetic polarities of the AR. Furthermore, our simulation shows the homologous eruption successfully. It has reasonable consistency with observations in relative strength, energy release, X-ray and Hα features, and time interval of eruptions. In addition, the rotation angle of the sunspot before the first eruption in the simulation is also close to the observed value. Our simulation offers a scenario different from many previous studies based on ideal instabilities of a twisted magnetic flux rope and shows the importance of sunspot rotation and magnetic reconnection in efficiently producing homologous eruptions by continuous energy injection and impulsive energy release in a recurrent way.

Kinematics of the molecular interstellar medium probed by Gaia: steep velocity dispersion–size relation, isotropic turbulence, and location-dependent energy dissipation

ABSTRACT The evolution of the molecular interstellar medium is controlled by processes such as turbulence, gravity, stellar feedback, and Galactic shear. AL a part of the ISM-6D project, using Gaia astrometric measurements towards a sample of young stellar objects (YSOs), we study the morphology and kinematic structure of the associated molecular gas. We identify 150 YSO associations with distance $d \lesssim 3 \,\,\rm kpc$. The YSO associations are elongated, with a median aspect ratio of 1.97, and are oriented parallel to the disc mid-plane, with a median angle of 30°. The turbulence in the molecular clouds as probed by the YSOs is isotropic, and the velocity dispersions are related to the sizes by σv, 2D = 0.74 (r/pc)0.67 (km s−1) . The slope is on the steeper side, yet consistent with previous measurements. The energy dissipation rate of turbulence $\dot{\epsilon } = \sigma _{v,{\rm 3D}}^3 /L$ decreases with the Galactocentric distance, with a gradient of 0.2 $\rm dex \,\, kpc^{-1}$, which can be explained if turbulence is driven by cloud collisions. In this scenario, the clouds located in the inner Galaxy have higher chances to accrete smaller clouds and are more turbulent. Although the density structures of the complexes are anisotropic, the turbulence is consistent with being isotropic. If the alignment between density structures and the Galactic-disc mid-plane is due to shear, we expect $t_{\rm cloud} \gtrsim t_{\rm shear}\approx 30\,\, \rm Myr$. This cloud lifetime is longer than the turbulence crossing time, and a continuous energy injection is required to maintain the turbulence.

Mechanical feedback from stellar winds with an application to galaxy formation at high redshift

ABSTRACT We compute different sets of stellar evolutionary tracks in order to quantify the energy, mass, and metals yielded by massive main-sequence and post-main-sequence winds. Our aim is to investigate the impact of binary systems and of a metallicity-dependent distribution of initial rotational velocities on the feedback by stellar winds. We find significant changes compared to the commonly used non-rotating, single-star scenario. The largest differences are noticeable at low metallicity, where the mechanical-energy budget is substantially increased. So as to establish the maximal (i.e. obtained by neglecting dissipation in the near circumstellar environment) influence of winds on the early stages of galaxy formation, we use our new feedback estimates to simulate the formation and evolution of a sub-L* galaxy at redshift 3 (hosted by a dark-matter halo with a mass of 1.8 × 1011 M⊙) and compare the outcome with simulations in which only supernova (SN) feedback is considered. Accounting for the continuous energy injection by winds reduces the total stellar mass, the metal content, and the burstiness of the star-formation rate as well as of the outflowing gas mass. However, our numerical experiment suggests that the enhanced mechanical feedback from the winds of rotating and binary stars has a limited impact on the most relevant galactic properties compared to the non-rotating single-star scenario. Eventually, we look at the relative abundance between the metals entrained in winds and those ejected by SNe and find that it stays nearly constant within the simulated galaxy and its surrounding halo.

Uncertainties in supernova input rates drive qualitative differences in simulations of galaxy evolution

ABSTRACT Feedback from core collapse supernovae (SNe), the final stage of evolution of massive stars, is a key element in galaxy formation theory. The energy budget of SN feedback, as well as the duration over which SNe occur, are constrained by stellar lifetime models and the minimum mass star that ends its life as a SN. Simplifying approximations for this SN rate are ubiquitous in simulation studies. We show here how the choice of SN budget and timings (t0 for the delay between star formation and the first SN, τSN for the duration of SN injection, and the minimum SN progenitor mass) drive changes in the regulation of star formation and outflow launching. Extremely long delays for instantaneous injection of SN energy (t0 ≫ 20 Myr) reduces star formation and drive stronger outflows compared smaller delays. This effect is primarily driven by enhanced clustering of young stars. With continuous injection of energy, longer SN durations results in a larger fraction of SN energy deposited in low ambient gas densities, where cooling losses are lower. This is effect is particularly when driven by the choice of the minimum SN progenitor mass, which also sets the total SN energy budget. These underlying uncertainties mean that despite advances in the sub-grid modeling of SN feedback, serious difficulties in constraining the strength of SN feedback remain. We recommend future simulations use realistic SN injection durations, and bound their results using SN energy budgets and durations for minimum SN progenitors of 7 and 9 M⊙.

