Cosmic Microwave Background Observations Research Articles

Determining Cosmological-model-independent H 0 with Gravitationally Lensed Supernova Refsdal

The reappearance of supernova Refsdal with detailed modeling of the lens cluster allows us to measure the time-delay distance, which serves as a powerful tool to determine the Hubble constant (H 0). We give a cosmological-model-independent method to estimate H 0 through Gaussian process regression, using time-delay measurements from this lensed supernova in combination with supernova data from the Pantheon+ sample. Using eight mass models for the lens cluster, we infer H0=64.2−4.3+4.4kms−1Mpc−1 , and using two cluster models most consistent with the observations, we infer H0=66.3−3.6+3.8kms−1Mpc−1 . Our estimates of the value of H 0 are in 1σ agreement with the results assuming a flat ΛCDM model and the uncertainties are comparable. Our constraint results on H 0 from the eight lens models and the two lens models indicate 2σ and 1.8σ tensions with that estimated by Supernova H0 for the Equation of State, respectively. However, our median values of H 0 from the two sets of lens models show good consistency with H 0 inferred from Planck cosmic microwave background observations assuming a ΛCDM model within 1σ. We also find that our results for H 0 indicate 2σ deviations and 1.7σ deviations from the constraint results of H 0 using six time-delay quasars by H0LiCOW with the same analysis method.

Primordial perturbations from ultra-slow-roll single-field inflation with quantum loop effects

It is known that the single-field inflation with a transient ultra-slow-roll phase can produce a large curvature perturbation at small scales for the formation of primordial black holes. In our previous work, we have considered quantum loop corrections to the curvature perturbation and found that the growth of these small-scale modes would affect the curvature perturbation at large scales probed by cosmic microwave background observation. In this work, we will further derive the constraints on the growing modes in the transition between the slow-roll and the ultra-slow-roll phases under the effect of the loop corrections. Our results would help clarify the recent controversy on whether or not the primordial-black-hole formation from the single-field inflation is ruled out at one-loop level.

Is natural inflation in agreement with CMB data?

Natural inflation is a well-motivated model for the early universe in which an inflaton potential of the pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone form, V(ϕ) = Λ4[1 + cos(ϕ/f)], can naturally drive a cosmic accelerated epoch. This paper investigates the observational viability of the minimally and non-minimally coupled natural inflation scenarios in light of current Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) observations. We find that a small and negative coupling of the field with gravity can alleviate the well-known observational discrepancies of the minimally coupled model. We perform a Monte Carlo Markov Chain analysis of the Planck 2018 CMB and BICEP/Keck Array B-mode polarization data to estimate how strong the coupling ξ should be to achieve concordance with data. We also briefly discuss the impact of these results on the physical interpretation of the natural inflation scenario.

Searching for ultralight dark matter conversion in solar corona using Low Frequency Array data

Ultralight dark photons and axions are well-motivated hypothetical dark matter candidates. Both dark photon dark matter and axion dark matter can resonantly convert into electromagnetic waves in the solar corona when their mass is equal to the solar plasma frequency. The resultant electromagnetic waves appear as monochromatic signals within the radio-frequency range with an energy equal to the dark matter mass, which can be detected via radio telescopes for solar observations. Here we show our search for converted monochromatic signals in the observational data collected by the high-sensitivity Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) telescope and establish an upper limit on the kinetic mixing coupling between dark photon dark matter and photon, which can reach values as low as 10−13 within the frequency range of 30 − 80 MHz. This limit represents an improvement of approximately one order of magnitude better than the existing constraint from the cosmic microwave background observation. Additionally, we derive an upper limit on the axion-photon coupling within the same frequency range, which is better than the constraints from Light-Shining-through-a-Wall experiments while not exceeding the CERN Axion Solar Telescope (CAST) experiment or other astrophysical bounds.

