We calculate cosmological and astrophysical bounds on the couplings between standard model fields and tensor unparticles. The present day density of tensor unparticles from neutrino-neutrino and photon-photon annihilation is calculated. Also, the supernovae volume energy loss rates from electron-positron and photon-photon annihilation to tensor unparticles are calculated. The constraints from matter density and supernovae volume energy loss rates from photon-photon annihilation are on the same order of magnitude, while the bounds from supernovae volume energy loss rates from electron-positron annihilation are an order of magnitude lower. We find the couplings between standard model fields and tensor unparticles are at least an order of magnitude lower than those used for previous studies of tensor unparticle collider phenomenology.
Unparticle physics has been an active field since the seminal work of Georgi. Recently, many constraints on unparticles from various observations have been considered in the literature. In particular, the cosmological constraints on the unparticle dark component put it in a serious situation. In this work, we try to find a way out of this serious situation, by including the possible interaction between dark energy and the unparticle dark component.
We discuss cosmological consequences of the existence of physics beyond the standard model that exhibits Banks-Zaks and unparticle behavior in the UV and IR respectively. We first derive the equation of state for unparticles and use it to obtain the temperature dependence of the corresponding energy and entropy densities. We then formulate the Boltzmann and Kubo equations for both the unparticles and the Banks-Zaks particles, and use these results to determine the equilibrium conditions between the standard model and the new physics. We conclude by obtaining the constraints on the effective nu…
Based on astrophysical constraints derived from Chandrasekhar's mass limit for white-dwarfs, we study the effects of the model on the parameters of unparticle-inspired gravity, on scales $Λ_U > 1 \; TeV$ and $d_U \approx 1$.
Vector unparticle couplings to standard model fields produce repulsive corrections to gravity. From a general relativistic perspective, this leads to an effective Reissner-Nordström-like metric whose "charge" is a function of the unparticle coupling constant $λ$, and therefore can admit naked singularities. Requiring the system to respect cosmic censorship provides a new method of constraining the value of $λ$. These limits are extremely loose for stellar-mass black holes, but commensurate with existing bounds for primordial black holes. In the case of theoretical low-mass black holes, the bou…
Addressing the discrepancy between the late and early time measurements of the Hubble parameter, $H_0$, and the so-called $S_8$ parameter has been a challenge in precision cosmology. Several models are present to address these tensions, but very few of them can do so simultaneously. In the past, we have suggested Banks-Zaks/Unparticles as an emergent Dark Energy model and claimed that it can ameliorate the Hubble tension. In this work, we test this claim and perform a likelihood analysis of the model and its parameters are given current data and compare it to $Λ$CDM. The model offers a possibl…
A limiting temperature of a species can cause the Universe to asymptote to it yielding a deSitter (dS) phase due to macroscopic emergent behavior. The limiting temperature is generic for theories slightly shifted from their conformal point. We demonstrate such behavior in the example of unparticles/Banks-Zaks theory. The unparticles behave like radiation at high energies reducing the Hubble tension, and a cosmological constant (CC) at low energies yielding a model that follows closely ΛCDM model but due to collective phenomenon. It is technically natural and avoids the no-dS conjecture. The mo…
In a recent paper \cite{Artymowski:2020zwy} we suggested the possibility that the present acceleration of the Universe is due to thermodynamical behavior of unparticles. The model is free of scalar fields, modified gravity, a Cosmological Constant (CC), the coincidence problem, initial conditions problem and possesses interesting distinct predictions regarding the equation of state of Dark Energy, the growth rate and the number of relativistic degrees of freedom at BBN and CMB decoupling. In this work, we relate to a recent paper \cite{Abchouyeh:2021wey}, which discusses a similar setup of unp…
We present a simple model of dark matter that can address astrophysical and cosmological puzzles across a wide range of scales. The model is an application of the Secretly Asymmetric Dark Matter mechanism, where several flavors of dark matter are fully asymmetric despite an exact dark matter number symmetry $U(1)_χ$. The dark matter relic abundance arises from these asymmetries, generated in the early universe through right-handed neutrino decays. The $U(1)_χ$ is gauged by a massless dark photon, and asymmetries with opposite signs in the different DM flavors result in the formation of bound s…
Cosmological and astrophysical measurements provide powerful constraints on neutrino masses complementary to those from accelerators and reactors. Here we provide a guide to these different probes, for each explaining its physical basis, underlying assumptions, current and future reach.
