Radiation Domination Research Articles

Amplification of Primordial Gravitational Waves by a Geometrically Driven non‐canonical Reheating Era

AbstractIn order to describe inflation in general relativity, scalar fields must inevitably be used, with all the setbacks of that description. On the other hand, gravity and other modified gravity theories seem to provide a unified description of early and late‐time dynamics without resorting to scalar or phantom theories. The question is, can modified gravity affect directly the mysterious radiation domination era? Addressing this question is the focus in this work, and we shall consider the case for which in the early stages of the radiation domination era, namely during the reheating era, the background equation of state parameter is different from . As we show, in the context of gravity, an abnormal reheating era can affect the primordial gravitational wave energy spectrum today. Since future interferometers will exactly probe this era, which consists of subhorizon modes that reentered the horizon during the early stages of the radiation domination era, the focus in this work is how a short abnormal reheating era that deviates from the standard perfect fluid pattern with , and generated by higher order curvature terms, can affect the primordial gravitational wave energy spectrum. Using a WKB approach, we calculate the effect of an gravity generated abnormal reheating era, and as we show the primordial gravitational wave spectrum is significantly amplified, a result which is in contrast to the general relativistic case, where the effect is minor.

Gravitational wave induced baryon acoustic oscillations

We study the impact of gravitational waves originating from a first order phase transition on structure formation. To do so, we perform a second order perturbation analysis in the 1+31+3 covariant framework and derive a wave equation in which second order, adiabatic density perturbations of the photon-baryon fluid are sourced by the gravitational wave energy density during radiation domination and on sub-horizon scales. The scale on which such waves affect the energy density perturbation spectrum is found to be proportional to the horizon size at the time of the phase transition times its inverse duration. Consequently, structure of the size of galaxies and bigger can only be affected in this way by relatively late phase transitions at \ge 10^{6}\,\text{s}≥106s. Using cosmic variance as a bound we derive limits on the strength \alphaα and the relative duration (\beta/H_*)^{-1}(β/H*)−1 of phase transitions as functions of the time of their occurrence which results in a new exclusion region for the energy density in gravitational waves today. We find that the cosmic variance bound forbids only relative long lasting phase transitions, e.g. \beta/H_*\lesssim 6.8β/H*≲6.8 for t_*\approx 5\times10^{11}\,\text{s}t*≈5×1011s, which exhibit a substantial amount of supercooling \alpha>20α>20 to affect the matter power spectrum.

Machine learning primordial black hole formation

We use machine learning to distinguish between spherically-symmetric perturbations on a superhorizon scale which later collapse to primordial black holes (PBHs) and those which do not, focusing on the evolution of perturbations during radiation domination. We use a number of simulation results to train machine learning models, and test their accuracy using other simulation results which have not been used to train them. Different machine learning models and the parameters of each model lead to different accuracies, but we find that, overall, machine learning can predict PBH formation well. For instance, we show that the error rate can be of the order of ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$. Hence, machine learning could be useful in estimating the abundance of PBHs accurately for each model of the early Universe which can predict PBH formation.

The Quantum Gravity Connection between Inflation and Quintessence

Inflation and quintessence can both be described by a single scalar field. The cosmic time evolution of this cosmon field realizes a crossover from the region of an ultraviolet fixed point in the infinite past to an infrared fixed point in the infinite future. This amounts to a transition from early inflation to late dynamical dark energy, with intermediate radiation and matter domination. The scaling solution of the renormalization flow in quantum gravity connects the two fixed points. It provides for the essential characteristics of the scalar potential needed for the crossover cosmology and solves the cosmological constant problem dynamically. The quantum scale symmetry at the infrared fixed point protects the tiny mass of the cosmon and suppresses the cosmon coupling to atoms without the need of a non-linear screening mechanism, thereby explaining apparent issues of fine tuning. For a given content of particles, the scaling solution of quantum gravity is a predictive framework for the properties of inflation and dynamical dark energy.

