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At least 1,261 records · Page 70
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DOE OSTI2012

THE AGE-REDSHIFT RELATION FOR LUMINOUS RED GALAXIES OBTAINED FROM FULL SPECTRUM FITTING AND ITS COSMOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS

The relative age of galaxies at different redshifts can be used to infer the Hubble parameter and put constraints on cosmological models. We select luminous red galaxies (LRGs) from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7 and then cross match it with the MPA/JHU catalog of galaxies to obtain a large sample of quiescent LRGs at redshift z {approx} 0.03-0.39. The total number of quiescent LRGs, 23,883, is divided into four sub-samples according to their velocity dispersions and each sub-sample is further divided into 12 redshift bins. The spectra of the LRGs in each redshift and velocity bin are co-added in order to obtain a combined spectrum with a relatively high signal-to-noise ratio. Adopting the GalexEV/SteLib model, we estimate the mean ages of the LRGs from these combined spectra by using the full-spectrum fitting method. We check the reliability of the estimated age by using Monte Carlo simulations and find that the estimates are robust and reliable. Assuming that the LRGs in each sub-sample and each redshift bin were on average formed at the same time, the Hubble parameter at the present time H {sub 0} is estimated from the age-redshift relation obtained for each sub-sample, which is compatible with the H {sub 0} value measured by other methods. We demonstrate that a systematic bias (up to {approx}20%) may be introduced to the H {sub 0} estimation because of recent star formation in the LRGs due to the later major mergers at z {approx}< 0.4, but this bias may be negligible for those sub-samples with large velocity dispersions. Using the age-redshift relations obtained from the sub-sample with the largest velocity dispersion or the two sub-samples with high velocity dispersions, we find H {sub 0} = 65{sup +7} {sub -3} km s{sup -1} Mpc{sup -1} or H {sub 0} = 74{sup +5} {sub -4} km s{sup -1} Mpc{sup -1} by assuming a spatially flat {Lambda}CDM cosmology. With upcoming surveys, such as the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey, even larger samples of quiescent massive LRGs may be obtained, and thus the Hubble parameter can be measured with high accuracy usimg the age-redshift relation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

TWO ACCURATE TIME-DELAY DISTANCES FROM STRONG LENSING: IMPLICATIONS FOR COSMOLOGY

Strong gravitational lenses with measured time delays between the multiple images and models of the lens mass distribution allow a one-step determination of the time-delay distance, and thus a measure of cosmological parameters. We present a blind analysis of the gravitational lens RXJ1131-1231 incorporating (1) the newly measured time delays from COSMOGRAIL, the COSmological MOnitoring of GRAvItational Lenses, (2) archival Hubble Space Telescope imaging of the lens system, (3) a new velocity-dispersion measurement of the lens galaxy of 323 {+-} 20 km s{sup -1} based on Keck spectroscopy, and (4) a characterization of the line-of-sight structures via observations of the lens' environment and ray tracing through the Millennium Simulation. Our blind analysis is designed to prevent experimenter bias. The joint analysis of the data sets allows a time-delay distance measurement to 6% precision that takes into account all known systematic uncertainties. In combination with the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe seven-year (WMAP7) data set in flat wCDM cosmology, our unblinded cosmological constraints for RXJ1131-1231 are H{sub 0}=80.0{sup +5.8}{sub -5.7} km s{sup -1} Mpc{sup -1}, {Omega}{sub de} = 0.79 {+-} 0.03, and w=-1.25{sup +0.17}{sub -0.21}. We find the results to be statistically consistent with those from the analysis of the gravitational lens B1608+656, permitting us to combine the inferences from these two lenses. The joint constraints from the two lenses and WMAP7 are H{sub 0}=75.2{sup +4.4}{sub -4.2} km s{sup -1} Mpc{sup -1}, {Omega}{sub de}=0.76{sup +0.02}{sub -0.03}, and w = -1.14{sup +0.17}{sub -0.20} in flat wCDM, and H{sub 0}=73.1{sup +2.4}{sub -3.6} km s{sup -1} Mpc{sup -1}, {Omega}{sub {Lambda}}=0.75{sup +0.01}{sub -0.02}, and {Omega}{sub k}=0.003{sup +0.005}{sub -0.006} in open {Lambda}CDM. Time-delay lenses constrain especially tightly the Hubble constant H{sub 0} (5.7% and 4.0% respectively in wCDM and open {Lambda}CDM) and curvature of the universe. The overall information content is similar to that of Baryon Acoustic Oscillation experiments. Thus, they complement well other cosmological probes, and provide an independent check of unknown systematics. Our measurement of the Hubble constant is completely independent of those based on the local distance ladder method, providing an important consistency check of the standard cosmological model and of general relativity.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

