We investigate the strange particle composition of the early Universe in the hadron epoch $T_h\approx 150\ge T\ge 10$\,MeV. We study strangeness yield in thermal and chemical equilibrium constrained by prescribed entropy per baryon in a charge neutral and strangeness neutral $\langle s-\bar s\rangle$ Universe. Turning to kinetic processes in a Hubble expanding Universe, we determine conditions at which individual strangeness producing reactions fall out of detailed balance between decay and back-reaction strangeness production rates in presence of decreasing temperature $T$; we allow for weak, electromagnetic, and strong interaction processes. The weak interaction $μ^\pm+ν_μ\rightarrow K^\pm$ freezeout is at $T_f^{K^\pm}=33.8\,\mathrm{MeV}$; the electromagnetic process $l^-+l^+\rightarrowϕ$ freezeout is at $T_f^ϕ=23\sim25\,\mathrm{MeV}$; and the hadronic reaction $π+π\rightarrow K$ freezeout is at $T_f^K=19.8\,\mathrm{MeV}$.
Strangness production processes can balance natural strangeness decay in the early hadronic Universe. Comparing to the characteristic Hubble time $1/H$, the reaction rates for $μ^\pm+ν_μ\rightarrow K^\pm$, $l^-+l^+\rightarrowϕ$, and $π+π\rightarrow K$ in sequence become slower than expansion rate at $T=33.9\,\mathrm{MeV}$, $T=25\,\mathrm{MeV}$ and $T=20\,\mathrm{MeV}$ respectively. This means that in the antibaryon annihilation epoch near to $T\simeq 40\,\mathrm{MeV}$ strangeness is in chemical equilibrium.
We study relative strange particle abundances measured in Pb-Pb 158 A GeV interactions. The thermal and chemical source parameters of these particles are determined under reaction scenario hypothesis invoking confined and deconfined hadronic matter.
The relic cosmological abundance of stable or long-lived neutral colored particles gets reduced by about a few orders of magnitude by annihilations that occur after QCD confinement. We compute the abundance and the cosmological bounds on relic gluinos. The same post-confinement effect strongly enhances co-annihilations with a lighter Dark Matter particle, provided that their mass difference is below a few GeV. Charged colored particles (such as stops) can instead form baryons, which can be (quasi)stable in some models.
We interpret hadronic particle abundances produced in S--Au/W/Pb 200 A GeV reactions in terms of the final state hadronic phase space model and determine by a data fit of the chemical hadron freeze-out parameters. Allowing for the flavor abundance non-equilibrium a highly significant fit to experimental particle abundance data emerges, which supports possibility of strangeness distillation. We find under different strategies stable values for freeze-out temperature T_f=143\pm3 MeV, baryochemical potential μ_B= 173\pm6 MeV, ratio of strangeness (γ_s) and light quark (γ_q) phase space occupancie…
We investigate here the relative abundance of strange particles produced in nuclear collisions at the SPS energies (9 GeV A in CM frame) assuming that the central reaction fireball consists of quark-gluon plasma. We show that the total strangeness yield in S-S, S-Ag and S-W reactions is compatible with this picture.
The equilibration of the right-helicity states $ν_+$ of light Dirac-neutrinos is discussed. I point out that the $ν_+$ production rate is enhanced by weak gauge boson pole effects so that the right-helicity component of $ν_τ$ is brought into equilibrium at $T\simeq 10$ GeV independently of the initial abundance, provided $m_{ν_τ}\gsim 10$ keV. Neutrino spin flip in primordial magnetic fields and the resulting bound on $μ_ν$ is also discussed.
We show that a supersymmetric neutral Higgs boson with a mass of about 115 GeV and with the other prerequisites required by the LEP Higgs events would be compatible with the detection of relic neutralinos in current set-ups for WIMP direct search. Thus this putative Higgs would fit remarkably well in an interpretation in terms of relic neutralinos of the annual-modulation effect recently measured in a WIMP direct experiment. We also show that the cosmological abundance of the relevant neutralinos reaches values of cosmological interest.