Quantitative predictions for f(R) gravity primordial gravitational waves

In this work we shall develop a quantitative approach for extracting predictions on the primordial gravitational waves energy spectrum for f ( R ) gravity. We shall consider two distinct models which yield different phenomenology, one pure f ( R ) gravity model and one Chern–Simons corrected potential-less k -essence f ( R ) gravity model in the presence of radiation and non-relativistic perfect matter fluids. The two f ( R ) gravity models were carefully chosen in order for them to describe in a unified way inflation and the dark energy era, in both cases viable and compatible with the latest Planck data. Also both models mimic the Λ -Cold-Dark-Matter model and specifically the pure f ( R ) model only at late times, but the Chern–Simons k -essence model during the whole evolution of the model up to the radiation domination era. In addition they guarantee a smooth transition from the inflationary era to the radiation, matter domination and subsequently to the dark energy era. Using a WKB approach introduced in the relevant literature by Nishizawa, we derive formulas depending on the redshift that yield the modified gravity effect, quantified by a multiplicative factor, a “damping” in front of the General Relativistic waveform. In order to calculate the effect of the modified gravity, which is the “damping” factor, we solve numerically the Friedmann equations using appropriate initial conditions and by introducing specific statefinder quantities. As we show, the pure f ( R ) gravity gravitational wave energy spectrum is slightly enhanced, but it remains well below the sensitivity curves of future gravitational waves experiments. In contrast, the Chern–Simons k -essence f ( R ) gravity model gravitational wave energy spectrum is significantly enhanced and two signals are predicted which can be verified by future gravitational wave experiments. We discuss in detail our findings and the future perspective of modified gravity theories in view of the upcoming second and third generation experiments on primordial gravitational waves.

Characterizing the postinflationary reheating history: Single daughter field with quadratic-quadratic interaction

We study the evolution of the energy distribution and equation of state of the Universe from the end of inflation until the onset of either radiation domination (RD) or a transient period of matter domination (MD). We use both analytical techniques and lattice simulations. We consider two-field models where the inflaton $\Phi$ has a monomial potential after inflation $V(\Phi) \propto |\Phi - v|^p$ ($p\geq2$), and is coupled to a daughter field $X$ through a quadratic-quadratic interaction $g^2\Phi^2 X^2$. We consider two situations, depending on whether the potential has a minimum at $i)$ $v = 0$, or $ii)$ $v > 0$. In the scenario $i)$, the final energy transferred to $X$ is independent of $g^2$ and entirely determined by $p$: it is negligible for $p < 4$, and of order $\sim 50\%$ for $p \geq 4$. The system goes to MD at late times for $p = 2$, while it goes to RD for $p > 2$. In the later case, we can calculate exactly the number of e-folds until RD as a function of $g^2$, and hence predict accurately inflationary observables like the scalar tilt $n_s$ and the tensor-to-scalar ratio $r$. In the scenario $ii)$, the energy is always transferred completely to $X$ for $p>2$, as long as its effective mass $m_X^2 = g^2(\Phi-v)^2$ is not negligible. For $p=2$, the final ratio between the energy densities of $X$ and $\Phi$ depends strongly on $g^2$. For all $p \ge 2$, the system always goes to MD at late times.

Roads for right-handed neutrino dark matter: Fast expansion, standard freeze-out, and early matter domination

Right-handed neutrinos appear in several extensions beyond the Standard Model, especially in connection to neutrino masses. Motivated by this, we present a model of right-handed neutrino dark matter that interacts with Standard Model particles through a new gauge symmetry as well as via mass mixing between the new vector field and the Z boson, and investigate different production mechanisms. We derive the dark matter relic density when the Hubble rate is faster than usual, when dark matter decouples in a matter domination epoch, and when it decouples in a radiation domination regime, which is then followed by a matter domination era. The direct detection rate features a spin-independent but velocity suppressed operator, as well as a spin-dependent operator when the mass mixing is correctly accounted for. We put all these results into perspective with existing flavor physics, atomic parity violation, and collider bounds. Lastly, we outline the region of parameter space in which weak-scale right-handed neutrino dark matter stands as a viable dark matter candidate.