The discovery of neutrino masses implies the existence of new particles, the sterile neutrinos. These particles can have important implications for cosmology and astrophysics. A sterile neutrino with mass of a few keV can account for the dark matter of the universe. Its relic abundance can be produced via different mechanisms. A minimal extension of the Higgs sector of the Standard Model, with a gauge-singlet boson coupled to sterile neutrinos, can provide a consistent framework for the theory of neutrino masses, and can produce relic keV sterile neutrinos via decays of the singlet Higgs. This…
Studies of dark matter models lie at the interface of astrophysics, cosmology, nuclear physics and collider physics. Constraining such models entails the capability to compare their predictions to a wide range of observations. In this review, we present the impact of global constraints to a specific class of models, called dark matter simplified models. These models have been adopted in the context of collider studies to classify the possible signatures due to dark matter production, with a reduced number of free parameters. We classify the models that have been analysed so far and for each of…
Cosmological observations are a powerful probe of neutrino properties, and in particular of their mass. In this review, we first discuss the role of neutrinos in shaping the cosmological evolution at both the background and perturbation level, and describe their effects on cosmological observables such as the cosmic microwave background and the distribution of matter at large scale. We then present the state of the art concerning the constraints on neutrino masses from those observables, and also review the prospects for future experiments. We also briefly discuss the prospects for determining…
Despite being a well understood phenomenon in the context of current terrestrial experiments, neutrino flavor conversions in dense astrophysical environments probably represent one of the most challenging open problems in neutrino physics. Apart from being theoretically interesting, such a problem has several phenomenological implications in cosmology and in astrophysics, including the primordial nucleosynthesis of light elements abundance and other cosmological observables, nucleosynthesis of heavy nuclei and the explosion of massive stars. In this review, we briefly summarize the state of th…
We investigate the cosmological and astrophysical constraints on superconducting cosmic strings (SCSs). SCS loops emit strong bursts of electromagnetic waves, which might affect various cosmological and astrophysical observations. We take into account the effect on the CMB anisotropy, CMB blackbody spectrum, BBN, observational implications on radio wave burst and X-ray or gamma-ray events, and stochastic gravitational wave background measured by pulsar timing experiments. We then derive constraints on the parameters of SCS from current observations and estimate prospects for detecting SCS sign…
Cosmic strings can arise in hidden sector models with a spontaneously broken Abelian symmetry group. We have studied the couplings of the Standard Model fields to these so-called dark strings in the companion paper. Here we survey the cosmological and astrophysical observables that could be associated with the presence of dark strings in our universe with an emphasis on low-scale models, perhaps TeV. Specifically, we consider constraints from nucleosynthesis and CMB spectral distortions, and we calculate the predicted fluxes of diffuse gamma ray cascade photons and cosmic rays. For strings as …
Astronomical observations of recent years show that the universe at high redshifts about ten is densely populated by the early formed objects: bright galaxies, quasars, gamma-bursters, and contains a lot of metals and dust. Such rich early formed varieties have not been expected in the standard model of formation of astrophysical objects. There is serious tension between the standard theory and observations.We describe the model which naturally relaxes this tension and nicely fits the data. The model naturally leads to creation of cosmologically significant antimatter which may be abundant eve…
Kaluza-Klein Contamination in Fermi Accelerated Environments
新物理学的天体物理约束通常限于弱相互作用的轻粒子，如轴子，ADD模型的卡鲁扎-克莱因（KK）引力子，无菌中微子和非粒子。我们讨论了天体物理方案的可能性，以（DIS）确认新的物理超过TeV的能量尺度的重粒子。在我们的假设中，宇宙额外维度（UED）框架内的KK质子（质子中的KK激发夸克/胶子）是由费米加速环境中的高能p + p碰撞产生的，质子各向同性谱d N / d E \propto E^-2至少达到10 ^18 eV。因此，由于它们也是带电的，它们应该通过类似于正常质子的机制重新加速。对于一定的能量E（在适当的假设范围内），KK态（不管它们是否已经衰变为最轻的KK粒子）应该会污染10^-5 ~ 10^-2的宇宙射线事件。因此，如果我们有技术从空气簇射数据中识别它们，我们就可以限制UED场景。我们的方法是一个“存在性证明”，我们可以限制新的物理超过TeV规模或更高的经典天体物理方案，这也可以推广到超对称模型，散装标准模型领域内的RS模型，和层出不穷的新模型。此外，它还可以利用在陆地实验中不可能研究的领域。