We discuss the relic abundance of asymmetric Dark Matter particles in modified cosmological scenarios where the Hubble rate is changed with respect to the standard cosmological scenario. The modified Hubble rate leaves its imprint on the relic abundance of asymmetric Dark Matter particles if the asymmetric Dark Matter particles freeze--out in this era. For generality we parameterize the modification of the Hubble rate and then calculate the relic abundance of asymmetric Dark Matter particles and anti--particles. We found the abundances for the Dark Matter particles and anti--particles are enha…
Abundance of stable charged massive particles (CHAMPs) is severely constrained by their searches inside sea water. We examine whether inflation with low reheat temperature can sufficiently dilute the abundance to evade this severe bound on CHAMPs, by taking into account their production and annihilation in a plasma during reheating phase. We argue that the abundance of the CHAMPs with mass less than 1 TeV will exceed the experimental bound, ruling out these CHAMPs, especially the possibility of the superpartner of tau lepton as the stable lightest superparticle. On the other hand, it is found …
It is often the case that scalar fields are produced in the early Universe in the form of coherent oscillation. These scalar fields may have huge abundances and affect the evolution of the Universe. In particular, if the lifetime is long enough, they may cause cosmological disasters. We revisit the issue of coherent oscillation of the scalar field when it couples with another oscillating scalar field, and find a situation that the abundance, or the amplitude of the oscillation, is significantly reduced by a variant type of the adiabatic suppression mechanism. As a concrete example, it is appli…
We present generic formulae for computing how Sommerfeld corrections together with bound-state formation affects the thermal abundance of Dark Matter with non-abelian gauge interactions. We consider DM as a fermion 3plet (wino) or 5plet under SU(2)$_L$. In the latter case bound states raise to 14 TeV the DM mass required to reproduce the cosmological DM abundance and give indirect detection signals such as (for this mass) a dominant $γ$-line around 85 GeV. Furthermore, we consider DM co-annihilating with a colored particle, such as a squark or a gluino, finding that bound state effects are esp…
Residual late-time dark matter particle annihilations during and after Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) may alter the predicted cosmological abundances of the light elements. Within the constrained minimal supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model (the CMSSM) with a neutralino LSP, we find negligible effects on the abundances of Deuterium, He3, He4 and Li7 predicted by homogeneous BBN, but potentially a large enhancement in the predicted abundance of Li6. This enhancement may be as much as two orders of magnitude in the focus-point WMAP strip and in the coannihilation and funnel regions for…
The standard theoretical estimation of the thermal dark matter abundance may be significantly altered if properties of dark matter particles in the early universe and at the present cosmological epoch differ. This may happen if, e.g., a cosmological phase existed in the early universe during which dark matter particles were temporarily unstable and their abundance was reduced through their decays. We argue that a large class of microscopic theories which are rejected due to the dark matter overproduction, may actually be viable theories if certain macroscopic conditions were satisfied in the e…
We study the equilibration of the right-helicity states of light Dirac neutrinos in the early universe by solving the momentum dependent Boltzmann equations numerically. We show that the main effect is due to electroweak gauge boson poles, which enhance thermalization rates by some three orders of magnitude. The right-helicity states of tau neutrinos will be brought in equilibrium independently of their initial distribution at a temperature above the poles if the tau neutrino mass is larger than about 10 keV.