What powers the radio emission in TDE AT2019dsg: A long-lived jet or the disruption itself?

ABSTRACT The tidal disruption event AT2019dsg was observed from radio to X-rays and was possibly accompanied by a high-energy neutrino. Previous interpretations have focused on continued injection by a central engine as the source of energy for radio emission. We show that continuous energy injection is unnecessary; the radio data can be explained by a single ejection of plasma that supplies all the energy needed. To support this assertion, we analyse the synchrotron self-absorbed spectra in terms of the equipartition model. Similar to previous analyses, we find that the energy in the radio-emitting region increases approximately ∝ t0.7 and the length-scale of this region grows ∝ t at a rate $\simeq 0.06\, c$. This event resembles the earliest stage of a supernova remnant: because the ejected mass is much greater than the shocked external mass, its velocity remains unchanged, while the energy in shocked gas grows with time. The radio-emitting material gains energy from the outflow, not from continuing energy injection by the central object. Although energy injection from an accreting BH cannot be completely excluded, the energy injection rate is very different from the fallback luminosity, and maintaining constant outflow velocity requires fine-tuning, demanding further physical explanation. If the neutrino association is real, the energy injection needed is much greater than for the radio emission, suggesting that the detected neutrino did not arise from the radio-emitting region.

Fluctuating hydrodynamics of chiral active fluids

Active materials are characterized by continuous injection of energy at the microscopic level and typically cannot be adequately described by equilibrium thermodynamics. Here we study a class of active fluids in which equilibrium-like properties emerge when fluctuating and activated degrees of freedom are statistically decoupled, such that their mutual information is negligible. We analyse three paradigmatic systems: chiral active fluids composed of spinning frictional particles that are free to translate, oscillating granular gases and active Brownian rollers. In all of these systems, a single effective temperature generated by activity parameterizes both the equation of state and the emergent Boltzmann statistics. The same effective temperature, renormalized by velocity correlations, relates viscosities to steady-state stress fluctuations via a Green–Kubo relation. To rationalize these observations, we develop a theory for the fluctuating hydrodynamics of these non-equilibrium fluids and validate it through large-scale molecular dynamics simulations. Our work sheds light on the microscopic origin of odd viscosities and stress fluctuations characteristic of parity-violating fluids, in which mirror symmetry and detailed balance are broken. Active fluids exhibit properties reminiscent of equilibrium systems when their degrees of freedom are statistically decoupled. A theory for the fluctuating hydrodynamics of these fluids offers a probe of their anomalous transport coefficients.

Submersed micropatterned structures control active nematic flow, topology, and concentration

Coupling between flows and material properties imbues rheological matter with its wide-ranging applicability, hence the excitement for harnessing the rheology of active fluids for which internal structure and continuous energy injection lead to spontaneous flows and complex, out-of-equilibrium dynamics. We propose and demonstrate a convenient, highly tunable method for controlling flow, topology, and composition within active films. Our approach establishes rheological coupling via the indirect presence of fully submersed micropatterned structures within a thin, underlying oil layer. Simulations reveal that micropatterned structures produce effective virtual boundaries within the superjacent active nematic film due to differences in viscous dissipation as a function of depth. This accessible method of applying position-dependent, effective dissipation to the active films presents a nonintrusive pathway for engineering active microfluidic systems.

Analytical and Numerical Studies of Central Galactic Outflows Powered by Tidal Disruption Events: A Model for the Fermi Bubbles?

Abstract Capture and tidal disruption of stars by the supermassive black hole in the Galactic center (GC) should occur regularly. The energy released and dissipated by these processes will affect both the ambient environment of the GC and the Galactic halo. The single star of a super-Eddington eruption generates a subsonic outflow with an energy release of more than 1052 erg, which still is not high enough to push shock heated gas into the halo. Only routine tidal disruption of stars near the GC can provide enough cumulative energy to form and maintain large-scale structures like the Fermi Bubbles. The average rate of disruption events is expected to be 10−4 ∼ 10−5 yr−1, providing the average power of energy release from the GC into the halo of erg s−1, which is needed to support the Fermi Bubbles. The GC black hole is surrounded by molecular clouds in the disk, but their overall mass and filling factor are too low to significantly stall the shocks from tidal disruption events. The de facto continuous energy injection on timescales of megayears will lead to the propagation of strong shocks in a density stratified Galactic halo and thus create elongated bubble-like features that are symmetric to the Galactic midplane.

