We explore freezing dark energy, where the evolution of the field approaches that of a cosmological constant at late times. We propose two general, two parameter forms to describe the class of freezing field models, in analogy to ones for thawing fields, here based on the physics of the flow parameter or the calibrated $w$-$w'$ phase space. Observables such as distances and Hubble parameters are fit to within 0.1%, and the dark energy equation of state generally to within better than 1%, of the exact numerical solutions.
We investigate the apparent power-law scaling of the pseudo phase space density (PPSD) in CDM halos. We study fluid collapse, using the close analogy between the gas entropy and the PPSD in the fluid approximation. Our hydrodynamic calculations allow for a precise evaluation of logarithmic derivatives. For scale-free initial conditions, entropy is a power law in Lagrangian (mass) coordinates, but not in Eulerian (radial) coordinates. The deviation from a radial power law arises from incomplete hydrostatic equilibrium (HSE), linked to bulk inflow and mass accretion, and the convergence to the asymptotic central power-law slope is very slow. For more realistic collapse, entropy is not a power law with either radius or mass due to deviations from HSE and scale-dependent initial conditions. Instead, it is a slowly rolling power law that appears approximately linear on a log-log plot. Our fluid calculations recover PPSD power-law slopes and systematic residuals similar to N-body simulations, indicating that deviations from a power law are not numerical artifacts. In addition, we find that realistic collapse is not self-similar: scale lengths such as the shock radius and the turnaround radius are not power-law functions of time. We therefore argue that the apparent power-law PPSD cannot be used to make detailed dynamical inferences or extrapolate halo profiles inward, and that it does not indicate any hidden integrals of motion. We also suggest that the apparent agreement between the PPSD and the asymptotic Bertschinger slope is purely coincidental.
These notes aim at presenting an overview of Bayesian statistics, the underlying concepts and application methodology that will be useful to astronomers seeking to analyse and interpret a wide variety of data about the Universe. The level starts from elementary notions, without assuming any previous knowledge of statistical methods, and then progresses to more advanced, research-level topics. After an introduction to the importance of statistical inference for the physical sciences, elementary notions of probability theory and inference are introduced and explained. Bayesian methods are then presented, starting from the meaning of Bayes Theorem and its use as inferential engine, including a discussion on priors and posterior distributions. Numerical methods for generating samples from arbitrary posteriors (including Markov Chain Monte Carlo and Nested Sampling) are then covered. The last section deals with the topic of Bayesian model selection and how it is used to assess the performance of models, and contrasts it with the classical p-value approach. A series of exercises of various levels of difficulty are designed to further the understanding of the theoretical material, including fully worked out solutions for most of them.
If QCD axions form a large fraction of the total mass of dark matter, then axion stars could be very abundant in galaxies. As a result, collisions with each other, and with other astrophysical bodies, can occur. We calculate the rate and analyze the consequences of three classes of collisions, those occurring between a dilute axion star and: another dilute axion star, an ordinary star, or a neutron star. In all cases we attempt to quantify the most important astrophysical uncertainties; we also pay particular attention to scenarios in which collisions lead to collapse of otherwise stable axion stars, and possible subsequent decay through number changing interactions. Collisions between two axion stars can occur with a high total rate, but the low relative velocity required for collapse to occur leads to a very low total rate of collapses. On the other hand, collisions between an axion star and an ordinary star have a large rate, $\Gamma_\odot \sim 3000$ collisions/year/galaxy, and for sufficiently heavy axion stars, it is plausible that most or all such collisions lead to collapse. We identify in this case a parameter space which has a stable region and a region in which collision triggers collapse, which depend on the axion number ($N$) in the axion star, and a ratio of mass to radius cubed characterizing the ordinary star ($M_s/R_s^3$). Finally, we revisit the calculation of collision rates between axion stars and neutron stars, improving on previous estimates by taking cylindrical symmetry of the neutron star distribution into account. Collapse and subsequent decay through collision processes, if occurring with a significant rate, can affect dark matter phenomenology and the axion star mass distribution.
The protohalo patches from which halos form are defined by a number of constraints imposed on the Lagrangian dark matter density field. Each of these constraints contributes to biasing the spatial distribution of the protohalos relative to the matter. We show how measurements of this spatial distribution - linear combinations of protohalo bias factors - can be used to make inferences about the physics of halo formation. Our analysis exploits the fact that halo bias factors satisfy consistency relations which encode this physics, and that these relations are the same even for sub-populations in which assembly bias has played a role. We illustrate our methods using a model in which three paramaters matter: a density threshold, and the local slope and curvature of the smoothed density field. The latter two are nearly degenerate, and we show how our approach naturally allows one to build an accurate effective two-parameter model for which the consistency relations still apply. We show that this, together with an accurate description of the smoothing window, allows one to describe the protohalo-matter cross-correlation very well, both in Fourier- and configuration-space. We then use our determination of the large scale bias parameters together with the consistency relations, to estimate both the critical density and the mean slope of protohalo profiles. Direct measurements of these quantities, made on much smaller scales than those on which the bias parameters are typically measured, are in good agreement. Thus our work demonstrates that the large scale spatial clustering of Lagrangian protohalos, i.e. halo bias, can be used to extract information about the physics of halo formation physics which is typically associated with much smaller scales.
We present a first internal delensing of CMB maps, both in temperature and polarization, using the public foreground-cleaned (SMICA) Planck 2015 maps. After forming quadratic estimates of the lensing potential, we use the corresponding displacement field to undo the lensing on the same data. We build differences of the delensed spectra to the original data spectra specifically to look for delensing signatures. After taking into account reconstruction noise biases in the delensed spectra, we find an expected sharpening of the power spectrum acoustic peaks with a delensing efficiency of 29\,\% ($TT$) 25\,\% ($TE$) and 22\,\% ($EE$). The detection significance of the delensing effects is very high in all spectra: $12\,\sigma$ in $EE$ polarization; $18\,\sigma$ in $TE$; and $20\,\sigma$ in $TT$. The null hypothesis of no lensing in the maps is rejected at $26\,\sigma$. While direct detection of the power in lensing $B$-modes themselves is not possible at high significance at Planck noise levels, we do detect (at $4.5\,\sigma$) delensing effects in the $B$-mode map, with $7\,\%$ reduction in lensing power. Our results provide a first demonstration of polarization delensing, and generally of internal CMB delensing, and stand in agreement with the baseline $\Lambda$CDM Planck 2015 cosmology expectations.
On the largest scales, the Universe consists of voids and filaments making up the cosmic web. Galaxy clusters are located at the knots in this web, at the intersection of filaments. Clusters grow through accretion from these large-scale filaments and by mergers with other clusters and groups. In a growing number of galaxy clusters, elongated Mpc-size radio sources have been found, so-called radio relics. These relics are thought to trace relativistic electrons in the intracluster plasma accelerated by low-Mach number collisionless shocks generated by cluster-cluster merger events. A long-standing problem is how low-Mach number shocks can accelerate electrons so efficiently to explain the observed radio relics. Here we report on the discovery of a direct connection between a radio relic and a radio galaxy in the merging galaxy cluster Abell 3411-3412. This discovery indicates that fossil relativistic electrons from active galactic nuclei are re-accelerated at cluster shocks. It also implies that radio galaxies play an important role in governing the non-thermal component of the intracluster medium in merging clusters.
If fast radio bursts (FRBs) originate from galaxies at cosmological distances, then their all-sky rate implies that the Milky Way may host an FRB on average once every 30-1500 years. A typical Galactic FRB would produce a millisecond radio pulse with ~1 GHz flux density of ~3E10 Jy, comparable to the radio flux levels and frequencies of cellular communication devices (cell phones, Wi-Fi, GPS). Fainter FRBs could potentially be detected more frequently. We propose to search for Galactic FRBs using a global array of low-cost radio receivers. One possibility is to use the ~1GHz communication channel in cellular phones through a Citizens-Science downloadable application. Participating phones would continuously listen for and record candidate FRBs and would periodically upload information to a central data processing website, which correlates the incoming data from all participants, to identify the signature of a real, globe-encompassing, FRB from an astronomical distance. Triangulation of the GPS-based pulse arrival times reported from different locations will provide the FRB sky position, potentially to arc-second accuracy. Pulse arrival times from phones operating at diverse frequencies will yield the dispersion measure (DM) which will indicate the FRB source distance within the Galaxy. A variant of this approach would be to use the built-in ~100 MHz FM-radio receivers present in cell phones for an FRB search at lower frequencies. Alternatively, numerous "software-defined radio" (SDR) devices, costing ~$10 US each, could be plugged into USB ports of personal computers around the world (particularly in radio quiet regions) to establish the global network of receivers.