We estimate the cosmological abundance of a modulus field that has dilatonic couplings to gauge fields, paying particular attention to thermal corrections on the modulus potential. We find that a certain amount of the modulus coherent oscillations is necessarily induced by a linear thermal effect. We argue that such an estimate provides the smallest possible modulus abundance for a given thermal history of the Universe. As an example we apply our results to a saxion, a bosonic supersymmetric partner of an axion, and derive a tight bound on the reheating temperature. We emphasize that the probl…
We study the cosmological evolution of the QCD axion coupled to hidden photons. For a moderately strong coupling, the motion of the axion field leads to an explosive production of hidden photons by tachyonic instability. We use lattice simulations to evaluate the cosmological abundance of the QCD axion. In doing so, we incorporate the backreaction of the produced hidden photons on the axion dynamics, which becomes significant in the non-linear regime. We find that the axion abundance is suppressed by at most ${\cal O}(10^{2})$ for the decay constant $f_a = 10^{16}$ GeV, compared to the case wi…
We investigate the relic density n_χof non-relativistic long-lived or stable particles χin cosmological scenarios in which the temperature T is too low for χto achieve full chemical equilibrium. The case with a heavier particle decaying into χis also investigated. We derive approximate solutions for n_χ(T) which accurately reproduce numerical results when full thermal equilibrium is not achieved. If full equilibrium is reached, our ansatz no longer reproduces the correct temperature dependence of the χnumber density. However, it does give the correct final relic density, to an accuracy of abou…
The relic abundance of light millicharged particles (MCPs) with the electric charge $e' = 5\cdot 10^{-5} e$ and with the mass slightly below or above the electron mass is calculated. The abundance depends on the mass ratio $η=m_X/m_e$ and for $η<1$ can be high enough to allow MCPs to be the cosmological dark matter or to make a noticeable contribution to it. On the other hand, for $η\gtrsim 1$ the cosmological energy density of MCPs can be quite low, $Ω_X h_0^2 \approx 0.02$ for scalar MCPs, and $Ω_X h_0^2 \approx 0.001$ for spin 1/2 fermions. But even the lowest value of $Ω_X h_0^2$ is in ten…
We consider the effects of uncertainties in nuclear reaction rates on the cosmological constraints on the decays of unstable particles during or after Big-Bang nucleosynthesis (BBN). We identify the nuclear reactions due to non-thermal hadrons that are the most important in perturbing standard BBN, then quantify the uncertainties in these reactions and in the resulting light-element abundances. These results also indicate the key nuclear processes for which improved cross section data would allow different light-element abundances to be determined more accurately, thereby making possible more …
We study primordial nucleosynthesis abundance yields for assumed ranges of cosmological lepton numbers, sterile neutrino mass-squared differences and active-sterile vacuum mixing angles. We fix the baryon-to-photon ratio at the value derived from the cosmic microwave background (CMB) data and then calculate the deviation of the 2H, 4He, and 7Li abundance yields from those expected in the zero lepton number(s), no-new-neutrino-physics case. We conclude that high precision (< 5% error) measurements of the primordial 2H abundance from, e.g., QSO absorption line observations coupled with high prec…
We studied previously the impact on light-element abundances of gravitinos decaying during or after Big-Bang nucleosynthesis (BBN). We found regions of the gravitino mass m_{3/2} and abundance zeta_{3/2} plane where its decays could reconcile the calculated abundance of Li7 with observation without perturbing the other light-element abundances unacceptably. Here we revisit this issue in light of LHC measurements of the Higgs mass and constraints on supersymmetric model parameters, as well as updates in the astrophysical measurements of light-element abundances. In addition to the constrained m…
We describe AlterBBN, a public C program for evaluating the abundances of the elements generated by Big-Bang nucleosynthesis (BBN). This program enables the user to compute the abundances of the elements in the standard model of cosmology, and additionally provides possibilities to alter the assumptions of the cosmological model in order to study their consequences on the abundances of the elements. In particular the baryon-to-photon ratio and the effective number of neutrinos, as well as the expansion rate and the entropy content of the Universe during BBN can be modified in AlterBBN. Such fe…
Alternative cosmologies, based on extensions of General Relativity, predict modified thermal histories in the Early Universe during the pre Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) era, epoch which is not directly constrained by cosmological observations. When the expansion rate is enhanced with respect to the standard case, thermal relics typically decouple with larger relic abundances. The correct value of the relic abundance is therefore obtained for larger annihilation cross--sections, as compared to standard cosmology. A direct consequence is that indirect detection rates are enhanced. Extending pr…