We study the problem of relaxing a large cosmological constant in the astrophysical domain through a dynamical mechanism based on a modified action of gravity previously considered by us at the cosmological level. We solve the model in the Schwarzschild-de Sitter metric for large and small astrophysical scales, and address its physical interpretation by separately studying the Jordan's frame and Einstein's frame formulations of it. In particular, we determine the extremely weak strength of fifth forces in our model and show that they are virtually unobservable. Finally, we estimate the influen…
Gravitational waves (GWs) at ultra-low frequencies (${\lesssim 100\,\mathrm{nHz}}$) are key to understanding the assembly and evolution of astrophysical black hole (BH) binaries with masses $\sim 10^{6}-10^{9}\,M_\odot$ at low redshifts. These GWs also offer a unique window into a wide variety of cosmological processes. Pulsar timing arrays (PTAs) are beginning to measure this stochastic signal at $\sim 1-100\,\mathrm{nHz}$ and the combination of data from several arrays is expected to confirm a detection in the next few years. The dominant physical processes generating gravitational radiation…
Rolling tachyon field models are among the candidates suggested as explanations for the recent acceleration of the Universe. In these models the field is expected to interact with gauge fields and lead to variations of the fine-structure constant $α$. Here we take advantage of recent observational progress and use a combination of background cosmological observations of Type Ia supernovas and astrophysical and local measurements of $α$ to improve constraints on this class of models. We show that the constraints on $α$ imply that the field dynamics must be extremely slow, leading to a constrain…
High energy neutrino astrophysics has come of age with the discovery by IceCube of neutrinos in the TeV to PeV energy range attributable to extragalactic sources at cosmological distances. At such energies, astrophysical neutrinos must have their origin in cosmic ray interactions, providing information about the sources of high energy cosmic rays, as well as leading to the co-production of high energy gamma-rays. The intimate link with these latter two independently observed types of radiation provides important tools in the search for identifying and understanding the nature of their astrophy…
We examine the cosmological and astrophysical signatures of a "dark baryon," a neutral fermion that mixes with the neutron. As the mixing is through a higher-dimensional operator at the quark level, production of the dark baryon at high energies is enhanced so that its abundance in the early universe may be significant. Treating its initial abundance as a free parameter, we derive new, powerful limits on the properties of the dark baryon. Primordial nucleosynthesis and the cosmic microwave background provide strong constraints due to the inter-conversion of neutrons to dark baryons through the…
While astrophysical and cosmological probes provide a remarkably precise and consistent picture of the quantity and general properties of dark matter, its fundamental nature remains one of the most significant open questions in physics. Obtaining a more comprehensive understanding of dark matter within the next decade will require overcoming a number of theoretical challenges: the groundwork for these strides is being laid now, yet much remains to be done. Chief among the upcoming challenges is establishing the theoretical foundation needed to harness the full potential of new observables in t…
We derive the evolution equations for a system of neutrinos interacting among themselves and with a matter background, based upon the Bogoliubov-Born-Green-Kirkwood-Yvon (BBGKY) hierarchy. This theoretical framework gives an (unclosed) set of first-order coupled integro-differential equations governing the evolution of the reduced density matrices. By employing the hierarchy, we first rederive the mean-field evolution equations for the neutrino one-body density matrix associated with a system of neutrinos and antineutrinos interacting with matter and with an anisotropic neutrino background. Th…
Searching for cosmological stochastic backgrounds by notching out resolvable compact binary foregrounds with next-generation gravitational-wave detectors
Astrophysics gives evidence for the existence of Dark Matter and puts constraints on its nature. The Cold Dark Matter model has become "standard" cosmology combined with a cosmological constant. There are indications that "Cold" Dark Matter could be "warmer" than initially discussed. This paper reviews the main information on the Cold/Warm nature of Dark Matter.
In this letter we compute stringent astrophysical and cosmological constraints on a recently proposed Eddington-inspired Born-Infeld theory of gravity. We find, using a generalized version of the Zel'dovich approximation, that in this theory a pressureless cold dark matter fluid has a non-zero effective sound speed. We compute the corresponding effective Jeans length and show that it is approximately equal to the fundamental length of the theory $R_*=κ^{1/2} G^{-1/2}$, where $κ$ is the only additional parameter of theory with respect to general relativity and $G$ is the gravitational constant.…