We present the results of the long-term (20-year period, from 1996 to 2015) optical spectral monitoring of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 7469. The variation in the light-curves of the broad He II {\lambda}4686A H{\beta} and H{\alpha} lines, and the continuum at 5100A and 6300A have been explored. The maximum of activity was in 1998, and the variability in the continuum and lines seems to have two periods of around 1200 and 2600 days, however these periodicities should be taken with caution because of the red-noise. Beside these periods, there are several short-term (1-5 days) flare-like events in the light-curves. There are good correlations between the continuum fluxes and H{\alpha} and H{\beta} line fluxes, but significantly smaller correlation between the He II and continuum. We found that the time-lags between the continuum and broad lines are different for H{\beta} (~20 l.d.) and H{\alpha} (~3 l.d.), and that He II also has a smaller lag (~2-3 l.d.). The H{\alpha} and H{\beta} line profiles show a slight red asymmetry, and the broad line profiles did not changed in the 20-year period. Using the lags and widths of H{\alpha} and H{\beta} we estimated the central black hole mass and found that it is ~(1-6)x$10^7 M_{\odot}$, which is in agreement with previous reverberation estimates.
We introduce a quasidilaton scalar field to the minimal theory of massive gravity with the Minkowski fiducial metric, in such a way that the quasidilaton global symmetry is maintained and that the theory admits a stable self-accelerating de Sitter solution. We start with a precursor theory that contains three propagating gravitational degrees of freedom without a quasidilaton scalar and introduce St\"{u}ckelberg fields to covariantize its action. This makes it possible for us to formulate the quasidilaton global symmetry that mixes the St\"{u}ckelberg fields and the quasidilaton scalar field. By the Hamiltonian analysis we confirm that the precursor theory with the quasidilaton scalar contains four degrees of freedom, three from the precursor massive gravity and one from the quasidilaton scalar. We further remove one propagating degree of freedom to construct the minimal quasidilaton theory with three propagating degrees of freedom, corresponding to two polarizations of gravitational waves from the minimal theory of massive gravity and one scalar from the quasidilaton field, by carefully introducing two additional constraints to the system in the Hamiltonian language. Switching to the Lagrangian language, we find self-accelerating de Sitter solutions in the minimal quasidilaton theory and analyze their stability. It is found that the self-accelerating de Sitter solution is stable in a wide range of parameters.
Many theories beyond the Standard Model include extra dimensions, though these have yet to be directly observed. In this work we consider the possibility of a compactification mechanism which both allows extra dimensions and is compatible with current observations. This compactification is predicted to leave a signature on the CMB by altering the amplitude of the low l multipoles, dependent on the amount of inflation. Recently discovered CMB anomalies at low multipoles may be evidence for this. In our model we assume the spacetime is the product of a four-dimensional spacetime and flat extra dimensions. Before the compactification, both the four-dimensional space- time and the extra dimensions can either be expanding or contracting independently. Taking into account physical constraints, we explore the observational consequences and the plausibility of these different models.
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We report Chandra X-ray observations and optical weak-lensing measurements from Subaru/Suprime-Cam images of the double galaxy cluster Abell 2465 (z=0.245). The X-ray brightness data are fit to a beta-model to obtain the radial gas density profiles of the northeast (NE) and southwest (SW) sub-components, which are seen to differ in structure. We determine core radii, central temperatures, the gas masses within $r_{500c}$, and the total masses for the broader NE and sharper SW components assuming hydrostatic equilibrium. The central entropy of the NE clump is about two times higher than the SW. Along with its structural properties, this suggests that it has undergone merging on its own. The weak-lensing analysis gives virial masses for each substructure, which compare well with earlier dynamical results. The derived outer mass contours of the SW sub-component from weak lensing are more irregular and extended than those of the NE. Although there is a weak enhancement and small offsets between X-ray gas and mass centers from weak lensing, the lack of large amounts of gas between the two sub-clusters indicates that Abell 2465 is in a pre-merger state. A dynamical model that is consistent with the observed cluster data, based on the FLASH program and the radial infall model, is constructed, where the subclusters currently separated by ~1.2Mpc are approaching each other at ~2000km/s and will meet in ~0.4Gyr.
Robustness of any statistics depends upon the number of assumptions it makes about the measured data. We point out the advantages of median statistics using toy numerical experiments and demonstrate its robustness, when the number of assumptions we can make about the data are limited. We then apply the median statistics technique to obtain estimates of two constants of nature, Hubble Constant ($H_0$) and Newton's Gravitational Constant($G$), both of which show significant differences between different measurements. For $H_0$, we update the analysis done by Chen and Ratra (2011) and Gott et al. (2001) using $576$ measurements. We find after grouping the different results according to their primary type of measurement, the median estimates are given by $H_0=72.5^{+2.5}_{-8}$ km/sec/Mpc with errors corresponding to 95\% c.l. (2$\sigma$) and $G=6.674702^{+0.0014}_{-0.0009} \times 10^{-11} \mathrm{N m^{2}kg^{-2}}$ corresponding to 68\% c.l. (1$\sigma$).
Over the past few decades, a consensus picture has emerged in which roughly a quarter of the universe consists of dark matter. I begin with a review of the observational evidence for the existence of dark matter: rotation curves of galaxies, gravitational lensing measurements, hot gas in clusters, galaxy formation, primordial nucleosynthesis and cosmic microwave background observations. Then I discuss a number of anomalous signals in a variety of data sets that may point to discovery, though all of them are controversial. The annual modulation in the DAMA detector and/or the gamma-ray excess seen in the Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope from the Galactic Center could be due to WIMPs; a 3.5 keV X-ray line from multiple sources could be due to sterile neutrinos; or the 511 keV line in INTEGRAL data could be due to MeV dark matter. All of these would require further confirmation in other experiments or data sets to be proven correct. In addition, a new line of research on dark stars is presented, which suggests that the first stars to exist in the universe were powered by dark matter heating rather than by fusion: the observational possibility of discovering dark matter in this way is discussed.
We present a Bayesian reconstruction algorithm that infers the three-dimensional large-scale matter distribution from the weak gravitational lensing effects measured in the image shapes of galaxies. The algorithm assumes that the prior probability distribution of the matter density is lognormal, in contrast to many existing methods that assume normal (Gaussian) distributed density fields. We compare the reconstruction results for both priors in a suite of increasingly realistic tests on mock data. We find that in cases of high noise levels (i.e. for low source galaxy densities and/or high shape measurement uncertainties), both normal and lognormal priors lead to reconstructions of comparable quality. In the low-noise regime, however, the lognormal model produces significantly better reconstructions than the normal model: The lognormal model 1) enforces non-negative densities, while negative densities are present when a normal prior is employed, 2) better traces the extremal values and the skewness of the true underlying distribution, and 3) yields a higher correlation between the reconstruction and the true density distribution. Hence, the lognormal model is to be preferred over the normal model, in particular since these differences become relevant for data from current and futures surveys.
We examine three SNe Type Ia datasets: Union2.1, JLA and Panstarrs to check their consistency using cosmology blind statistical analyses as well as cosmological parameter fitting. We find that Panstarrs dataset is the most stable of the three to changes, although it does not, at the moment, go to high enough redshifts to tightly constrain the dark energy equation of state, $w$. Union2.1, drawn from many different sources, appears somewhat susceptible to changes within the dataset. JLA reconstructs well for a smaller number of cosmological parameters. At higher degrees of freedom, the dependence of its errors on redshift can lead to varying results between subsets. Panstarrs is inconsistent with the other two at about $2\sigma$, and JLA and Union2.1 are about $1\sigma$ away from each other. For the $\Omega_{0m}-w$ cosmological reconstruction, the $1\sigma$ range of values in $w$ for selected subsets of each dataset is two times larger for JLA and Union2.1 as compared to Panstarrs. The range in $\Omega_{0m}$ for the same subsets remains approximately similar for all three datasets. Although there are differences in the fitting and correction techniques used in the different samples, the most important criterion is SNe selection, a slightly different SNe selection can lead to noticeably different results both in the purely statistical analysis and cosmological reconstruction. We note that a single, high quality low redshift sample could help decrease the uncertainties in the result. We also note that lack of homogeneity in the magnitude errors may bias the results and should either be modeled, or its effect neutralized by using other, complementary datasets. A supernova sample with high quality data at both high and low redshifts, constructed from a few surveys to avoid heterogeneity in the sample, and with homogeneous errors, would result in a more robust cosmological reconstruction.