Stochastic approach to gravitational waves from inflation

We propose a coarse-graining procedure for describing the superhorizon dynamics of inflationary tensor modes. Our aim is to formulate a stochastic description for the statistics of spin-2 modes which seed the background of gravitational waves from inflation. Using basic principles of quantum mechanics, we determine a probability density for coarse-grained tensor fields, which satisfies a stochastic Fokker-Planck equation at superhorizon scales. The corresponding noise and drift are computable, and depend on the cosmological system under consideration. Our general formulas are applied to a variety of cosmological scenarios, also considering cases seldom considered in the context of stochastic inflation, and which are important for their observational consequences. We start obtaining the expected expressions for noise and drift in pure de Sitter and power-law inflation, also including a discussion of effects of non-attractor phases. We then apply our methods to describe scenarios with a transition from inflation to standard cosmological eras of radiation and matter domination. We show how the interference between modes flowing through the cosmological horizon, and modes spontaneously produced at superhorizon scales, can affect the stochastic evolution of coarse-grained tensor quantities. In appropriate limits, we find that the corresponding spectrum of tensor modes at horizon crossing matches with the results of quantum field theory calculations, but we also highlight where differences can arise.

Singularities and soft-Big Bang in a viscous ΛCDM model

In this paper we explore the different types of singularities that arise in the $\Lambda$CDM model when dissipative processes are considered, in the framework of the Eckart's theory. In particular, we study the late-time behavior of $\Lambda$CDM model with viscous cold dark matter (CDM) and an early-time viscous radiation domination era with cosmological constant (CC). The fluids are described by the barotropic equation of state (EoS) $p=(\gamma-1)\rho$, where $p$ is the equilibrium pressure of the fluid, $\rho$ their energy density, and $\gamma$ is the barotropic index. We explore two particular cases for the bulk viscosity $\xi$, a constant bulk viscosity $\xi=\xi_{0}$, and a bulk viscosity proportional to the energy density of the fluid $\xi=\xi_{0}\rho$. Due to some previous investigations that have explored to describe the behavior of the universe with a negative CC, we extend our analysis to this case. We found that future singularities like Big-Rip are allowed but without having a phantom EoS associated to the DE fluid. Big-Crunch singularities also appears when a negative CC is present, but also de Sitter and even Big-Rip types are allowed due to the negative pressure of the viscosity, which opens the possibility of an accelerated expansion in AdS cosmologies. We also discuss a very particular solution without Big Bang singularity that arises in the early-time radiation dominant era of our model known as Soft-Big Bang.

Primordial gravitational waves spectrum in the interacting Bose–Einstein gas model

We study the evolution and power spectrum of primordial gravitational waves in the interactive Bose-Einstein gas model for dark energy, relevant, as it addresses the coincidence problem. The model is applied in the radiation, matter and dark-energy domination stages. The model introduces a scale factor associated to the radiation-matter transition which influences the gravitational spectrum. We focus on the impact of the free parameters on both the gravitational waves amplitude and its power-spectrum slope. For sets of parameters fitting Hubble's law, we show that the model's parameter for today's dark-matter energy density has a noticeable impact on such waves, while the others produce an indistinguishable effect. The feasibility of detecting such waves under present and future measurements is discussed.

Hubble-induced phase transitions on the lattice with applications to Ricci reheating

Using 3+1 classical lattice simulations, we follow the symmetry breaking pattern and subsequent non-linear evolution of a spectator field non-minimally coupled to gravity when the post-inflationary dynamics is given in terms of a stiff equation-of-state parameter. We find that the gradient energy density immediately after the transition represents a non-negligible fraction of the total energy budget, steadily growing to equal the kinetic counterpart. This behaviour is reflected on the evolution of the associated equation-of-state parameter, which approaches a universal value 1/3, independently of the shape of non-linear interactions. Combined with kination, this observation allows for the generic onset of radiation domination for arbitrary self-interacting potentials, significantly extending previous results in the literature. The produced spectrum at that time is, however, non-thermal, precluding the naive extraction of thermodynamical quantities like temperature. Potential identifications of the spectator field with the Standard Model Higgs are also discussed.

Magnetogenesis from baryon asymmetry during an early matter dominated era

In this paper, we study the simultaneous evolution of baryon asymmetry and hypermagnetic field amplitude assuming an early matter domination. We contrast our results to the conventional case where radiation domination during early universe is assumed. We show that the baryon asymmetry and the hypermagntic field amplitude can change by orders of magnitude if we assume a non-standard history of cosmology. That is because the Hubble rate determines which processes are efficient. We find that a change in Hubble rate can have a significant impact on when the weak sphalerons become active. As a result of a change in the evolution of baryonic asymmetry, alters the evolution of hypermagnetic field amplitude. It is known that if the hypermagnetic field amplitude is large enough, it can save the baryon asymmetry from diminishing. We show that whether a small seed of hypermagnetic field amplitude can be amplified to a large enough value will strongly depend on the history of cosmology.