THE MEGAMASER COSMOLOGY PROJECT. V. AN ANGULAR-DIAMETER DISTANCE TO NGC 6264 AT 140 Mpc

We present the direct measurement of the Hubble constant, yielding the direct measurement of the angular-diameter distance to NGC 6264 using the H{sub 2}O megamaser technique. Our measurement is based on sensitive observations of the circumnuclear megamaser disk from four observations with the Very Long Baseline Array, the Green Bank Telescope (GBT), and the Effelsberg telescope. We also monitored the maser spectral profile for 2.3 years using the GBT to measure accelerations of maser lines by tracking their line-of-sight velocities as they change with time. The measured accelerations suggest that the systemic maser spots have a significantly wider radial distribution than in the archetypal megamaser in NGC 4258. We model the maser emission as arising from a circumnuclear disk with orbits dominated by the central black hole. The best fit of the data gives a Hubble constant of H{sub 0} = 68 {+-} 9 km s{sup -1} Mpc{sup -1}, which corresponds to an angular-diameter distance of 144 {+-} 19 Mpc. In addition, the fit also gives a mass of the central black hole of (3.09 {+-} 0.42) Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 7} M{sub Sun }. The result demonstrates the feasibility of measuring distances to galaxies located well into the Hubble flow by using circumnuclear megamaser disks.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

BRIGHTEST CLUSTER GALAXIES AT THE PRESENT EPOCH

We have obtained photometry and spectroscopy of 433 z ≤ 0.08 brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) in a full-sky survey of Abell clusters to construct a BCG sample suitable for probing deviations from the local Hubble flow. The BCG Hubble diagram over 0 < z < 0.08 is consistent to within 2% of the Hubble relation specified by a Ω {sub m} = 0.3, Λ = 0.7 cosmology. This sample allows us to explore the structural and photometric properties of BCGs at the present epoch, their location in their hosting galaxy clusters, and the effects of the cluster environment on their structure and evolution. We revisit the L{sub m} -α relation for BCGs, which uses α, the log-slope of the BCG photometric curve of growth, to predict the metric luminosity in an aperture with 14.3 kpc radius, L{sub m} , for use as a distance indicator. Residuals in the relation are 0.27 mag rms. We measure central stellar velocity dispersions, σ, of the BCGs, finding the Faber-Jackson relation to flatten as the metric aperture grows to include an increasing fraction of the total BCG luminosity. A three-parameter ''metric plane'' relation using α and σ together gives the best prediction of L{sub m} , with 0.21 mag residuals. The distribution of projected spatial offsets, r{sub x} of BCGs from the X-ray-defined cluster center is a steep γ = –2.33 power law over 1 < r{sub x} < 10{sup 3} kpc. The median offset is ∼10 kpc, but ∼15% of the BCGs have r{sub x} > 100 kpc. The absolute cluster-dispersion normalized BCG peculiar velocity |ΔV {sub 1}|/σ {sub c} follows an exponential distribution with scale length 0.39 ± 0.03. Both L{sub m} and α increase with σ {sub c}. The α parameter is further moderated by both the spatial and velocity offset from the cluster center, with larger α correlated with the proximity of the BCG to the cluster mean velocity or potential center. At the same time, position in the cluster has little effect on L{sub m} . Likewise, residuals from the metric plane show no correlation with either the spatial or velocity offset from the cluster center. The luminosity difference between the BCG and second-ranked galaxy, M2, increases as the peculiar velocity of the BCG within the cluster decreases. Further, when M2 is a close luminosity ''rival'' of the BCG, the galaxy that is closest to either the velocity or X-ray center of the cluster is most likely to have the larger α. We conclude that the inner portions of the BCGs are formed outside the cluster, but interactions in the heart of the galaxy cluster grow and extend the envelopes of the BCGs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