Non-canonical Higgs inflation

The large value of non-minimal coupling constant ξ required to satisfy cosmic microwave background observations in Higgs inflation violates unitarity. In this work we study Higgs-inflation with non-canonical kinetic term of DBI form to find whether ξ can be reduced. To study the inflationary dynamics, we transform the action to the Einstein frame, in which the Higgs is minimally coupled to gravity with a non-canonical kinetic term and modified potential. We choose the Higgs self coupling constant λ = 0.14 for our analysis. We find that the value of ξ can be reduced from 103–104 to O(10) to satisfy Planck constraints on amplitude of scalar power spectrum. However, this model produces a larger tensor-to-scalar ratio r, in comparison to the Higgs inflation with canonical kinetic term. We also find that, to satisfy joint constraints on scalar spectral index ns and tensor-to-scalar ratio r from Planck-2018 and bounds on r from Planck and BICEP3, the value of ξ should be of the order of 104. Thus, the issue of unitarity violation remains even after considering Higgs inflation with non-canonical kinetic term.

Freeform three-mirror anastigmatic large-aperture telescope and receiver optics for CMB-S4

CMB-S4, the next-generation ground-based cosmic microwave background (CMB) observatory, will provide detailed maps of the CMB at millimeter wavelengths to dramatically advance our understanding of the origin and evolution of the universe. CMB-S4 will deploy large- and small-aperture telescopes with hundreds of thousands of detectors to observe the CMB at arcminute and degree resolutions at millimeter wavelengths. Inflationary science benefits from a deep delensing survey at arcminute resolutions capable of observing a large field of view at millimeter wavelengths. This kind of survey acts as a complement to a degree angular resolution survey. The delensing survey requires a nearly uniform distribution of cameras per frequency band across the focal plane. We present a large-throughput (9.4° field of view), large-aperture (5-m diameter) freeform three-mirror anastigmatic telescope and an array of 85 cameras for CMB observations at arcminute resolutions, which meets the needs of the delensing survey of CMB-S4. A detailed prescription of this three-mirror telescope and cameras is provided, with a series of numerical calculations that indicates expected optical performance and mechanical tolerance.

Patchy screening of the CMB from dark photons

We study anisotropic (patchy) screening induced by the resonant conversion of cosmic microwave background (CMB) photons into dark-sector massive vector bosons (dark photons) as they cross non-linear large scale structure (LSS). Resonant conversion takes place through the kinetic mixing of the photon with the dark photon, one of the simplest low energy extensions to the Standard Model. In the early Universe, resonant conversion can occur when the photon plasma mass, obtained as the photon propagates through the ionized interstellar and intergalactic media, matches the dark photon mass. After the epoch of reionization, resonant conversion occurs mainly in the ionized gas that occupies virialized dark matter halos, for a range of dark photon masses between 10-13 eV ≲ m A' ≲ 10-11 eV. This leads to new CMB anisotropies that are correlated with LSS, which we refer to as patchy dark screening, in analogy with anisotropies from Thomson screening. Its unique frequency dependence allows it to be distinguished from the blackbody CMB. In this paper, we use a halo model approach to predict the imprint of dark screening on the CMB temperature and polarization anisotropies, as well as their correlation with LSS. We then examine the two- and three-point correlation functions of the dark-screened CMB, as well as correlation functions between CMB and LSS observables, to project the sensitivity of future measurements to the kinetic mixing parameter and dark photon mass. We demonstrate that an analysis with existing CMB data can improve upon current constraints on the kinetic mixing parameter by two orders of magnitude with the two-point correlation functions, while data from upcoming CMB experiments and LSS surveys can further improve the reach by another order of magnitude with two- and three-point correlation functions.

The Simons Observatory: A fully remote controlled calibration system with a sparse wire grid for cosmic microwave background telescopes.

For cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization observations, calibration of detector polarization angles is essential. We have developed a fully remote controlled calibration system with a sparse wire grid that reflects linearly polarized light along the wire direction. The new feature is a remote-controlled system for regular calibration, which has not been possible in sparse wire grid calibrators in past experiments. The remote control can be achieved by two electric linear actuators that load or unload the sparse wire grid into a position centered on the optical axis of a telescope between the calibration time and CMB observation. Furthermore, the sparse wire grid can be rotated by using a motor. A rotary encoder and a gravity sensor are installed on the sparse wire grid to monitor the wire direction. They allow us to achieve detector polarization angle calibration with an expected systematic error of 0.08°. The calibration system will be installed in small-aperture telescopes at Simons Observatory.

CLASS Observations of Atmospheric Cloud Polarization at millimeter Wavelengths

The dynamic atmosphere imposes challenges to ground-based cosmic microwave background observation, especially for measurements on large angular scales. The hydrometeors in the atmosphere, mostly in the form of clouds, scatter the ambient thermal radiation and are known to be the main linearly polarized source in the atmosphere. This scattering-induced polarization is significantly enhanced for ice clouds due to the alignment of ice crystals under gravity, which are also the most common clouds seen at the millimeter-astronomy sites at high altitudes. This work presents a multifrequency study of cloud polarization observed by the Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor experiment on Cerro Toco in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile, from 2016–2022, at the frequency bands centered around 40, 90, 150, and 220 GHz. Using a machine-learning-assisted cloud classifier, we made connections between the transient polarized emission found in all four frequencies with the clouds imaged by monitoring cameras at the observing site. The polarization angles of the cloud events are found to be mostly 90° from the local meridian, which is consistent with the presence of horizontally aligned ice crystals. The 90 and 150 GHz polarization data are consistent with a power law with a spectral index of 3.90 ± 0.06, while an excess/deficit of polarization amplitude is found at 40/220 GHz compared with a Rayleigh scattering spectrum. These results are consistent with Rayleigh-scattering-dominated cloud polarization, with possible effects from supercooled water absorption and/or Mie scattering from a population of large cloud particles that contribute to the 220 GHz polarization.

Ruling out strongly interacting dark matter–dark radiation models from joint observations of cosmic microwave background and quasar absorption spectra

ABSTRACT The cold dark matter paradigm provides a remarkably good description of the Universe’s large-scale structure. However, some discrepancies exist between its predictions and observations at very small sub-galactic scales. To address these issues, the consideration of a strong interaction between dark matter particles and dark radiation emerges as an intriguing alternative. In this study, we explore the constraints on those models using joint observations of cosmic microwave background and quasars absorption spectra with our previously built parameter estimation package cosmoreionmc. At 2σ confidence limits, this analysis rules out the strongly interacting dark matter–dark radiation models within the recently proposed effective theory of structure formation framework, representing the most stringent constraint on those models to the best of our knowledge. Future research using a 21-cm experiment holds the potential to reveal stronger constraints or uncover hidden interactions within the dark sector.

Disentangling patchy reionization signatures from primordial gravitational waves using CMB E-mode and B-mode polarization

ABSTRACT The detection of large angular scale B mode in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization signal will open a direct window into not only the primary CMB anisotropies caused by the primordial gravitational waves (PGW) originating in the epoch of inflation, but also the secondary anisotropies imprinted during the epoch of cosmic reionization. The existence of patchiness in the electron density during reionization produces a unique distortion in the CMB B-mode polarization, which can be distinguished from the PGW signal with the aid of spatial frequency modes. In this work, we employ an EB estimator by combining E-mode and B-mode polarization for the τ power spectrum signal generated in a photon-conserving seminumerical reionization model called SCRIPT. We developed a Bayesian framework for the joint detection of the PGW and reionization signal from CMB observations and show the efficacy of this technique for upcoming CMB experiments. We find that, for our model, the τ power spectrum signal effectively tracks the inhomogeneous electron density field, allowing for robust constraints on the patchy B-mode signal. Further, our results indicate that employing the EB estimator for the τ signal will facilitate ground-based CMB-S4 to detect the patchy B-mode signal at approximately ≥2σ confidence level, while observations with space-based PICO will improve this detection to ≥3σ going as high as ≥7σ for extreme reionization models. These findings not only highlight the future potential of these experiments to provide an improved picture of the reionization process but also have important implications towards an unbiased measurement of r.