Can QCD axion stars explain Subaru HSC microlensing?

A non-negligible fraction of the QCD axion dark matter may form gravitationally bound Bose Einstein condensates, which are commonly known as axion stars or axion clumps. Such astrophysical objects have been recently proposed as the cause for the single candidate event reported by Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) microlensing search in the Andromeda galaxy. Depending on the breaking scale of the Peccei-Quinn symmetry and the details of the dark matter scenario, QCD axion clumps may form via gravitational condensation during radiation domination, in the dense core of axion miniclusters, or within axion minihalos around primordial black holes. We analyze all these scenarios and conclude that the microlensing candidate detected by the Subaru HSC survey is likely not caused by QCD axion stars.

Clarifying transfer function approximations for the large-scale gravitational wave background in ΛCDM

ABSTRACTThe primordial gravitational wave background (GWB) offers an exciting future avenue of discovery for new physics. Its information content encodes multiple eras in the early Universe’s history, corresponding to many orders of magnitude in frequency and physical scale to be measured today. By numerically solving for the GW transfer functions we provide simple yet accurate formulas describing the average power of the large-scale energy spectrum of the GWB for arbitrary primordial tensor power spectra. In doing so, we can pedagogically explain and clarify previous GWB literature, highlight the important cosmological parameters of various GWB features, and reveal multiple ways in which cancelling conceptual errors can give deceptively accurate results. The scales considered here are particularly important for CMB probes of the GWB, via B-modes and spectral distortions. In particular, we carefully study the effects of both neutrino damping, and the precise nature of the transition between the radiation-dominated (RD) and matter-dominated (MD) eras. A byproduct of numerically solving the problem is the ability to study the robustness of common approximations in the literature. Specifically, we show that a numerical treatment is especially important around the RD–MD transition, and for a brief moment of history where neutrino damping occurs during MD. In passing, we also discuss the effects of late acceleration caused by dark energy – showing that this can be neglected in most practical GWB applications – and the effects of changing relativistic degrees of freedom on the GWB at very small scales.

Probing leptogenesis and pre-BBN universe with gravitational waves spectral shapes

On the frequency-amplitude plane, Gravitational Waves (GWs) from cosmic strings show a flat plateau at higher frequencies due to the string loop dynamics in standard radiation dominated post-inflationary epoch. The spectrum may show an abrupt upward or a downward trend beyond a turning point frequency f*, if the primordial dark age prior to the Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN), exhibits non-standard cosmic histories. We argue that such a spectral break followed by a rising GW amplitude which is a consequence of a post-inflationary equation of state (ω > 1/3) stiffer than the radiation (ω = 1/3), could also be a strong hint of a leptogenesis in the seesaw model of neutrino masses. Dynamical generation of the right handed (RH) neutrino masses by a gauged U(1) symmetry breaking leads to the formation of a network of cosmic strings which emits stochastic GWs. A gravitational interaction of the lepton current by an operator of the form ∂μRjμ — which can be generated in the seesaw model at the two-loop level through RH neutrino mediation, naturally seeks a stiffer equation of state to efficiently produce baryon asymmetry proportional to 1 − 3ω. We discuss how GWs with reasonably strong amplitudes complemented by a neutrino-less double beta decay signal could probe the onset of the most recent radiation domination and lightest RH neutrino mass at the intermediate scales.

Detectable Gravitational Wave Signals from Affleck-Dine Baryogenesis.

In Affleck-Dine baryogenesis, the observed baryon asymmetry of the Universe is generated through the evolution of the vacuum expectation value of a scalar condensate. This scalar condensate generically fragments into nontopological solitons (Q balls). If they are sufficiently long-lived, they lead to an early matter domination epoch, which enhances the primordial gravitational wave signal for modes that enter the horizon during this epoch. The sudden decay of the Q balls results in a rapid transition from matter to radiation domination, producing a sharp peak in the gravitational wave power spectrum. Avoiding the gravitino over-abundance problem favors scenarios where the peak frequency of the resonance is within the range of the Einstein telescope and/or DECIGO. This observable signal provides a mechanism to test Affleck-Dine baryogenesis.