We use the Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) to conduct a high-cadence (2~min sampling) 7~hour long observation of the Andromeda galaxy (M31) to search for the microlensing magnification of stars in M31 due to intervening primordial black holes (PBHs) in the halo regions of the Milky Way (MW) and M31. The combination of an aperture of 8.2m, a field-of-view of 1.5 degree diameter, and excellent image quality ($\sim 0.6^{\prime\prime}$) yields an ideal dataset for the microlensing search. If PBHs in the mass range $M_{\rm PBH}=[10^{-13},10^{-6}]M_\odot$ make up a dominant contribution to dark matter (DM), the microlensing optical depth for a {\it single} star in M31 is $\tau\sim 10^{-4}$--$10^{-7}$, owing to the enormous volume and large mass content between M31 and the Earth. The HSC observation allows us to monitor more than tens of millions of stars in M31 and in this scenario we should find many microlensing events. To test this hypothesis, we extensively use an image subtraction method to efficiently identify candidate variable objects, and then monitor the light curve of each candidate with the high cadence data. Although we successfully identify a number of real variable stars such as eclipse/contact binaries and stellar flares, we find only one possible candidate of PBH microlensing whose genuine nature is yet to be confirmed. We then use this result to derive the most stringent upper bounds on the abundance of PBHs in the mass range. When combined with other observational constraints, our constraint rules out almost all the mass scales for the PBH DM scenario where all PBHs share a single mass scale.
We present an analysis of errors on the tensor-to-scalar ratio due to residual diffuse foregrounds, using simulated observations of a future CMB polarization satellite, modelled on the specification of ESA's CORE mission. We construct a full pipeline from microwave sky maps to $r$ likelihood, using two models of diffuse Galactic foregrounds with different complexity, and assuming component separation with varying degrees of accuracy. Our pipeline uses a linear mixture (Generalised Least Squares) solution for component separation, and a hybrid approach for power spectrum estimation, with a Quadratic Maximum Likelihood estimator at low $\ell$s and a pseudo-$C_{\ell}$ deconvolution at high $\ell$s. In the likelihood for $r$, we explore modelling foreground residuals as nuisance parameters. We find that $r=0.01$ can be measured successfully even for a complex sky model and in the presence of mismodelling of foregrounds spectral properties. However, the detection of $r=0.001$ is a lot more difficult, as inaccurate modelling of the foreground spectral properties results in a biased measurement of $r$. Once biases are eliminated, the total error on $r$ allows setting an upper limit rather than a detection, unless the uncertainties on the foreground spectral indices are very small ($\lesssim 1\%$ and $\lesssim 0.6\%$ for the synchrotron and dust spectral indices, respectively).
The demographics of dwarf galaxy populations have long been in tension with predictions from the Cold Dark Matter (CDM) paradigm. If primordial density fluctuations were scale-free as predicted, dwarf galaxies should themselves host dark matter subhaloes, the most massive of which may have undergone star formation resulting in dwarf galaxy groups. Ensembles of dwarf galaxies are observed as satellites of more massive galaxies, and there is observational and theoretical evidence to suggest that these satellites at z=0 were captured by the massive host halo as a group. However, the evolution of dwarf galaxies is highly susceptible to environment making these satellite groups imperfect probes of CDM in the low mass regime. We have identified one of the clearest examples to date of hierarchical structure formation at low masses: seven isolated, spectroscopically confirmed groups with only dwarf galaxies as members. Each group hosts 3-5 known members, has a baryonic mass of ~4.4 x 10^9 to 2 x 10^10 Msun, and requires a mass-to-light ratio of <100 to be gravitationally bound. Such groups are predicted to be rare theoretically and found to be rare observationally at the current epoch and thus provide a unique window into the possible formation mechanism of more massive, isolated galaxies.
We extend the comparison between the set of local galaxies having dynamically measured black holes with galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We first show that the most up-to-date local black hole samples of early-type galaxies with measurements of effective radii, luminosities, and S\'ersic indices of the bulges of their host galaxies, have dynamical mass and S\'ersic index distributions consistent with those of SDSS early-type galaxies of similar bulge stellar mass. The host galaxies of local black hole samples thus do not appear structurally different from SDSS galaxies, sharing similar dynamical masses, light profiles and light distributions. Analysis of the residuals reveals that velocity dispersion is more fundamental than S\'ersic index n in the scaling relations between black holes and galaxies. Indeed, residuals with S\'ersic index could be ascribed to the (weak) correlation with bulge mass or even velocity dispersion. Finally, targetted Monte Carlo simulations that include the effects of the sphere of influence of the black hole, and tuned to reproduce the observed residuals and scaling relations in terms of velocity dispersion and stellar mass, show that, at least for galaxies with Mbulge > 1e10 Msun and n>5, the observed mean black hole mass at fixed S\'ersic index is biased significantly higher than the intrinsic value.
Highly spinning Kerr black holes with masses $M = 1 - 100\ M_{\odot}$ are subject to an efficient superradiant instability in the presence of bosons with masses $\mu \sim 10^{-10} - 10^{-12} eV$. We observe that this precisely matches the effective plasma-induced photon mass in diffuse galactic or intracluster environments ($\omega_{pl} \sim 10^{-10} - 10^{-12}\ eV$). This suggests that bare Kerr black holes within galactic or intracluster environments, possibly even including the one produced in GW150914, are unstable to formation of a photon cloud that may contain a significant fraction of the mass of the original black hole. At maximal efficiency, the instability timescale for a massive vector is milliseconds, potentially leading to a transient rate of energy extraction from a black hole as large as $\sim 10^{55} erg \, s^{-1}$. We discuss mechanisms for releasing the energy in the photon cloud, including a possible connection to Fast Radio Bursts.
During hundred years of General Relativity (GR), many significant gravitational phenomena have been predicted and discovered. General Relativity is still the best theory of gravity. Nevertheless, some (quantum) theoretical and (astrophysical and cosmological) phenomenological difficulties of modern gravity have been motivation to search more general theory of gravity than GR. As a result, many modifications of GR have been considered. One of promising recent investigations is Nonlocal Modified Gravity. In this article we present a brief review of some nonlocal gravity models with their cosmological solutions, in which nonlocality is expressed by an analytic function of the d'Alembert-Beltrami operator $\Box$. Some new results are also presented.
The velocity dispersion of cold interstellar gas, sigma, is one of the quantities that most radically affect the onset of gravitational instabilities in galaxy discs, and the quantity that is most drastically approximated in stability analyses. Here we analyse the stability of a large sample of nearby star-forming spirals treating molecular gas, atomic gas and stars as three distinct components, and using radial profiles of sigma_CO and sigma_HI derived from HERACLES and THINGS observations. We show that the radial variations of sigma_CO and sigma_HI have a weak effect on the local stability level of galaxy discs, which remains remarkably flat and well above unity, but is low enough to ensure (marginal) instability against non-axisymmetric perturbations and gas dissipation. More importantly, the radial variation of sigma_CO has a strong impact on the size of the regions over which gravitational instabilities develop, and results in a characteristic instability scale that is one order of magnitude larger than the Toomre length of molecular gas. Disc instabilities are driven, in fact, by the self-gravity of stars at kpc scales. This is true across the entire optical disc of every galaxy in the sample, with few exceptions. In the linear phase of the disc instability process, stars and molecular gas are strongly coupled, and it is such a coupling that ultimately triggers local gravitational collapse/fragmentation in the molecular gas.
In the absence of new physics around $10^{10}$ GeV, the electroweak vacuum is at best metastable. This represents a major challenge for high scale inflationary models as, during the early rapid expansion of the universe, it seems difficult to understand how the Higgs vacuum would not decay to the true lower vacuum of the theory with catastrophic consequences if inflation took place at a scale above $10^{10}$ GeV. In this paper we show that the non-minimal coupling of the Higgs boson to curvature could solve this problem by generating a direct coupling of the Higgs boson to the inflationary potential thereby stabilizing the electroweak vacuum. For specific values of the Higgs field initial condition and of its non-minimal coupling, inflation can drive the Higgs field to the electroweak vacuum quickly during inflation.