Herschel SPIRE Discovery of Far-infrared Excess Synchrotron Emission from the West Hot Spot of the Radio Galaxy Pictor A

Abstract A far-infrared counterpart to the west hot spot of the radio galaxy Pictor A is discovered with the Spectral and Photometric Imaging REceiver (SPIRE) on board Herschel. The color-corrected flux density of the source is measured as 70.0 ± 9.9 mJy at the wavelength of 350 μm. A close investigation into its radio-to-optical spectrum indicates that the mid-infrared excess over the radio synchrotron component, detected with Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer and Spitzer, significantly contributes to the far-infrared band. Thanks to the SPIRE data, it is revealed that the spectrum of the excess is described by a broken power-law model subjected to a high-energy cutoff. By applying the radiative cooling break under continuous energy injection (Δα = 0.5), the broken power-law model supports an idea that the excess originates in 10 pc scale substructures within the hot spot. From the break frequency, Hz, the magnetic field was estimated as B ≃ 1–4 mG. This is higher than the minimum-energy magnetic field of the substructures by a factor of 3–10. Even if the origin of the excess is larger than ∼100 pc, the magnetic field stronger than the minimum-energy field is confirmed. It is proposed that regions with a magnetic field locally boosted via plasma turbulence are observed as the substructures. The derived energy index below the break, α ∼ 0.22 (conservatively <0.42), is difficult to be attributed to the strong-shock acceleration (α = 0.5). Stochastic acceleration and magnetic reconnection are considered as a plausible alternative mechanism.

GRB 170817A as a Refreshed Shock Afterglow Viewed Off-axis

Abstract Energy injection into the external shock system that generates the afterglow to a gamma-ray burst (GRB) can result in a rebrightening of the emission. Here we investigate the off-axis view of a rebrightened refreshed shock afterglow. We find that the afterglow light curve, when viewed from outside of the jet opening angle, could be characterized by a slow rise, or long plateau, with a maximum flux determined by the total system energy. Using the broadband afterglow data for GRB 170817A, associated with the gravitational-wave-detected binary neutron star merger GW170817, we show that a refreshed shock model with a simple top-hat jet can reproduce the observed afterglow features. We consider two refreshed shock models: a single episode of energy injection, and an episode of continuous energy injection. The best-fit model parameters give a jet opening angle for our first and second models, respectively, of θ j = 5.° and 6.° , an inclination to the line of sight ι = 16.° and 17.° , an initial on-axis isotropic equivalent kinetic energy and erg, and a total/final, on-axis isotropic equivalent refreshed shock energy and erg. The first model fitting prefers an initial bulk Lorentz factor Γ0,1 < 60, with a comparatively low central value of Γ0,1 = 19.5, indicating that, in this case, the on-axis jet could have been a “failed GRB.” Alternatively, our second model is consistent with a bright GRB for an on-axis observer, with . Due to the low Lorentz factor and/or the jet opening angles at θ j ∼ ι/3, both models are unable to reproduce the γ-ray emission observed in GRB 170817A, which would therefore require an alternative explanation such as cocoon shock breakout.

Universality of dissipative self-assembly from quantum dots to human cells

An important goal of self-assembly research is to develop a general methodology applicable to almost any material, from the smallest to the largest scales, whereby qualitatively identical results are obtained independently of initial conditions, size, shape and function of the constituents. Here, we introduce a dissipative self-assembly methodology demonstrated on a diverse spectrum of materials, from simple, passive, identical quantum dots (a few hundred atoms) that experience extreme Brownian motion, to complex, active, non-identical human cells (~1017 atoms) with sophisticated internal dynamics. Autocatalytic growth curves of the self-assembled aggregates are shown to scale identically, and interface fluctuations of growing aggregates obey the universal Tracy–Widom law. Example applications for nanoscience and biotechnology are further provided. Biological systems are able to self-assemble in non-equilibrium conditions thanks to a continuous injection of energy. Here the authors present a tool to achieve non-equilibrium self-assembly of synthetic and biological constituents with sizes spanning three orders of magnitude.