THE M31 NEAR-INFRARED PERIOD-LUMINOSITY RELATION AND ITS NON-LINEARITY FOR δ Cep VARIABLES WITH 0.5 ≤ log (P) ≤ 1.7

We present the largest M31 near-infrared (F110W (close to J band), F160W (H band)) Cepheid sample so far. The sample consists of 371 Cepheids with photometry obtained from the Hubble Space Telescope PHAT program. The sample of 319 fundamental mode Cepheids, 16 first overtone Cepheids, and 36 type II Cepheids was identified using the median absolute deviation outlier rejection method we develop here. This method does not rely on priors and allows us to obtain this clean Cepheid sample without rejecting a large fraction of Cepheids. The obtained period-luminosity relations (PLRs) have a very small dispersion, i.e., 0.155 mag in F160W, despite using random phased observations. This remarkably small dispersion allows us to determine that the PLRs are significantly better described by a broken slope at 10 days than a linear slope. The use of our sample as an anchor to determine the Hubble constant gives a 3.2% larger Hubble constant compared to the Riess et al. sample.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

The evolution of the galaxy rest-frame ultraviolet luminosity function over the first two billion years

We present a robust measurement and analysis of the rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) luminosity functions at z = 4–8. We use deep Hubble Space Telescope imaging over the Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey/GOODS fields, the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, and the Hubble Frontier Field deep parallel observations near the Abell 2744 and MACS J0416.1-2403 clusters. The combination of these surveys provides an effective volume of 0.6–1.2 × 10{sup 6} Mpc{sup 3} over this epoch, allowing us to perform a robust search for faint (M{sub UV}=−18) and bright (M{sub UV}<−21) high-redshift galaxies. We select candidate galaxies using a well-tested photometric redshift technique with careful screening of contaminants, finding a sample of 7446 candidate galaxies at 3.5 < z < 8.5, with >1000 galaxies at z ≈ 6–8. We measure both a stepwise luminosity function for candidate galaxies in our redshift samples, and a Schechter function, using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo analysis to measure robust uncertainties. At the faint end, our UV luminosity functions agree with previous studies, yet we find a higher abundance of UV-bright candidate galaxies at z ⩾ 6. Our best-fit value of the characteristic magnitude M{sub UV}{sup ∗} is consistent with −21 at z ⩾ 5, which is different than that inferred based on previous trends at lower redshift, and brighter at ∼2σ significance than previous measures at z = 6 and 7. At z = 8, a single power law provides an equally good fit to the UV luminosity function, while at z = 6 and 7 an exponential cutoff at the bright end is moderately preferred. We compare our luminosity functions to semi-analytical models, and find that the lack of evolution in M{sub UV}{sup ∗} is consistent with models where the impact of dust attenuation on the bright end of the luminosity function decreases at higher redshift, although a decreasing impact of feedback may also be possible. We measure the evolution of the cosmic star-formation rate (SFR) density by integrating our observed luminosity functions to M{sub UV}=−17, correcting for dust attenuation, and find that the SFR density declines proportionally to (1 +z){sup −4.3±0.5} at z > 4, which is consistent with observations at z ⩾ 9. Our observed luminosity functions are consistent with a reionization history that starts at z ≳ 10, completes at z > 6, and reaches a midpoint (x{sub H II} = 0.5) at 6.7 < z < 9.4. Finally, using a constant cumulative number density selection and an empirically derived rising star-formation history, our observations predict that the abundance of bright z = 9 galaxies is likely higher than previous constraints, although consistent with recent estimates of bright z ∼ 10 galaxies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Observational signatures of modified gravity on ultra-large scales