Observations of cosmic infrared background (CIB) radiation exhibit significant fluctuations on small angular scales. A number of explanations have been put forth, but there is currently no consensus on the origin of these large fluctuations. We consider the possibility that small-scale fluctuations in matter-antimatter asymmetry could lead to variations in star formation rates which are responsible for the CIB fluctuations. We show that the recently proposed Higgs relaxation leptogenesis mechanism can produce such small-scale baryonic isocurvature perturbations which can explain the observed excess in the CIB fluctuations.
We discuss strategies to make inferences on the thermal relic abundance of a Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) when the same effective dimension-six operator that explains an experimental excess in direct detection is assumed to drive decoupling at freeze-out, and apply them to the proton-philic Spin-dependent Inelastic Dark Matter (pSIDM) scenario, a phenomenological set-up containing two states $\chi_1$ and $\chi_2$ with $m_{\chi_2}>m_{\chi_1}$ that we have shown in a previous paper to explain the DAMA effect in compliance with the constraints from other detectors. We update experimental constraints on pSIDM, extend the analysis to the most general spin-dependent momentum-dependent interactions allowed by non-relativistic Effective Field Theory (EFT), and consider for the WIMP velocity distribution in our Galaxy both a halo-independent approach and a standard Maxwellian. The problem of calculating the relic abundance by using direct detection data to fix the model parameters is affected by a strong sensitivity on $f(v)$ and by the degeneracy between the WIMP local density and the WIMP-nucleon scattering cross section. As a consequence, a DM direct detection experiment is not directly sensitive to the physical cut-off scale of the EFT, but on some dimensional combination that does not depend on the actual value of the relic abundance. However, such degeneracy can be used to develop a consistency test on the possibility that the WIMP is a thermal relic in the first place. When we apply it to the pSIDM scenario we find that only a WIMP with a standard spin-dependent interaction ${\cal O}_{spin}$ with quarks can be a thermal relic, for a galactic velocity distribution that departs from a Maxwellian. However all the $\chi_2$ states must have already decayed today, and this requires some additional mechanism besides that provided by the ${\cal O}_{spin}$ operator.
We consider a model for the interaction between the cosmological perturbations and another environmental field during inflation, in order to study decoherence, the quantum to classical transition and the impact on quantum correlations. Given an explicit interaction between the system and environment, we derive a quantum master equation for the reduced density matrix of perturbations, drawing parallels with quantum Brownian motion, where we see the emergence of fluctuation and dissipation terms. Although the master equation is not in Lindblad form, we see how typical solutions exhibit positivity on super-horizon scales, leading to a physically meaningful density matrix. This allows us to write down a Langevin equation with stochastic noise for the classical trajectories which emerge from the quantum system on super-horizon scales. Our master equation reveals many important features characteristic of the quantum to classical transition which are not captured by an isolated pure state. In particular, we find that decoherence grows in strength as modes exit the horizon, and memory effects are negligible, implying that the Langevin description involves white noise. In contrast to pure states, entropy and the spread of the Wigner function increase in time due to environmental interactions, with their evolution determined by the relative strength of squeezing and decoherence. Finally, we use our master equation to quantify the strength of quantum correlations as captured by discord. We show that environmental interactions have a tendency to decrease the size of the discord, but that these corrections are perturbatively small in the coupling. We interpret this in terms of the competing effects of particle creation versus environmental fluctuations, which tend to increase and decrease the discord respectively.
Dark matter search in space has been carried out for many years. Measurements of cosmic ray photons, charged antiparticles and neutrinos are useful tools for dark matter indirect search. The antiparticle energy spectra of cosmic rays have several exciting features such as the unexpected positron excess at $E\sim$ 10 -- 500\,GeV and the remarkably flattening antiproton/proton at $E\sim$ 60--450\,GeV precisely measured by the AMS-02 experiment, which can not be explained simultaneously by secondary production in interstellar medium. In this work, we report a combined analysis of cosmic ray antiproton and positron spectra arising from dark matter on the top of a secondary production in a spatial-dependent propagation model. We discuss the systematics from antiproton production cross section using the two latest Monte Carlo generators, \textit{i.e.} EPOS LHC and QGSJET-II-04, respectively. We compare their results. In the case of EPOS LHC, we find that the dark matter pair annihilating into $\tau$ leptons channel with 100\% branching ratio is the only possible one channel scenario to explain data. On the other hand, there is not a single possible channel in the case of QGSJET-II-04m. We also propose possible two-channel scenarios based on these two Monte Carlo generators.
The prediction of a phase of inflation whose number of e-folds is constrained is an important feature of loop quantum cosmology. This work aims at giving some elementary clarifications on the role of the different hypotheses leading to this conclusion. We show that the duration of inflation does not depend significantly on the modified background dynamics in the quantum regime.
Cosmological phase transitions can be a source of Stochastic Gravitational Wave (SGW) background. Apart from the dynamics of the phase transition, the characteristic frequency and the fractional energy density $\Omega_{\rm gw}$ of the SGW depends upon the temperature of the transition. In this article, we compute the SGW spectrum in the light of QCD equation of state provided by the lattice results. We find that the inclusion of trace anomaly from lattice QCD, enhances the SGW signal generated during QCD phase transition by $\sim 50\%$ and the peak frequency of the QCD era SGW are shifted higher by $\sim 25\%$ as compared to the earlier estimates without trace anomaly. This result is extremely significant for testing the phase transition dynamics near QCD epoch.
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We measure the alignment of the shapes of galaxy clusters, as traced by their satellite distributions, with the matter density field using the public redMaPPer catalogue based on SDSS-DR8, which contains 26 111 clusters up to z~0.6. The clusters are split into nine redshift and richness samples; in each of them we detect a positive alignment, showing that clusters point towards density peaks. We interpret the measurements within the tidal alignment paradigm, allowing for a richness and redshift dependence. The intrinsic alignment (IA) amplitude at the pivot redshift z=0.3 and pivot richness \lambda=30 is A_{IA}^{gen}=12.6_{-1.2}^{+1.5}. We obtain tentative evidence that the signal increases towards higher richness and lower redshift. Our measurements agree well with results of maxBCG clusters and with dark-matter-only simulations. Comparing our results to IA measurements of luminous red galaxies, we find that the IA amplitude of galaxy clusters forms a smooth extension towards higher mass. This suggests that these systems share a common alignment mechanism, which can be exploited to improve our physical understanding of IA.
We investigate the impact of different redshift distributions of random samples on the Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO) measurements of $D_V(z)r_\mathrm{d}^\mathrm{fid}/r_\mathrm{d}$ from the two-point correlation functions (2PCF) of galaxies in the Data Release 12 (DR12) of the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS). Big surveys, such as BOSS, usually assign redshifts to the random samples by randomly drawing values from the measured redshift distributions of the data, which would necessarily introduce fiducial signals of fluctuations into the random samples, weakening the signals of BAO, if the cosmic variance cannot be ignored. We propose a smooth function of redshift distribution which fits the data well to populate the random galaxy samples. The resulting cosmological parameters match the input parameters of the mock catalogue very well. The significance of BAO signals has been improved by $0.29\sigma$ for low-redshift (LOWZ) sample and by $0.15\sigma$ for constant-stellar-mass (CMASS) sample, though the absolute values do not change significantly. Given the precision of the measurements of current cosmological parameters, it would be appreciated for the future improvements on the measurements of galaxy clustering.
Following a new microlensing constraint on primordial black holes (PBHs) with $\sim10^{20}$-$10^{28}$ g [1], we revisit the idea of PBH as all Dark Matter (DM). The updated observational constraints pin down the viable mass parameter for PBHs as all DM to $\simeq 10^{20}$ g. We have shown that an inflation model which generates a sharp peak in the curvature perturbation can produce such PBHs.
We investigate constraints on Lorentz invariance violation in the neutrino sector from a joint analysis of big bang nucleosynthesis and the cosmic microwave background. The effect of Lorentz invariance violation during the epoch of big bang nucleosynthesis changes the predicted helium-4 abundance which influences the power spectrum of the cosmic microwave background at the recombination epoch. In combination with the latest measurement of the primordial helium-4 abundance, the Planck 2015 data of the cosmic microwave background anisotropies give a strong constraint on the deformation parameter since adding the primordial helium measurement breaks the degeneracy between the deformation parameter and the physical dark matter density. Our results show that there is no evidence for Lorentz invariance violation in the neutrino sector.