Ionized gas outflow signatures in SDSS-IV MaNGA active galactic nuclei

ABSTRACT The prevalence of outflow and feedback signatures in active galactic nuclei (AGNs is a major unresolved question which large integral field unit (IFU) surveys now allow to address. In this paper, we present a kinematic analysis of the ionized gas in 2778 galaxies at z ∼ 0.05 observed by Sloan Digital Sky Survey-IV (SDSS-IV) Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory (MaNGA). Specifically, we measure the kinematics of the [O iii] λ5007 Å emission line in each spatial element and fit multiple Gaussian components to account for possible non-gravitational motions of gas. Comparing the kinematics of the ionized gas between 308 MaNGA-selected AGNs that have been previously identified through emission-line diagnostics and sources not classified as AGN, we find that while 25 per cent of MaNGA-selected AGN show [O iii] components with emission-line widths of >500 km s−1 in more than 10 per cent of their spaxels, only 7 per cent of MaNGA non-AGNs show a similar signature. Even the AGNs that do not show nuclear AGN photoionization signatures and that were only identified as AGN based on their larger scale photoionization signatures show similar kinematic characteristics. In addition to obscuration, another possibility is that outflow and mechanical feedback signatures are longer lived than the AGN itself. Our measurements demonstrate that high velocity gas is more prevalent in AGN compared to non-AGN and that outflow and feedback signatures in low-luminosity, low-redshift AGN may so far have been underestimated. We show that higher luminosity MaNGA-selected AGNs are able to drive larger scale outflows than lower luminosity AGN. But estimates of the kinetic coupling efficiencies are ≪1 per cent and suggest that the feedback signatures probed in this paper are unlikely to have a significant impact on the AGN host galaxies. However, continuous energy injection may still heat a fraction of the cool gas and delay or suppress star formation in individual galaxies even when the AGN is weak.

The First Day in the Life of a Magnetar: Evolution of the Inclination Angle, Magnetic Dipole Moment, and Braking Index of Millisecond Magnetars during Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglows

Abstract The afterglow emission of some gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) shows a shallow decay (plateau) phase implying continuous injection of energy. The source of this energy is very commonly attributed to the spin-down power of a nascent millisecond magnetar. The magnetic dipole radiation torque is considered to be the mechanism causing the spin-down of the neutron star. This torque has a component working for the alignment of the angle between rotation and the magnetic axis, i.e., the inclination angle, which has been neglected in modeling GRB afterglow light curves. Here, we demonstrate the evolution of the inclination angle and magnetic dipole moment of nascent magnetars associated with GRBs. We constrain the initial inclination angle, magnetic dipole moment, and rotation period of seven magnetars by modeling the seven long-GRB afterglow light curves. We find that, in its first day, the inclination angle of a magnetar decreases rapidly. The rapid alignment of the magnetic and rotation axis may address the lack of persistent radio emission from mature magnetars. We also find that in three cases the magnetic dipole moments of magnetars decrease exponentially to a value a few times smaller than the initial value. The braking index of nascent magnetars, as a result of the alignment and magnetic dipole moment decline, is variable during the afterglow phase and always greater than three.

The Shallow Decay Segment of GRB X-Ray Afterglow Revisited

Abstract Based on the early-year observations from Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, Liang et al. performed a systematic analysis for the shallow decay component of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) X-ray afterglow, in order to explore its physical origin. Here we revisit the analysis with an updated sample (with Swift/XRT GRBs between 2004 February and 2017 July). We find that with a larger sample, (1) the distributions of the characteristic properties of the shallow decay phase (e.g., t b , S X, ΓX,1, and α X,1) still accord with normal or lognormal distribution; (2) ΓX,1 and Γ γ still show no correlation, but the tentative correlations of durations, energy fluences, and isotropic energies between the gamma-ray and X-ray phases still exist; (3) for most GRBs, there is no significant spectral evolution between the shallow decay segment and its follow-up segment, and the latter is usually consistent with the external-shock models; (4) assuming that the central engine has a power-law luminosity release history as , we find that the value q is mainly distributed between −0.5 and 0.5, with an average value of 0.16 ± 0.12; (5) the tentative correlation between and disappears, so that the global three-parameter correlation ( ) becomes less significant; (6) the anticorrelation between L X and and the three-parameter correlation ( ) indeed exist with a high confidence level. Overall, our results are generally consistent with Liang et al., confirming their suggestion that the shallow decay segment in most bursts is consistent with an external forward shock origin, probably due to a continuous energy injection from a long-lived central engine.