The discrepancy on Li^7 and Li^6 abundances between the observational data and the standard Big Bang Nucleosynthesis theory prediction has been a nagging problem in astrophysics and cosmology, given the highly attractive and succesful Big Bang paradigm. One possible solution of this lithium problem is through hadronic decays of a massive metastable particle which alter the primordial element abundances. We explore this possibility using gravitino dark matter framework in which the next lightest supersymmetric particle (NLSP) is typically long-lived. We found that stop NLSP can provide an attra…
We review the cosmological implications of a relic population of pseudo Nambu-Goldstone bosons (pNGB) with an anomalous coupling to two photons, often called axion-like particles (ALPs). We establish constraints on the pNGB mass and two-photon coupling by considering big bang nucleosynthesis, the physics of the cosmic microwave background, and the diffuse photon background. The bounds from WMAP7 and other large-scale-structure data on the effective number of neutrino species can be stronger than the traditional bounds from the primordial helium abundance. These bounds, together with those from…
Accepting the fine tuned cosmological constant hypothesis, we have recently proposed that this hypothesis can be tested if the dark matter freeze out occurs at the electroweak scale and if one were to measure an anomalous shift in the dark matter relic abundance. In this paper, we numerically compute this relic abundance shift in the context of explicit singlet extensions of the Standard Model and explore the properties of the phase transition which would lead to the observationally most favorable scenario. Through the numerical exploration, we explicitly identify a parameter space in a single…
We revisit the constraint on the primordial helium mass fraction Yp from observations of cosmic microwave background (CMB) alone. By minimizing chi square of recent CMB experiments over 6 other cosmological parameters, we obtained rather weak constraints as 0.17 < Yp < 0.52 at 1 sigma C.L. for a particular data set. We also study the future constraint on cosmological parameters when we take account of the prediction of the standard big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) theory as a prior on the helium mass fraction where Yp can be fixed for a given energy density of baryon. We discuss the implications…
Axion-like particles with masses in the keV-GeV range have a profound impact on the cosmological evolution of our Universe, in particular on the abundance of light elements produced during Big Bang Nucleosynthesis. The resulting limits are complementary to searches in the laboratory and provide valuable additional information regarding the validity of a given point in parameter space. A potential drawback is that altering the cosmological history may potentially weaken or even fully invalidate these bounds. The main objective of this article is therefore to evaluate the robustness of cosmologi…
The $^7$Li abundance calculated in BBN with the baryon-to-photon ratio fixed from fits to the CMB power spectrum is inconsistent with the observed lithium abundances on the surface of metal-poor halo stars. Previous cosmological solutions proposed to resolve this $^7$Li problem include photon cooling (possibly via the Bose-Einstein condensation of a scalar particle) or the decay of a long-lived $X-$particle (possibly the next-to-lightest supersymmetric particle). In this paper we reanalyze these solutions, both separately and in concert. We also introduce the possibility of a primordial magnet…
Particle creation during inflation is considered. It could be important for species whose interaction is of gravitational strength or weaker. A complete but economical formalism is given for spin-zero and spin-half particles, and the particle abundance is estimated on the assumption that the particle mass in the early universe is of order the Hubble parameter $H$. It is roughly the same for both spins, and it is argued that the same estimate should hold for higher spin particles in particular the gravitino. The abundance is bigger than that from the usual particle collision mechanism if the in…
We consider the effects of metastable charged sparticles on Big-Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN), including bound-state reaction rates and chemical effects. We make a new analysis of the bound states of negatively-charged massive particles with the light nuclei most prominent in BBN, and present a new code to track their abundances, paying particular attention to that of Li7. Assuming, as an example, that the gravitino is the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP), and that the lighter stau slepton, stau_1, is the metastable next-to-lightest sparticle within the constrained minimal supersymmetric ex…
We use Big Bang Nucleosynthesis calculations and light element abundance data to constrain the relative variation of the deuteron binding energy since the universe was a few minutes old, $δQ = Q(BBN)-Q(present)$. Two approaches are used, first treating the baryon to photon ratio, $η$, as a free parameter, but with the additional freedom of varying $δQ$, and second using the WMAP value of $η$ and solving only for $δQ$. Including varying $Q$ yields a better fit to the observational data than imposing the present day value, rectifying the discrepancy between the $^4He$ abundance and the deuterium…