Stellar core collapse events are expected to produce gravitational waves via several mechanisms, most of which are not yet fully understood due to the current limitations in the numerical simulations of these events. In this paper, we begin with an empirical functional form that fits the gravitational-wave spectra from existing simulations of stellar core collapse and integrate over all collapse events in the universe to estimate the resulting stochastic gravitational-wave background. We then use a Gaussian functional form to separately fit and model a low-frequency peak in the core-collapse strain spectra, which likely occurs due to prompt convection. We systematically study the parameter space of both models, as well as the combined case, and investigate their detectability by upcoming gravitational-wave detectors, such as Advanced LIGO and Einstein Telescope. Assuming realistic formation rates for progenitors of core-collapse supernovae, our results indicate that both models are 2--4 orders of magnitude below the expected sensitivity of Advanced LIGO, and 1--2 orders of magnitude below that of the Einstein Telescope.
Gladders et al. have recently suggested that the star formation histories (SFHs) of individual galaxies are characterized by a log-normal function in time, implying a slow decline rather than rapid quenching. We test their conjecture on theoretical SFHs from the cosmological simulation Illustris and on observationally inferred SFHs. While the log-normal form necessarily ignores short-lived features such as starbursts, it fits the overall shape of the majority of SFHs very well. In particular, 85% of the cumulative SFHs are fitted to within a maximum error of 5% of the total stellar mass formed, and 99% to within 10%. The log-normal performs systematically better than the commonly used delayed-tau model, and is superseded only by functions with more than three free parameters. Poor fits are mostly found in galaxies that were rapidly quenched after becoming satellites. We explore the log-normal parameter space of normalization, peak time, and full width at half maximum, and find that the simulated and observed samples occupy similar regions, though Illustris predicts wider, later-forming SFHs on average. The ensemble of log-normal fits correctly reproduces complex metrics such as the evolution of Illustris galaxies across the star formation main sequence, but overpredicts their quenching timescales. SFHs in Illustris are a diverse population not determined by any one physical property of galaxies, but follow a tight relation where $\mathrm{width}\propto\mathrm{(peak\ time)}^{3/2}$. We show that such a relation can be explained qualitatively (though not quantitatively) by a close connection between the growth of dark matter halos and their galaxies.
Sub-arcsecond localization of the repeating fast radio burst FRB 121102 revealed its coincidence with a dwarf host galaxy and a steady (`quiescent') non-thermal radio source. We show that the properties of the host galaxy are consistent with those of long-duration gamma-ray bursts (LGRB) and hydrogen-poor superluminous supernovae (SLSNe-I). Both LGRBs and SLSNe-I were previously hypothesized to be powered by the electromagnetic spin-down of newly-formed, strongly-magnetized neutron stars with millisecond birth rotation periods (`millisecond magnetars'). This motivates considering a scenario whereby the repeated bursts from FRB 121102 originate from a young magnetar remnant embedded within a young hydrogen-poor supernova remnant. Requirements on the GHz free-free optical depth through the expanding supernova ejecta (accounting for photo-ionization by the rotationally-powered magnetar nebula), energetic constraints on the bursts, and constraints on the size of the quiescent source all point to an age of less than a few decades. The quiescent radio source can be attributed to radio synchrotron emission from the shock interaction between the fast outer layer of the supernova ejecta with the surrounding wind of the progenitor star, or from deeper within the magnetar wind nebula. Alternatively, the radio emission could be an orphan radio afterglow from an initially off-axis LGRB jet, though this might require the source to be too young. We propose future tests of the SLSNe-I/LGRB/FRB connection, such as searches for FRBs from nearby SLSNe-I/LGRB on timescales of decades after their explosions.
In this paper we study the occurrence of accelerating universe versus decelerating universe between the F(R) gravity frame (Jordan frame) and non-minimally coupled scalar field theory frame, and the minimally coupled scalar field theory frame (Einstein frame) for various models. As we show, if acceleration is imposed in one frame, it will not necessarily correspond to an accelerating metric when transformed in another frame. As we will demonstrate, this issue is model and frame-dependent but it seems there is no general scheme which permits to classify such cases.
We develop and apply new techniques in order to disclose galaxy rotation curves (RC) systematics. Considering that an ideal dark matter (DM) profile should yield RCs that have no bias towards any particular radius, we find that the Burkert DM profile satisfies the test, while the Navarro-Frenk-While (NFW) profile has a tendency of better fitting the region between one and two disc scale lengths than the inner disc scale length region. Our sample indicates that this behaviour happens to more than 75% of the galaxies fitted with a NFW halo. Also, this tendency does not weaken by considering "large" galaxies, for instance those with $M_*\gtrsim 10^{10} M_\odot$ (where $M_*$ is the stellar mass). No specific correlation between the NFW parameters is assumed, hence we derive the best possible NFW fits. Besides the tests on the homogeneity of the fits, we also use a sample of 62 galaxies of diverse types to perform tests on the quality of the overall fit of each galaxy, and to search for correlations with stellar mass, gas mass and the disc scale length. In particular, we find that only 13 galaxies are better fitted by the NFW halo, and that even considering only the galaxies with $M_* \gtrsim 10^{10} M_\odot$ the Burkert profile fits either as good as, or better than, the NFW profile. This result is relevant since different baryonic effects important for the smaller galaxies, like supernova feedback and dynamical friction from baryonic clumps, indicate that at such large stellar masses the NFW profile should be preferred over the Burkert profile.
There is a wide consensus on the correct dynamics of the background in loop quantum cosmology. In this article we make a systematic investigation of the duration of inflation by varying what we think to be the most important "unknowns" of the model: the way to set initial conditions, the amount of shear at the bounce and the shape of the inflaton potential.
If millisecond pulsars (MSPs) are responsible for the excess gamma-ray emission observed from the region surrounding the Galactic Center, the same region should also contain a large population of low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs). In this study, we compile and utilize a sizable catalog of LMXBs observed in the the Milky Way's globular cluster system and in the Inner Galaxy, as well as the gamma-ray emission observed from globular clusters, to estimate the flux of gamma rays predicted from MSPs in the Inner Galaxy. From this comparison, we conclude that only up to $\sim$4-23% of the observed gamma-ray excess is likely to originate from MSPs. This result is consistent with, and more robust than, previous estimates which utilized smaller samples of both globular clusters and LMXBs. If MSPs had been responsible for the entirety of the observed excess, INTEGRAL should have detected $\sim$$10^3$ LMXBs from within a $10^{\circ}$ radius around the Galactic Center, whereas only 42 LMXBs (and 46 additional LMXB candidates) have been observed.
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Full ray-tracing maps of gravitational lensing, constructed from N-Body simulations, represent a fundamental tool to interpret present and future weak lensing data. However the limitation of computational resources and storage capabilities severely restrict the number of realisations that can be performed in order to accurately sample both the cosmic shear models and covariance matrices. In this paper we present a halo model formalism for weak gravitational lensing that allows to alleviate these issues by producing weak-lensing mocks at a reduced computational cost. Our model as input the halo population within a desired light-cone and the linear power spectrum of the underlined cosmological model. We examine the contribution given by the presence of substructures within haloes to the cosmic shear power spectrum and quantify it to the percent level. Our method allows to reconstruct high-resolution convergence maps, for any desired source redshifts, of light-cones that realistically trace the matter density distribution in the universe, account for masked area and sample selections. We compare our analysis on the same large scale structures constructed using ray-tracing techniques and find very good agreements both in the linear and non-linear regimes up to few percent levels. The accuracy and speed of our method demonstrate the potential of our halo model for weak lensing statistics and the possibility to generate a large sample of convergence maps for different cosmological models as needed for the analysis of large galaxy redshift surveys.
We review the status of the theory of dRGT massive gravity, and some of its extensions, as applied to cosmology and the cosmological constant problem.