Extremely large surveys with future experiments like Euclid and the SKA will soon allow us to access perturbation modes close to the Hubble scale, with wavenumbers k∼H. If a modified gravity (MG) theory is responsible for cosmic acceleration, then the Hubble scale is a natural regime for deviations from General Relativity (GR) to become manifest. However, the majority of studies to date have concentrated on the consequences of alternative gravity theories for the subhorizon, quasi-static regime. In this paper, we investigate how modifications to the gravitational field equations affect perturbations around the Hubble scale. We choose functional forms to represent the generic scale-dependent behavior of gravity theories that modify GR at long wavelengths, and study the resulting deviations of ultra-large-scale relativistic observables from their GR behavior. We find that these are small unless modifications to the field equations are drastic. The angular dependence and redshift evolution of the deviations is highly parameterization- and survey-dependent, however, and so they are possibly a rich source of MG phenomenology if they can be measured.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

RCS2 J232727.6-020437: An efficient cosmic telescope at z = 0.6986

We present a detailed gravitational lens model of the galaxy cluster RCS2 J232727.6-020437. Due to cosmological dimming of cluster members and intra-cluster light, its high redshift (z = 0.6986) makes it ideal for studying high-redshift background galaxies. Using new Advanced Camera for Surveys and WFC3/IR Hubble Space Telescope data, we identify 16 new multiple images belonging to 6 distinct source galaxies. From Multi-object Spectrometer for Infrared Exploration (MOSFIRE) follow-up, we identify a strong emission line in the spectrum of one multiple image, measuring the redshift of that system to z = 2.083. With a highly magnified (μ ≳ 3) source plane area of ∼0.9 arcmin{sup 2} at z = 7, RCS2 J232727.6-020437 has a lensing efficiency comparable to the Hubble Frontier Fields clusters. We discover four highly magnified z ∼ 7 candidate Lyman-break galaxies behind the cluster. Correcting for magnification, we find that all four galaxies are fainter than 0.5L{sub ⋆}. One candidate is detected at >10σ in both Spitzer/IRAC [3.6] and [4.5] channels. A spectroscopic follow-up with MOSFIRE does not result in the detection of the Lyα emission line from any of the four candidates. From the MOSFIRE spectra, we place median upper limits on the Lyα flux of (3−11)×10{sup −19} erg s{sup −1} cm{sup −2} (5σ).

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

CANDELS: THE COSMIC ASSEMBLY NEAR-INFRARED DEEP EXTRAGALACTIC LEGACY SURVEY

The Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey (CANDELS) is designed to document the first third of galactic evolution, over the approximate redshift (z) range 8-1.5. It will image >250,000 distant galaxies using three separate cameras on the Hubble Space Telescope, from the mid-ultraviolet to the near-infrared, and will find and measure Type Ia supernovae at z > 1.5 to test their accuracy as standardizable candles for cosmology. Five premier multi-wavelength sky regions are selected, each with extensive ancillary data. The use of five widely separated fields mitigates cosmic variance and yields statistically robust and complete samples of galaxies down to a stellar mass of 10{sup 9} M{sub Sun} to z Almost-Equal-To 2, reaching the knee of the ultraviolet luminosity function of galaxies to z Almost-Equal-To 8. The survey covers approximately 800 arcmin{sup 2} and is divided into two parts. The CANDELS/Deep survey (5{sigma} point-source limit H = 27.7 mag) covers {approx}125 arcmin{sup 2} within Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS)-N and GOODS-S. The CANDELS/Wide survey includes GOODS and three additional fields (Extended Groth Strip, COSMOS, and Ultra-deep Survey) and covers the full area to a 5{sigma} point-source limit of H {approx}> 27.0 mag. Together with the Hubble Ultra Deep Fields, the strategy creates a three-tiered 'wedding-cake' approach that has proven efficient for extragalactic surveys. Data from the survey are nonproprietary and are useful for a wide variety of science investigations. In this paper, we describe the basic motivations for the survey, the CANDELS team science goals and the resulting observational requirements, the field selection and geometry, and the observing design. The Hubble data processing and products are described in a companion paper.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