Stochastic gravitational wave background from early dark energy

We study the production of stochastic gravitational wave background in early dark energy (EDE) models. It is generated by resonant amplification of scalar field fluctuations, which can easily take place for typical EDE potential based on the string axion or α-attractor model. The resultant spectrum of gravitational wave background is computed by performing 3D lattice simulations. We show that, specifically in some class of a generalized α-attractor EDE model, a significant amount of gravitational waves can be produced via tachyonic instability with a peak around femto-Hz frequency range. Models predicting such gravitational waves can be constrained by cosmic microwave background observations.

Inflationary potential as seen from different angles: model compatibility from multiple CMB missions

The cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature and polarization anisotropies, as observed by independent astronomical missions such as WMAP, Planck, and most recently the Atacama Cosmology Telescope and the South Pole Telescope have played a vital role in accurately constraining cosmological theories and models, establishing cosmic inflation as the most widely accepted theory for describing the physics of the early Universe. However, the absence of a definitive detection of B-mode polarization and the emerging discrepancies among different CMB experiments present a challenge in determining which inflationary models best explain the observed data. In this work, we further explore this difficulty and conduct a case study by analyzing four well-known inflationary potentials in light of the latest CMB temperature and polarization anisotropy measurements and lensing data released by the Planck satellite and the Atacama Cosmology Telescope. Additionally, we incorporate B-modes polarization data from the BICEP/Keck Collaboration, as well as Baryon Acoustic Oscillations and Redshift Space Distortions measurements from BOSS DR12 and eBOSS DR16. We show that the most typical models such as Starobinsky and α-attractors are in disagreement with the Atacama Cosmology Telescope small-scale CMB measurements, particularly when combined with B-modes polarization data. On the other hand, these potentials are in perfect agreement with the Planck measurements at larger angular scales. This dichotomy makes it challenging to identify a single model or a group of models that can be universally considered as the preferred choice based on all available CMB observations.

Tomographic Alcock–Paczyński Test with Redshift-space Correlation Function: Evidence for the Dark Energy Equation-of-state Parameter w > −1

The apparent shape of galaxy clustering depends on the adopted cosmology used to convert observed redshift to comoving distance, the r(z) relation, as it changes the line elements along and across the line of sight differently. The Alcock–Paczyński (AP) test exploits this property to constrain the expansion history of the universe. We present an extensive review of past studies on the AP test. We adopt an extended AP test method introduced by Park et al., which uses the full shape of redshift-space two-point correlation function (CF) as the standard shape, and apply it to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey DR7, BOSS, and eBOSS LRG samples covering the redshift range up to z = 0.8. We calibrate the test against the nonlinear cosmology-dependent systematic evolution of the CF shape using Multiverse simulations. We focus on examining whether or not the flat Lambda cold dark matter (ΛCDM) concordance model is consistent with observation. We constrain the flat wCDM model to have and from our AP test alone, which is significantly tighter than the constraints from the BAO or SNe Ia methods by a factor of 3–6. When the AP test result is combined with the recent BAO and SNe Ia results, we obtain and . This puts a strong tension with the flat ΛCDM model with w = −1 at the 4.2σ level. Consistency with w = −1 is obtained only when the Planck cosmic microwave background (CMB) observation is combined. It remains to be seen whether this tension between observations of galaxy distribution at low redshifts and CMB anisotropy at the decoupling epoch becomes greater in future studies and leads us to a new paradigm of cosmology.