In this paper, we present the tools used to search for galaxy clusters in the Kilo Degree Survey (KiDS), and our first results. The cluster detection is based on an implementation of the optimal filtering technique that enables us to identify clusters as over-densities in the distribution of galaxies using their positions on the sky, magnitudes, and photometric redshifts. The contamination and completeness of the cluster catalog are derived using mock catalogs based on the data themselves. The optimal signal to noise threshold for the cluster detection is obtained by randomizing the galaxy positions and selecting the value that produces a contamination of less than 20%. Starting from a subset of clusters detected with high significance at low redshifts, we shift them to higher redshifts to estimate the completeness as a function of redshift: the average completeness is ~ 85%. An estimate of the mass of the clusters is derived using the richness as a proxy. We obtained 1858 candidate clusters with redshift 0 < z_c < 0.7 and mass 13.5 < log(M500/Msun) < 15 in an area of 114 sq. degrees (KiDS ESO-DR2). A comparison with publicly available Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS)-based cluster catalogs shows that we match more than 50% of the clusters (77% in the case of the redMaPPer catalog). We also cross-matched our cluster catalog with the Abell clusters, and clusters found by XMM and in the Planck-SZ survey; however, only a small number of them lie inside the KiDS area currently available.
Determining the precise value of the tangential component of the velocity of M31 is a non trivial astrophysical issue, that relies on complicated modeling. This has recently lead to con- flicting estimates, obtained by several groups that used different methodologies and assump- tions. This letter addresses the issue by computing a Bayesian posterior distribution function of this quantity, in order to measure the compatibility of those estimates with LambdaCDM. This is achieved using an ensemble of local group (LG) look-alikes collected from a set of Con- strained Simulations (CSs) of the local Universe, and a standard unconstrained LambdaCDM. The latter allows us to build a control sample of LG-like pairs and to single out the influence of the environment in our results. We find that neither estimate is at odds with LambdaCDM; how- ever, whereas CSs favour higher values of vtan , the reverse is true for estimates based on LG samples gathered from unconstrained simulations, overlooking the environmental element
The mass of the Local Group (LG) is a crucial parameter for galaxy formation theories. However, its observational determination is challenging - its mass budget is dominated by dark matter which cannot be directly observed. To meet this end the posterior distributions of the LG and its massive constituents have been constructed by means of constrained and random cosmological simulations. Two priors are assumed - the LCDM model that is used to set up the simulations and a LG model,which encodes the observational knowledge of the LG and is used to select LG-like objects from the simulations. The constrained simulations are designed to reproduce the local cosmography as it is imprinted onto the Cosmicflows-2 database of velocities. Several prescriptions are used to define the LG model, focusing in particular on different recent estimates of the tangential velocity of M31. It is found that (a) different $v_{tan}$ choices affect the peak mass values up to a factor of 2, and change mass ratios of $M_{M31}$ to $M_{MW}$ by up to 20%; (b) constrained simulations yield more sharply peaked posterior distributions compared with the random ones; (c) LG mass estimates are found to be smaller than those found using the timing argument; (d) preferred MW masses lie in the range of $(0.6 - 0.8)\times10^{12} M_{\odot}$ whereas (e) $M_{M31}$ is found to vary between $(1.0 - 2.0)\times10^{12} M_{\odot}$, with a strong dependence on the $v_{tan}$ values used.
Dark matter (DM) charged under a dark U(1) force appears in many extensions of the Standard Model, and has been invoked to explain anomalies in cosmic-ray data, as well as a self-interacting DM candidate. In this paper, we perform a comprehensive phenomenological analysis of such a model, assuming that the DM abundance arises from the thermal freeze-out of the dark interactions. We include, for the first time, bound-state effects both in the DM production and in the indirect detection signals, and quantify their importance for Fermi, AMS, and CMB experiments. We find that DM in the mass range 1 GeV to 100 TeV, annihilating into dark photons of MeV to GeV mass, is in conflict with observations. Instead, DM annihilation into heavier dark photons is viable. We point out that the late decays of multi-GeV dark photons can produce significant entropy and thus dilute the DM density. This can lower considerably the dark coupling needed to obtain the DM abundance, and in turn relax the existing constraints.
In this paper we study the propagation in a de Sitter universe of gravitational waves generated by perturbation of some unspecified spherical astrophysical object in the frequencies domain. We obtain the axial and polar perturbation equations in a cosmological de Sitter universe in the usual comoving coordinates, the coordinates we live in our galaxy.We write down the relevant equations in terms of Laplace transform with respect to the comoving time $t$ instead of the usual Fourier one that is no longer available in a cosmological context. Both axial and polar perturbation equations are expressed in terms of a non trivial mixture of retarded-advanced metric coefficients with respect to the Laplace parameter $s$ (complex translation). The axial case is studied in more detail. In particular, the axial perturbations can be reduced to a master linear second order differential equation in terms of the Regge-Wheeler function $Z$ where a coupling with a retarded $Z$ with respect to the cosmological time $t$ is present. It is shown that a de Sitter expanding universe can change the frequency $\omega$ of a gravitational wave as perceived by a comoving observer. The polar equations are much more involved. Nevertheless, we show that also the polar perturbations can be expressed in terms of four independent integrable differential equations.
We discuss scalar-tensor realizations of the Anamorphic cosmological scenario recently proposed by Ijjas and Steinhardt. Through an analysis of the dynamics of cosmological perturbations we obtain constraints on the parameters of the model. We also study gravitational Parker particle production in the contracting Anamorphic phase and derive conditions on the model parameters such that the energy density of created particles at the end of the Anamorphic phase is a specified fraction of the background energy density. If this fraction is large enough, then gravitational particle production is sufficient to reheat the universe without the need to impose an extra reheating mechanism.
We measure the stellar mass function (SMF) of galaxies in the COSMOS field up to $z\sim6$. We select them in the near-IR bands of the COSMOS2015 catalogue, which includes ultra-deep photometry from UltraVISTA-DR2, SPLASH, and Subaru/Hyper-SuprimeCam. At $z>2.5$ we use new precise photometric redshifts with error $\sigma_z=0.03(1+z)$ and an outlier fraction of $12\%$, estimated by means of the unique spectroscopic sample of COSMOS. The increased exposure time in the DR2, along with our panchromatic detection strategy, allow us to improve the stellar mass completeness at high $z$ with respect to previous UltraVISTA catalogues. We also identify passive galaxies through a robust colour-colour selection, extending their SMF estimate up to $z=4$. Our work provides a comprehensive view of galaxy stellar mass assembly between $z=0.1$ and 6, for the first time using consistent estimates across the entire redshift range. We fit these measurements with a Schechter function, correcting for Eddington bias. We compare the SMF fit with the halo mass function predicted from $\Lambda$CDM simulations. We find that at $z>3$ both functions decline with a similar slope in the high-mass end. This feature could be explained assuming that the mechanisms that quench star formation in massive haloes become less effective at high redshifts; however further work needs to be done to confirm this scenario. Concerning the SMF low-mass end, it shows a progressive steepening as moving towards higher redshifts, with $\alpha$ decreasing from $-1.47_{-0.02}^{+0.02}$ at $z\simeq0.1$ to $-2.11_{-0.13}^{+0.30}$ at $z\simeq5$. This slope depends on the characterisation of the observational uncertainties, which is crucial to properly remove the Eddington bias. We show that there is currently no consensus on the method to model such errors: different descriptions result in different best-fit Schechter parameters. [Abridged]
We consider a scenario where time dependence on certain physical parameters can be introduced by the misalignment of an ultra-light scalar field. The initial VEV of such field at the early Universe remains a constant until Hubble becomes comparable to its mass. Interesting cosmological consequences, such as modification of $N_{eff}$ or the dark matter (DM) relic abundance, are considered. Light sterile neutrinos implied by terrestrial neutrino experiments are studied as a benchmark model. We show the BBN constraints can be easily avoided in our scenario. We demonstrate the scalar can be naturally light in spite of its couplings to other fields.