An updated analysis of two classes of f(R) theories of gravity

The observed accelerated cosmic expansion can be a signature of fourth-order gravity theories, where the acceleration of the Universe is a consequence of departures from Einstein General Relativity, rather than the sign of the existence of a fluid with negative pressure. In the fourth-order gravity theories, the gravity Lagrangian is described by an analytic function f(R) of the scalar curvature R subject to the demanding conditions that no detectable deviations from standard GR is observed on the Solar System scale. Here we consider two classes of f(R) theories able to pass Solar System tests and investigate their viability on cosmological scales. To this end, we fit the theories to a large dataset including the combined Hubble diagram of Type Ia Supernovae and Gamma Ray Bursts, the Hubble parameter H(z) data from passively evolving red galaxies, Baryon Acoustic Oscillations extracted from the seventh data release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and the distance priors from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe seven years (WMAP7) data. We find that both classes of f(R) fit very well this large dataset with the present-day values of the matter density, Hubble constant and deceleration parameter in agreement with previous estimates; however, the strong degeneracy among the f(R) parameters prevents us from strongly constraining their values. We also derive the growth factor g = dln δ/dln a, with δ = δρ{sub M}/ρ{sub M} the matter density perturbation, and show that it can still be well approximated by g(z)∝Ω{sub M}(z){sup γ}. We finally constrain γ (on some representative scales) and investigate its redshift dependence to see whether future data can discriminate between these classes of f(R) theories and standard dark energy models.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Constraining H{sub 0} in general dark energy models from Sunyaev-Zeldovich/X-ray technique and complementary probes

In accelerating dark energy models, the estimates of the Hubble constant, H{sub 0}, from Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect (SZE) and X-ray surface brightness of galaxy clusters may depend on the matter content (Ω{sub M}), the curvature (Ω{sub K}) and the equation of state parameter (ω). In this article, by using a sample of 25 angular diameter distances of galaxy clusters described by the elliptical β model obtained through the SZE/X-ray technique, we constrain H{sub 0} in the framework of a general ΛCDM model (arbitrary curvature) and a flat XCDM model with a constant equation of state parameter ω = p{sub x}/ρ{sub x}. In order to avoid the use of priors in the cosmological parameters, we apply a joint analysis involving the baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) and the CMB Shift Parameter signature. By taking into account the statistical and systematic errors of the SZE/X-ray technique we obtain for nonflat ΛCDM model H{sub 0} = 74{sup +5.0}{sub −4.0} km s{sup −1} Mpc{sup −1}(1σ) whereas for a flat universe with constant equation of state parameter we find H{sub 0} = 72{sup +5.5}{sub −4.0} km s{sup −1} Mpc{sup −1}(1σ). By assuming that galaxy clusters are described by a spherical β model these results change to H{sub 0} = 62{sup +8.0}{sub −7.0} and H{sub 0} = 59{sup +9.0}{sub −6.0} km s{sup −1} Mpc{sup −1}(1σ), respectively. The results from elliptical description are in good agreement with independent studies from the Hubble Space Telescope key project and recent estimates based on the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe, thereby suggesting that the combination of these three independent phenomena provides an interesting method to constrain the Hubble constant. As an extra bonus, the adoption of the elliptical description is revealed to be a quite realistic assumption. Finally, by comparing these results with a recent determination for a flat ΛCDM model using only the SZE/X-ray technique and BAO, we see that the geometry has a very weak influence on H{sub 0} estimates for this combination of data.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

New constraints on cosmological parameters and neutrino properties using the expansion rate of the Universe to z ∼ 1.75

We have assembled a compilation of observational Hubble parameter measurements estimated with the differential evolution of cosmic chronometers, in the redshift range 0 < z < 1.75. This sample has been used, in combination with CMB data and with the most recent estimate of the Hubble constant H{sub 0}, to derive new constraints on several cosmological parameters. The new Hubble parameter data are very useful to break some of the parameter degeneracies present in CMB-only analysis, and to constrain possible deviations from the standard (minimal) flat ΛCDM model. The H(z) data are especially valuable in constraining Ω{sub k} and Ω{sub DE} in models that allow a variation of those parameters, yielding constraints that are competitive with those obtained using Supernovae and/or baryon acoustic oscillations. We also find that our H(z) data are important to constrain parameters that do no affect directly the expansion history, by breaking or reducing degeneracies with other parameters. We find that N{sub rel} = 3.45±0.33 using WMAP 7-years data in combination with South Pole Telescope data and our H(z) determinations (N{sub rel} = 3.71±0.45 using Atacama Cosmology Telescope data instead of South Pole Telescope). We exclude N{sub rel} > 4 at 95% CL (74% CL) using the same datasets combinations. We also put competitive limits on the sum of neutrino masses, Σm{sub ν} < 0.24 eV at 68% confidence level. These results have been proven to be extremely robust to many possible systematic effects, such as the initial choice of stellar population synthesis model adopted to estimate H(z) and the progenitor-bias.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Improved constraints on the expansion rate of the Universe up to z ∼ 1.1 from the spectroscopic evolution of cosmic chronometers