Primordial black holes from single-field inflation: a fine-tuning audit

All single-field inflationary models invoke varying degrees of tuning in order to account for cosmological observations. Mechanisms that generate primordial black holes (PBHs) from enhancement of primordial power at small scales posit inflationary potentials that transiently break scale invariance and possibly adiabaticity over a range of modes. This requires additional tuning on top of that required to account for observations at scales probed by cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies. In this paper we study the parametric dependence of various single-field models of inflation that enhance power at small scales and quantify the degree to which coefficients in the model construction have to be tuned in order for certain observables to lie within specified ranges. We find significant tuning: changing the parameters of the potentials by between one part in a hundred and one part in 108 (depending on the model) is enough to change the power spectrum peak amplitude by an order one factor. The fine-tuning of the PBH abundance is larger still by 1–2 orders of magnitude. We highlight the challenges imposed by this tuning on any given model construction. Furthermore, polynomial potentials appear to require significant additional fine-tuning to also match the CMB observations.

Laboratory Integration of the AliCPT-1 Receiver

Ali Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) Polarization Telescope (AliCPT-1) will be the first large-scale microwave focal plane polarimeter, with <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$&gt;10^{4}$</tex-math></inline-formula> detectors, dedicated to ground-based CMB observations in the Northern Hemisphere. The observatory is on the Tibetan plateau. AliCPT-1 will observe the sky with polarization sensitive Transition-Edge Sensors (TESes) in two frequency bands centered at 90 and 150 GHz. A 72 cm aperture refracting cryogenic telescope, cooled down to 4 K, will focus the sky radiation on a focal plane unit designed to host up to 32,376 detectors in 19 detector modules cooled down to 280mK. The TESes will be read out with a microwave multiplexing architecture with a multiplexing factor up to 1,820 and a RFSoC-based room temperature readout electronics. The first detector and cryogenic multiplexer unit have been separately assembled and characterized under dark conditions. The cryostat has been successfully characterized at cryogenic temperatures, and the basic operation of the warm RFSoC system for a single detector unit has been demonstrated. Here we present the performance of the receiver before the integration of the first detector module. AliCPT-1 is a unique and powerful degree-scale CMB experiment through its combination of a unique site, large focal plane, and new enabling readout technologies.

JWST early Universe observations and ΛCDM cosmology

ABSTRACT Deep space observations of the JWST have revealed that the structure and masses of very early Universe galaxies at high redshifts ($z\sim15$), existing at $\sim$0.3 Gyr after the Big Bang, may be as evolved as the galaxies in existence for $\sim10$ Gyr. The JWST findings are thus in strong tension with the ${\rm{\Lambda}}$CDM cosmological model. While tired light (TL) models have been shown to comply with the JWST angular galaxy size data, they cannot satisfactorily explain isotropy of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) observations or fit the supernovae distance modulus versus redshift data well. We have developed hybrid models that include the tired light concept in the expanding universe. The hybrid ${\rm{\Lambda}}$CDM model fits the supernovae type 1a data well but not the JWST observations. We present a model with covarying coupling constants (CCC), starting from the modified FLRW metric and resulting Einstein and Friedmann equations, and a CCC + TL hybrid model. They fit the Pantheon + data admirably, and the CCC + TL model is compliant with the JWST observations. It stretches the age of the Universe to 26.7 Gyr with 5.8 Gyr at $z = 10$ and 3.5 Gyr at $z = 20$, giving enough time to form massive galaxies. It thus resolves the ‘impossible early galaxy’ problem without requiring the existence of primordial black hole seeds or modified power spectrum, rapid formation of massive population III stars, and super Eddington accretion rates. One could infer the CCC model as an extension of the ${\rm{\Lambda}}$CDM model with a dynamic cosmological constant.