Theory and observations agree that the properties of the accreted stellar halo (ASH) of Milky Way-like galaxies display significant scatter. Here, I take advantage of this stochasticity, and explore on inverting the link between halo assembly history (HAH) and ASH. I use tens of thousands of mock ASHs, corresponding to 750 $\Lambda$CDM HAHs sharing the same final virial mass. Hosts with poor/rich ASHs assemble following systematically different HAHs, according to orthogonal patterns of growth. Chiefly, hosts with rich ASHs experience accretion events (AEs) with high virial mass ratios (HVMRs, $M_s/M_h\gtrsim 0.1$) at intermediate times, $0.5\lesssim z_{infall}\lesssim1.5$, in a phase of fast growth. This maximises the accreted stellar mass under the condition these satellites are disrupted by $z=0$. At similar times, hosts with poor ASHs grow more slowly through minor mergers alone: HVMR AEs take place more recently, at $z_{infall}\lesssim0.5$, resulting in a distinctive population of surviving massive satellites (stellar mass $\log M_{s,*}/M_\odot\gtrsim 9$). Within these two fundamental modes of growth, hosts with ASHs of comparable richness but concentrated/extended profiles display systematic differences in the length and intensity of the different growth phases. Intriguingly, several properties of the Milky Way are in agreement with the predictions of this framework for hosts with poor and concentrated ASHs, including: i) the recent infall of Sagittarius and Magellanic Clouds, ii) the likely higher-than-average concentration of its dark halo, iii) the signatures of fast chemical enrichment of a sizeable fraction of its halo stellar populations.
The growth-rate and the internal dynamics of galaxy-sized dark-matter haloes depend on their location within the cosmic web. Haloes that sit at the nodes grow in mass till the present time and are dominated by radial orbits. Conversely, haloes embedded in prominent filaments do not change much in size and are dominated by tangential orbits. Using zoom hydrodynamical simulations including star formation and feedback, we study how gas accretes onto these different classes of objects that, for simplicity, we dub 'accreting' and 'stalled' haloes. We find that all haloes get a fresh supply of newly accreted gas in their inner regions, although this slowly decreases with time, in particular for the stalled haloes. The inflow of new gas is always higher than (but comparable with) that of recycled material. Overall, the cold-gas fraction increases (decreases) with time for the accreting (stalled) haloes. In all cases, a stellar disc and a bulge form at the centre of the simulated haloes. The total stellar mass is in excellent agreement with expectations based on the abundance-matching technique. Many properties of the central galaxies do not seem to correlate with the large-scale environment in which the haloes reside. However, there are two notable exceptions that characterise stalled haloes with respect to their accreting counterparts: i) the galaxy disc contains much older stellar populations; ii) its vertical scale-height is larger by a factor of two or more. This thickening is likely due to the heating of the long-lived discs by mergers and close flybys.
It has been pointed out that non-singular cosmological solutions in second-order scalar-tensor theories generically suffer from gradient instabilities. We extend this no-go result to second-order gravitational theories with an arbitrary number of interacting scalar fields. Our proof follows directly from the action of generalized multi-Galileons, and thus is different from and complementary to that based on the effective field theory approach. Several new terms for generalized multi-Galileons on a flat background were proposed recently. We find a covariant completion of them and confirm that they do not participate in the no-go argument.
The photon mass, $m_\gamma$, can in principle be constrained using measurements of the dispersion measures (DMs) of fast radio bursts (FRBs), once the FRB redshifts are known. The DM of the repeating FRB 121102 is known to $< 1$\%, a host galaxy has now been identified with high confidence,and its redshift, $z$, has now been determined with high accuracy: $z = 0.19273(8)$. Taking into account the plasma contributions to the DM from the Intergalactic medium (IGM) and the Milky Way, we use the data on FRB 121102 to derive the constraint $m_\gamma \lesssim 2.2 \times 10^{-14}$ eV c$^{-2}$ ($3.9 \times 10^{-50}$ kg). Since the plasma and photon mass contributions to DMs have different redshift dependences, they could in principle be distinguished by measurements of more FRB redshifts, enabling the sensitivity to $m_\gamma$ to be improved.
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Full ray-tracing maps of gravitational lensing, constructed from N-Body simulations, represent a fundamental tool to interpret present and future weak lensing data. However the limitation of computational resources and storage capabilities severely restrict the number of realisations that can be performed in order to accurately sample both the cosmic shear models and covariance matrices. In this paper we present a halo model formalism for weak gravitational lensing that allows to alleviate these issues by producing weak-lensing mocks at a reduced computational cost. Our model as input the halo population within a desired light-cone and the linear power spectrum of the underlined cosmological model. We examine the contribution given by the presence of substructures within haloes to the cosmic shear power spectrum and quantify it to the percent level. Our method allows to reconstruct high-resolution convergence maps, for any desired source redshifts, of light-cones that realistically trace the matter density distribution in the universe, account for masked area and sample selections. We compare our analysis on the same large scale structures constructed using ray-tracing techniques and find very good agreements both in the linear and non-linear regimes up to few percent levels. The accuracy and speed of our method demonstrate the potential of our halo model for weak lensing statistics and the possibility to generate a large sample of convergence maps for different cosmological models as needed for the analysis of large galaxy redshift surveys.
We review the status of the theory of dRGT massive gravity, and some of its extensions, as applied to cosmology and the cosmological constant problem.
In this paper, we present the tools used to search for galaxy clusters in the Kilo Degree Survey (KiDS), and our first results. The cluster detection is based on an implementation of the optimal filtering technique that enables us to identify clusters as over-densities in the distribution of galaxies using their positions on the sky, magnitudes, and photometric redshifts. The contamination and completeness of the cluster catalog are derived using mock catalogs based on the data themselves. The optimal signal to noise threshold for the cluster detection is obtained by randomizing the galaxy positions and selecting the value that produces a contamination of less than 20%. Starting from a subset of clusters detected with high significance at low redshifts, we shift them to higher redshifts to estimate the completeness as a function of redshift: the average completeness is ~ 85%. An estimate of the mass of the clusters is derived using the richness as a proxy. We obtained 1858 candidate clusters with redshift 0 < z_c < 0.7 and mass 13.5 < log(M500/Msun) < 15 in an area of 114 sq. degrees (KiDS ESO-DR2). A comparison with publicly available Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS)-based cluster catalogs shows that we match more than 50% of the clusters (77% in the case of the redMaPPer catalog). We also cross-matched our cluster catalog with the Abell clusters, and clusters found by XMM and in the Planck-SZ survey; however, only a small number of them lie inside the KiDS area currently available.
Determining the precise value of the tangential component of the velocity of M31 is a non trivial astrophysical issue, that relies on complicated modeling. This has recently lead to con- flicting estimates, obtained by several groups that used different methodologies and assump- tions. This letter addresses the issue by computing a Bayesian posterior distribution function of this quantity, in order to measure the compatibility of those estimates with LambdaCDM. This is achieved using an ensemble of local group (LG) look-alikes collected from a set of Con- strained Simulations (CSs) of the local Universe, and a standard unconstrained LambdaCDM. The latter allows us to build a control sample of LG-like pairs and to single out the influence of the environment in our results. We find that neither estimate is at odds with LambdaCDM; how- ever, whereas CSs favour higher values of vtan , the reverse is true for estimates based on LG samples gathered from unconstrained simulations, overlooking the environmental element
The mass of the Local Group (LG) is a crucial parameter for galaxy formation theories. However, its observational determination is challenging - its mass budget is dominated by dark matter which cannot be directly observed. To meet this end the posterior distributions of the LG and its massive constituents have been constructed by means of constrained and random cosmological simulations. Two priors are assumed - the LCDM model that is used to set up the simulations and a LG model,which encodes the observational knowledge of the LG and is used to select LG-like objects from the simulations. The constrained simulations are designed to reproduce the local cosmography as it is imprinted onto the Cosmicflows-2 database of velocities. Several prescriptions are used to define the LG model, focusing in particular on different recent estimates of the tangential velocity of M31. It is found that (a) different $v_{tan}$ choices affect the peak mass values up to a factor of 2, and change mass ratios of $M_{M31}$ to $M_{MW}$ by up to 20%; (b) constrained simulations yield more sharply peaked posterior distributions compared with the random ones; (c) LG mass estimates are found to be smaller than those found using the timing argument; (d) preferred MW masses lie in the range of $(0.6 - 0.8)\times10^{12} M_{\odot}$ whereas (e) $M_{M31}$ is found to vary between $(1.0 - 2.0)\times10^{12} M_{\odot}$, with a strong dependence on the $v_{tan}$ values used.