We present new improved constraints on the Hubble parameter H(z) in the redshift range 0.15 < z < 1.1, obtained from the differential spectroscopic evolution of early-type galaxies as a function of redshift. We extract a large sample of early-type galaxies ( ∼ 11000) from several spectroscopic surveys, spanning almost 8 billion years of cosmic lookback time (0.15 < z < 1.42). We select the most massive, red elliptical galaxies, passively evolving and without signature of ongoing star formation. Those galaxies can be used as standard cosmic chronometers, as firstly proposed by Jimenez and Loeb (2002), whose differential age evolution as a function of cosmic time directly probes H(z). We analyze the 4000 Å break (D4000) as a function of redshift, use stellar population synthesis models to theoretically calibrate the dependence of the differential age evolution on the differential D4000, and estimate the Hubble parameter taking into account both statistical and systematical errors. We provide 8 new measurements of H(z), and determine its change in H(z) to a precision of 5–12% mapping homogeneously the redshift range up to z ∼ 1.1; for the first time, we place a constraint on H(z) at z≠0 with a precision comparable with the one achieved for the Hubble constant (about 5–6% at z ∼ 0.2), and covered a redshift range (0.5 < z < 0.8) which is crucial to distinguish many different quintessence cosmologies. These measurements have been tested to best match a ΛCDM model, clearly providing a statistically robust indication that the Universe is undergoing an accelerated expansion. This method shows the potentiality to open a new avenue in constrain a variety of alternative cosmologies, especially when future surveys (e.g. Euclid) will open the possibility to extend it up to z ∼ 2.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Mixed non-Gaussianity in multiple-DBI inflation

We study a model of multiple-field DBI inflation leading to mixed form of primordial non-Gaussianity, including equilateral and local bispectrum shapes. We present a general formalism based on the Hamilton-Jacobi approach, allowing us to go beyond slow-roll, combining the three-point function for the fields at Hubble-exit with the non-linear evolution of super-Hubble scales. We are able to obtain analytic results by taking a separable Ansatz for the Hubble rate. We find general expressions for both the equilateral and local type non-Gaussianity parameter f{sub NL}. The equilateral non-Gaussianity includes the usual enhancement for small sound speeds, but multiplied by an analytic factor which can lead to a suppression. We illustrate our results with two scenarios. In the first model, previously found to have detectable local non-Gaussianity, we find that the equilateral signal is not sufficiently suppressed to evade current observational bounds. In our second scenario we construct a model which exhibits both a detectable equilateral f{sub NL} and a negative local f{sub NL}.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Non-gaussian mode coupling and the statistical cosmological principle

Local-type primordial non-Gaussianity couples statistics of the curvature perturbation ζ on vastly different physical scales. Because of this coupling, statistics (i.e. the polyspectra) of ζ in our Hubble volume may not be representative of those in the larger universe — that is, they may be biased. The bias depends on the local background value of ζ, which includes contributions from all modes with wavelength k∼<H{sub 0} and is therefore enhanced if the entire post-inflationary patch is large compared with our Hubble volume. We study the bias to locally-measured statistics for general local-type non-Gaussianity. We consider three examples in detail: (i) the usual f{sub NL}, g{sub NL} model, (ii) a strongly non-Gaussian model with ζ ∼ ζ{sub G}{sup p}, and (iii) two-field non-Gaussian initial conditions. In each scenario one may generate statistics in a Hubble-size patch that are weakly Gaussian and consistent with observations despite the fact that the statistics in the larger, post-inflationary patch look very different.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Axion hot dark matter bounds after Planck