BEYONDPLANCK

We describe the computational infrastructure for end-to-end Bayesian cosmic microwave background (CMB) analysis implemented by the BeyondPlanck Collaboration. The code is calledCommander3. It provides a statistically consistent framework for global analysis of CMB and microwave observations and may be useful for a wide range of legacy, current, and future experiments. The paper has three main goals. Firstly, we provide a high-level overview of the existing code base, aiming to guide readers who wish to extend and adapt the code according to their own needs or re-implement it from scratch in a different programming language. Secondly, we discuss some critical computational challenges that arise within any global CMB analysis framework, for instance in-memory compression of time-ordered data, fast Fourier transform optimization, and parallelization and load-balancing. Thirdly, we quantify the CPU and RAM requirements for the current BEYONDPLANCKanalysis, finding that a total of 1.5 TB of RAM is required for efficient analysis and that the total cost of a full Gibbs sample for LFI is 170 CPU-hrs, including both low-level processing and high-level component separation, which is well within the capabilities of current low-cost computing facilities. The existing code base is made publicly available under a GNU General Public Library (GPL) license.

BEYONDPLANCK

We present a Bayesian calibration algorithm for cosmic microwave background (CMB) observations as implemented within the global end-to-end BEYONDPLANCKframework and applied to thePlanckLow Frequency Instrument (LFI) data. Following the most recentPlanckanalysis, we decomposed the full time-dependent gain into a sum of three nearly orthogonal components: one absolute calibration term, common to all detectors, one time-independent term that can vary between detectors, and one time-dependent component that was allowed to vary between one-hour pointing periods. Each term was then sampled conditionally on all other parameters in the global signal model through Gibbs sampling. The absolute calibration is sampled using only the orbital dipole as a reference source, while the two relative gain components were sampled using the full sky signal, including the orbital and Solar CMB dipoles, CMB fluctuations, and foreground contributions. We discuss various aspects of the data that influence gain estimation, including the dipole-polarization quadrupole degeneracy and processing masks. Comparing our solution to previous pipelines, we find good agreement in general, with relative deviations of −0.67% (−0.84%) for 30 GHz, 0.12% (−0.04%) for 44 GHz and −0.03% (−0.64%) for 70 GHz, compared toPlanckPR4 andPlanck2018, respectively. We note that the BEYONDPLANCKcalibration was performed globally, which results in better inter-frequency consistency than previous estimates. Additionally, WMAP observations were used actively in the BEYONDPLANCKanalysis, which both breaks internal degeneracies in thePlanckdata set and results in an overall better agreement with WMAP. Finally, we used a Wiener filtering approach to smoothing the gain estimates. We show that this method avoids artifacts in the correlated noise maps as a result of oversmoothing the gain solution, which is difficult to avoid with methods like boxcar smoothing, as Wiener filtering by construction maintains a balance between data fidelity and prior knowledge. Although our presentation and algorithm are currently oriented toward LFI processing, the general procedure is fully generalizable to other experiments, as long as the Solar dipole signal is available to be used for calibration.

Production of Primordial Black Holes in Improved E-Models of Inflation

E-type α-attractor models of single-field inflation were generalized further in order to accommodate production of primordial black holes (PBHs) via adding a near-inflection point to the inflaton scalar potential at smaller scales, in good agreement with measurements of cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation. A minimal number of new parameters were used but their fine-tuning was maximized in order to increase the possible masses of PBHs formed during an ultra-slow-roll phase, leading to a large enhancement in the power spectrum of scalar (curvature) perturbations by 6 or 7 orders of magnitude against the power spectrum of perturbations observed in CMB. It was found that extreme fine-tuning of the parameters in our models can lead to the formation of moon-sized PBHs, with masses of up to 1026 g, still in agreement with CMB observations. Quantum corrections are known to lead to the perturbative upper bound on the amplitude of large scalar perturbations responsible for PBH production. The quantum (one-loop) corrections in our models were found to be suppressed by one order of magnitude for PBHs with masses of approximately 1019 g, which may form the whole dark matter in the Universe.