Achieving the highest temperature during reheating with the Higgs condensate

We study the role of the Standard Model Higgs condensate, formed during cosmological inflation, in the epoch of reheating that follows. We focus on the scenario where the inflaton decays slowly and perturbatively, so that there is a long period between the end of inflation and the beginning of radiation domination. The Higgs condensate decays nonperturbatively during this period, and we show that it heats the primordial plasma to much higher temperatures than would result from the slowly decaying inflaton alone. We discuss the effect of this hot plasma on the thermalization of the inflaton's decay products, and study its phenomenological implications for the formation of cosmological relics like dark matter, with associated isocurvature fluctuations, and the restoration of the electroweak and Peccei-Quinn symmetries.

Thermal radiation pressure as a possible mechanism for losing small particles on asteroids

Context.Recent observations of dust ejections from active asteroids, including (3200) Phaethon, have drawn considerable interest from planetary astronomers studying the generation and removal of small dust particles on asteroids.Aims.In this work, we aim to investigate the importance of thermal radiation pressure from asteroid regolith (AR) acting on small dust particles over the surface of the AR. In particular, we aim to understand the role of thermal radiation in the near-Sun environment.Methods.We describe the acceleration of particles over the AR within the radiation fields (direct solar, reflected (scattered) solar, and thermal radiation) in addition to the asteroid’s rotation and gravitational field. Mie theory is used because the particles of interest have sizes comparable to thermal wavelengths (~1–100 μm), and thus the geometric approximation is not applicable. A new set of formalisms is developed for the purpose.Results.We find that the acceleration of particles with spherical radius ≲1 μm to ~10 μm is dominated by the thermal radiation from the AR when the asteroid is in the near-Sun environment (heliocentric distancerh≲ 0.8 au). Under thermal radiation dominance, the net acceleration is towards space, that is, outwards from the AR. This outward acceleration is the strongest for particles of ~1 μm in radius, regardless of other parameters. A preliminary trajectory integration using the Phaethon-like model shows that such particles escape from the gravitational field within about 10 min. Our results are consistent with the previous observational studies on Phaethon in that the ejected dust particles have a spherical radius of ~1 μm.

Decoding the phases of early and late time reheating through imprints on primordial gravitational waves

Primordial gravitational waves (GWs) carry the imprints of the dynamics of the universe during its earliest stages. With a variety of GW detectors being proposed to operate over a wide range of frequencies, there is great expectation that observations of primordial GWs can provide us with an unprecedented window to the physics operating during inflation and reheating. In this work, we closely examine the effects of the regime of reheating on the spectrum of primordial GWs observed today. We consider a scenario wherein the phase of reheating is described by an averaged equation of state (EoS) parameter with an abrupt transition to radiation domination as well as a scenario wherein there is a gradual change in the effective EoS parameter to that of radiation due to the perturbative decay of the inflaton. We show that the perturbative decay of the inflaton leads to oscillations in the spectrum of GWs, which, if observed, can possibly help us decipher finer aspects of the reheating mechanism. We also examine the effects of a secondary phase of reheating arising due to a brief epoch driven possibly by an exotic, non-canonical, scalar field. Interestingly, we find that, for suitable values of the EoS parameter governing the secondary phase of reheating, the GWs can be of the strength as suggested by the recent NANOGrav observations. We conclude with a discussion of the wider implications of our analysis.

Reheating in holographic cosmology and connecting to \u039b-MSSM constructions for particle physics

In this paper we model the transition from the non-geometric holographic cosmology regime, to the usual radiation dominated (RD) cosmology, known as reheating in the case of (perturbative) inflation. We find that we can easily transition into any MSSM construction of intersecting D6-branes, via α′ corrections in the 3 dimensional field theory as well as in cosmology, followed by cosmological reheating via S-NS5-branes. Moreover, we can naturally obtain the (true) cosmological constant Λ of the observed order of magnitude. The resulting supersymmetry breaking is just outside the currently observed energies. The model is consistent with large (TeV scale) extra dimensions, but it prefers smaller ones, and the string scale is generically low.