We use cosmological observations in the post-Planck era to derive limits on thermally produced cosmological axions. In the early universe such axions contribute to the radiation density and later to the hot dark matter fraction. We find an upper limit m{sub a} < 0.67 eV at 95% C.L. after marginalising over the unknown neutrino masses, using CMB temperature and polarisation data from Planck and WMAP respectively, the halo matter power spectrum extracted from SDSS-DR7, and the local Hubble expansion rate H{sub 0} released by the Carnegie Hubble Program based on a recalibration of the Hubble Space Telescope Key Project sample. Leaving out the local H{sub 0} measurement relaxes the limit somewhat to 0.86 eV, while Planck+WMAP alone constrain the axion mass to 1.01 eV, the first time an upper limit on m{sub a} has been obtained from CMB data alone. Our axion limit is therefore not very sensitive to the tension between the Planck-inferred H{sub 0} and the locally measured value. This is in contrast with the upper limit on the neutrino mass sum, which we find here to range from Σ m{sub ν} < 0.27 eV at 95% C.L. combining all of the aforementioned observations, to 0.84 eV from CMB data alone.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

New limits on coupled dark energy from Planck

Recently, the Planck collaboration has released the first cosmological papers providing the high resolution, full sky, maps of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature anisotropies. It is crucial to understand that whether the accelerating expansion of our universe at present is driven by an unknown energy component (Dark Energy) or a modification to general relativity (Modified Gravity). In this paper we study the coupled dark energy models, in which the quintessence scalar field nontrivially couples to the cold dark matter, with the strength parameter of interaction β. Using the Planck data alone, we obtain that the strength of interaction between dark sectors is constrained as β < 0.102 at 95% confidence level, which is tighter than that from the WMAP9 data alone. Combining the Planck data with other probes, like the Baryon Acoustic Oscillation (BAO), Type-Ia supernovae ''Union2.1 compilation'' and the CMB lensing data from Planck measurement, we find the tight constraint on the strength of interaction β < 0.052 (95% C.L.). Interestingly, we also find a non-zero coupling β = 0.078±0.022 (68% C.L.) when we use the Planck, the ''SNLS'' supernovae samples, and the prior on the Hubble constant from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) together. This evidence for the coupled dark energy models mainly comes from a tension between constraints on the Hubble constant from the Planck measurement and the local direct H{sub 0} probes from HST.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Scalar triplet flavored leptogenesis: a systematic approach

Type-II seesaw is a simple scenario in which Majorana neutrino masses are generated by the exchange of a heavy scalar electroweak triplet. When endowed with additional heavy fields, such as right-handed neutrinos or extra triplets, it also provides a compelling framework for baryogenesis via leptogenesis. We derive in this context the full network of Boltzmann equations for studying leptogenesis in the flavored regime. To this end we determine the relations which hold among the chemical potentials of the various particle species in the thermal bath. This takes into account the standard model Yukawa interactions of both leptons and quarks as well as sphaleron processes which, depending on the temperature, may be classified as faster or slower than the Universe Hubble expansion. We find that when leptogenesis is enabled by the presence of an extra triplet, lepton flavor effects allow the production of the B-L asymmetry through lepton number conserving CP asymmetries. This scenario becomes dominant as soon as the triplets couple more to leptons than to standard model scalar doublets. In this case, the way the B-L asymmetry is created through flavor effects is novel: instead of invoking the effect of L-violating inverse decays faster than the Hubble rate, it involves the effect of L-violating decays slower than the Hubble rate. We also analyze the more general situation where lepton number violating CP asymmetries are present and actively participate in the generation of the B-L asymmetry, pointing out that as long as L-violating triplet decays are still in thermal equilibrium when the triplet gauge scattering processes decouple, flavor effects can be striking, allowing to avoid all washout suppression effects from seesaw interactions. In this case the amount of B-L asymmetry produced is limited only by a universal gauge suppression effect, which nevertheless goes away for large triplet decay rates.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