Dark matter (DM) charged under a dark U(1) force appears in many extensions of the Standard Model, and has been invoked to explain anomalies in cosmic-ray data, as well as a self-interacting DM candidate. In this paper, we perform a comprehensive phenomenological analysis of such a model, assuming that the DM abundance arises from the thermal freeze-out of the dark interactions. We include, for the first time, bound-state effects both in the DM production and in the indirect detection signals, and quantify their importance for Fermi, AMS, and CMB experiments. We find that DM in the mass range 1 GeV to 100 TeV, annihilating into dark photons of MeV to GeV mass, is in conflict with observations. Instead, DM annihilation into heavier dark photons is viable. We point out that the late decays of multi-GeV dark photons can produce significant entropy and thus dilute the DM density. This can lower considerably the dark coupling needed to obtain the DM abundance, and in turn relax the existing constraints.
In this paper we study the propagation in a de Sitter universe of gravitational waves generated by perturbation of some unspecified spherical astrophysical object in the frequencies domain. We obtain the axial and polar perturbation equations in a cosmological de Sitter universe in the usual comoving coordinates, the coordinates we live in our galaxy.We write down the relevant equations in terms of Laplace transform with respect to the comoving time $t$ instead of the usual Fourier one that is no longer available in a cosmological context. Both axial and polar perturbation equations are expressed in terms of a non trivial mixture of retarded-advanced metric coefficients with respect to the Laplace parameter $s$ (complex translation). The axial case is studied in more detail. In particular, the axial perturbations can be reduced to a master linear second order differential equation in terms of the Regge-Wheeler function $Z$ where a coupling with a retarded $Z$ with respect to the cosmological time $t$ is present. It is shown that a de Sitter expanding universe can change the frequency $\omega$ of a gravitational wave as perceived by a comoving observer. The polar equations are much more involved. Nevertheless, we show that also the polar perturbations can be expressed in terms of four independent integrable differential equations.
We discuss scalar-tensor realizations of the Anamorphic cosmological scenario recently proposed by Ijjas and Steinhardt. Through an analysis of the dynamics of cosmological perturbations we obtain constraints on the parameters of the model. We also study gravitational Parker particle production in the contracting Anamorphic phase and derive conditions on the model parameters such that the energy density of created particles at the end of the Anamorphic phase is a specified fraction of the background energy density. If this fraction is large enough, then gravitational particle production is sufficient to reheat the universe without the need to impose an extra reheating mechanism.
We measure the stellar mass function (SMF) of galaxies in the COSMOS field up to $z\sim6$. We select them in the near-IR bands of the COSMOS2015 catalogue, which includes ultra-deep photometry from UltraVISTA-DR2, SPLASH, and Subaru/Hyper-SuprimeCam. At $z>2.5$ we use new precise photometric redshifts with error $\sigma_z=0.03(1+z)$ and an outlier fraction of $12\%$, estimated by means of the unique spectroscopic sample of COSMOS. The increased exposure time in the DR2, along with our panchromatic detection strategy, allow us to improve the stellar mass completeness at high $z$ with respect to previous UltraVISTA catalogues. We also identify passive galaxies through a robust colour-colour selection, extending their SMF estimate up to $z=4$. Our work provides a comprehensive view of galaxy stellar mass assembly between $z=0.1$ and 6, for the first time using consistent estimates across the entire redshift range. We fit these measurements with a Schechter function, correcting for Eddington bias. We compare the SMF fit with the halo mass function predicted from $\Lambda$CDM simulations. We find that at $z>3$ both functions decline with a similar slope in the high-mass end. This feature could be explained assuming that the mechanisms that quench star formation in massive haloes become less effective at high redshifts; however further work needs to be done to confirm this scenario. Concerning the SMF low-mass end, it shows a progressive steepening as moving towards higher redshifts, with $\alpha$ decreasing from $-1.47_{-0.02}^{+0.02}$ at $z\simeq0.1$ to $-2.11_{-0.13}^{+0.30}$ at $z\simeq5$. This slope depends on the characterisation of the observational uncertainties, which is crucial to properly remove the Eddington bias. We show that there is currently no consensus on the method to model such errors: different descriptions result in different best-fit Schechter parameters. [Abridged]
We consider a scenario where time dependence on certain physical parameters can be introduced by the misalignment of an ultra-light scalar field. The initial VEV of such field at the early Universe remains a constant until Hubble becomes comparable to its mass. Interesting cosmological consequences, such as modification of $N_{eff}$ or the dark matter (DM) relic abundance, are considered. Light sterile neutrinos implied by terrestrial neutrino experiments are studied as a benchmark model. We show the BBN constraints can be easily avoided in our scenario. We demonstrate the scalar can be naturally light in spite of its couplings to other fields.
Theory and observations agree that the properties of the accreted stellar halo (ASH) of Milky Way-like galaxies display significant scatter. Here, I take advantage of this stochasticity, and explore on inverting the link between halo assembly history (HAH) and ASH. I use tens of thousands of mock ASHs, corresponding to 750 $\Lambda$CDM HAHs sharing the same final virial mass. Hosts with poor/rich ASHs assemble following systematically different HAHs, according to orthogonal patterns of growth. Chiefly, hosts with rich ASHs experience accretion events (AEs) with high virial mass ratios (HVMRs, $M_s/M_h\gtrsim 0.1$) at intermediate times, $0.5\lesssim z_{infall}\lesssim1.5$, in a phase of fast growth. This maximises the accreted stellar mass under the condition these satellites are disrupted by $z=0$. At similar times, hosts with poor ASHs grow more slowly through minor mergers alone: HVMR AEs take place more recently, at $z_{infall}\lesssim0.5$, resulting in a distinctive population of surviving massive satellites (stellar mass $\log M_{s,*}/M_\odot\gtrsim 9$). Within these two fundamental modes of growth, hosts with ASHs of comparable richness but concentrated/extended profiles display systematic differences in the length and intensity of the different growth phases. Intriguingly, several properties of the Milky Way are in agreement with the predictions of this framework for hosts with poor and concentrated ASHs, including: i) the recent infall of Sagittarius and Magellanic Clouds, ii) the likely higher-than-average concentration of its dark halo, iii) the signatures of fast chemical enrichment of a sizeable fraction of its halo stellar populations.
The growth-rate and the internal dynamics of galaxy-sized dark-matter haloes depend on their location within the cosmic web. Haloes that sit at the nodes grow in mass till the present time and are dominated by radial orbits. Conversely, haloes embedded in prominent filaments do not change much in size and are dominated by tangential orbits. Using zoom hydrodynamical simulations including star formation and feedback, we study how gas accretes onto these different classes of objects that, for simplicity, we dub 'accreting' and 'stalled' haloes. We find that all haloes get a fresh supply of newly accreted gas in their inner regions, although this slowly decreases with time, in particular for the stalled haloes. The inflow of new gas is always higher than (but comparable with) that of recycled material. Overall, the cold-gas fraction increases (decreases) with time for the accreting (stalled) haloes. In all cases, a stellar disc and a bulge form at the centre of the simulated haloes. The total stellar mass is in excellent agreement with expectations based on the abundance-matching technique. Many properties of the central galaxies do not seem to correlate with the large-scale environment in which the haloes reside. However, there are two notable exceptions that characterise stalled haloes with respect to their accreting counterparts: i) the galaxy disc contains much older stellar populations; ii) its vertical scale-height is larger by a factor of two or more. This thickening is likely due to the heating of the long-lived discs by mergers and close flybys.
It has been pointed out that non-singular cosmological solutions in second-order scalar-tensor theories generically suffer from gradient instabilities. We extend this no-go result to second-order gravitational theories with an arbitrary number of interacting scalar fields. Our proof follows directly from the action of generalized multi-Galileons, and thus is different from and complementary to that based on the effective field theory approach. Several new terms for generalized multi-Galileons on a flat background were proposed recently. We find a covariant completion of them and confirm that they do not participate in the no-go argument.
The photon mass, $m_\gamma$, can in principle be constrained using measurements of the dispersion measures (DMs) of fast radio bursts (FRBs), once the FRB redshifts are known. The DM of the repeating FRB 121102 is known to $< 1$\%, a host galaxy has now been identified with high confidence,and its redshift, $z$, has now been determined with high accuracy: $z = 0.19273(8)$. Taking into account the plasma contributions to the DM from the Intergalactic medium (IGM) and the Milky Way, we use the data on FRB 121102 to derive the constraint $m_\gamma \lesssim 2.2 \times 10^{-14}$ eV c$^{-2}$ ($3.9 \times 10^{-50}$ kg). Since the plasma and photon mass contributions to DMs have different redshift dependences, they could in principle be distinguished by measurements of more FRB redshifts, enabling the sensitivity to $m_\gamma$ to be improved.
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