In this work we show that the cosmological lithium problem and the $H_0$ tension could be eased at the same time by allowing variations in the fundamental constants. We compute the primordial abundances of light elements resulting from Big Bang Nucleosynthesis considering the fine structure constant, the Higgs' vacuum expectation value and Newton's constant as free parameters. Using the observational data for abundances, we set constraints on the variations of the fundamental constants. An interpretation of the results in terms of the number of effective relativistic species gives $N_{\rm eff}…
One signature of an expanding universe is the time-variation of the cosmological abundances of its different components. For example, a radiation-dominated universe inevitably gives way to a matter-dominated universe, and critical moments such as matter-radiation equality are fleeting. In this paper, we point out that this lore is not always correct, and that it is possible to obtain a form of "stasis" in which the relative cosmological abundances $Ω_i$ of the different components remain unchanged over extended cosmological epochs, even as the universe expands. Moreover, we demonstrate that su…
The string theory predicts many light fields called moduli and axions, which cause a cosmological problem due to the overproduction of their coherent oscillation after inflation. One of the prominent solutions is an adiabatic suppression mechanism, which, however, is non-trivial to achieve in the case of axions because it necessitates a large effective mass term which decreases as a function of time. The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, we provide an analytic method to calculate the cosmological abundance of coherent oscillation in a general situation under the adiabatic suppression me…
The Standard Model and its extensions predict multiple phase transitions in the early universe. In addition to the electroweak phase transition, one or several of these could occur at energies close to the weak scale. Such phase transitions can leave their imprint on the relic abundance of TeV-scale dark matter. In this paper, we enumerate several physical features of a generic phase transition and parameterize the effect of each on the relic abundance. In particular, we include among these effects the presence of the scalar field vacuum energy and the cosmological constant, which is sensitive…
In models of coupled dark energy and dark matter the mass of the dark matter particle depends on the cosmological evolution of the dark energy field. In this note we exemplify in a simple model the effects of this mass variation on the relic abundance of cold dark matter.
Recently, the Planck satellite found a larger and most precise value of the matter energy density, that impacts on the present values of other cosmological parameters such as the Hubble constant, the present cluster abundances and the age of the Universe. The existing tension between Planck determination of these parameters in the frame of the base LambdaCDM model and their direct measurements generated lively discussions and several interpretations. In this paper we quantify this tension by exploring several extensions of the base LambdaCDM model that include the leptonic asymmetry. We set bo…
We study cosmological effects of explicit Peccei-Quinn breaking on the QCD axion dark matter. We find that the axion abundance decreases or increases significantly depending on the initial position, even for a tiny Peccei-Quinn breaking that satisfies the experimental bound of the neutron electric dipole measurements. If the axion first starts to oscillate around a wrong vacuum and if it gets trapped there until the false vacuum disappears due to non-perturbative QCD effects, its abundance increases significantly and is independent of the decay constant $f_a$, as first pointed out in [JHEP 06 …
There is a significant discrepancy between the current theoretical prediction of the cosmological lithium abundance, mostly produced as Be7 during the Big Bang, and its observationally inferred value. We investigate whether the resonant enhancement of Be7 burning reactions may alleviate this discrepancy. We identify one narrow nuclear level in B9, E_{5/2^+} \simeq 16.7 MeV that is not sufficiently studied experimentally, and being just \sim 200 keV above the Be7+d threshold, may lead to the resonant enhancement of Be7(d,γ)B9 and Be7(d,p)ααreactions. We determine the relationship between the do…
The cosmological consequences of $f(R)$ gravity are reviewed in the framework of recent data obtained by PAMELA (Payload for Antimatter Matter Exploration and Light-nuclei Astrophysics) experiment. This collaboration has reported an excess of positron events that cannot be explained by conventional cosmology and particle physics, and are usually ascribed to the dark matter presence (in particular, weak interacting massive particles). The dark matter interpretation of PAMELA data has motivated the study of alternative cosmological models (with respect to the standard cosmology) owing to the fac…