Tunable self-healing of magnetically propelling colloidal carpets

The process of crystallization is difficult to observe for transported, out-of-equilibrium systems, as the continuous energy injection increases activity and competes with ordering. In emerging fields such as microfluidics and active matter, the formation of long-range order is often frustrated by the presence of hydrodynamics. Here we show that a population of colloidal rollers assembled by magnetic fields into large-scale propelling carpets can form perfect crystalline materials upon suitable balance between magnetism and hydrodynamics. We demonstrate a field-tunable annealing protocol based on a controlled colloidal flow above the carpet that enables complete crystallization after a few seconds of propulsion. The structural transition from a disordered to a crystalline carpet phase is captured via spatial and temporal correlation functions. Our findings unveil a novel pathway to magnetically anneal clusters of propelling particles, bridging driven systems with crystallization and freezing in material science.

Shock wave in a long-air-gap leader discharge

We report the shock wave phenomenon in an air-gap leader discharge observed using an interferometer. The continuous temporal evolution of the shock wave and plasma channel is recorded and reproduced with a thermohydrodynamic model based on the measured current, providing a prediction of the pressure pulses of the shock wave. The weak shock wave propagates at nearly the speed of sound, and the simulation results for the shock wave front positions and the plasma channel radius are consistent with experimental measurements. Experimental observations and numerical comparisons show that continuous energy injection results in a temporary overpressure process in the plasma channel and generates the shock wave. The pressure at the shock front falls rapidly and decays with propagation of the wave. In the weak shock region, the pressure wave decays as P∝R−3/4. The wave propagation predicted using the thermohydrodynamic model is compared with propagations predicted using the Vlases and Jones models, and we find that a measurement of the shock wave propagation trajectory gives an estimate of the energy injected to the leader channel during a discharge.

The dynamic expansion of leader discharge channels under positive voltage impulse with different rise times in long air gap: Experimental observation and simulation results

In this paper, we observe the dynamic expansion process of positive leader channels under impulses with different rise times in a 1-m air gap using a Mach-Zehnder interferometry and a high-speed video camera. The thermal parameters describing the leader channel under a lightning and switching impulse are obtained through an analysis of interference fringes. The influences of different voltage waveforms on the dynamic expansion of leader channels are obtained. Firstly, the expansion rates of the channel radius are higher for shorter rise times. The average expansion rates are 72.30 ± 9.54, 28.09 ± 5.05, and 14.38 ± 3.02 m/s for the rise times of 1.2, 40, and 100 μs and the crest value of 425 kV for a 0.5-cm-diameter cone electrode; moreover, the temperatures at the centre of the leader channels are 5000–7000 K, 4000–6000 K, and 3000–4500 K, respectively. Secondly, the high-temperature region is larger for the shorter rise times. A numerical model was used to study the expansion of the leader channels, and the simulation results for the leader channel diameters showed good consistency with the experimental measurements. The continuous energy injection results in an over-pressure process in the leader channels and ultimately in their expansion. For a 1.2/50 μs waveform, the vibrational-translational relaxation (QVT) and the thermal dissociation (QD), which dominate the energy flow, are about one order of magnitude greater than that in a 100/2500 μs waveform. The convection loss and the ionization mechanism during the expansion process are also discussed.

Freezing in the hierarchy problem

Models with a tiny coupling $\lambda$ between the dark matter and the Standard Model, $\lambda \sim v/M_\text{Pl}\sim 10^{-16}$, can yield the measured relic abundance through the thermal process known as freeze-in. We propose to interpret this small number in the context of perturbative large $N$ theories, where couplings are suppressed by inverse powers of $N$. Then $N \sim M_{\rm Pl}^2/v^2$ gives the observed relic density. Additionally, the ultimate cutoff of the Standard Model is reduced to $\sim 4\,\pi\, M_\text{Pl}/\sqrt{N} \sim 4\, \pi\, v$, thereby solving the electroweak hierarchy problem. These theories predict a direct relation between the Standard Model cutoff and the dark matter mass, linking the spectacular collider phenomenology associated with the low gravitational scale to the cosmological signatures of the dark sector. The dark matter mass can lie in the range from hundreds of keV to hundreds of GeV. Possible cosmological signals include washing out power for small scale structure, indirect detection signals from dark matter decays, and a continuous injection of electromagnetic and hadronic energy throughout the history of the Universe.