64 research outputs found
Constraints on vacuum energy from structure formation and Nucleosynthesis
This paper derives an upper limit on the density ρΛ of dark energy based on the requirement that cosmological structure forms before being frozen out by the eventual acceleration of the universe. By allowing for variations in both the cosmological parameters and the strength of gravity, the resulting constraint is a generalization of previous limits. The specific parameters under consideration include the amplitude Q of the primordial density fluctuations, the Planck mass Mpl, the baryon-to-photon ratio η, and the density ratio ΩM/Ωb. In addition to structure formation, we use considerations from stellar structure and Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) to constrain these quantities. The resulting upper limit on the dimensionless density of dark energy becomes ρΛ/Mpl4 < 10−90, which is ~30 orders of magnitude larger than the value in our universe ρΛ/Mpl4 ~ 10−120. This new limit is much less restrictive than previous constraints because additional parameters are allowed to vary. With these generalizations, a much wider range of universes can develop cosmic structure and support observers. To constrain the constituent parameters, new BBN calculations are carried out in the regime where η and G = Mpl−2 are much larger than in our universe. If the BBN epoch were to process all of the protons into heavier elements, no hydrogen would be left behind to make water, and the universe would not be viable. However, our results show that some hydrogen is always left over, even under conditions of extremely large η and G, so that a wide range of alternate universes are potentially habitable
Two-Moment Neutrino Flavor Transformation with applications to the Fast Flavor Instability in Neutron Star Mergers
Multi-Messenger Astrophysics (MMA) has produced a wealth of data with much
more to come in the future. This enormous data set will reveal new insights
into the physics of Core Collapse SuperNovae (CCSN), Binary Neutron Star
Mergers (BNSM), and many other objects where it is actually possible, if not
probable, that new physics is in operation. To tease out different
possibilities, we will need to analyze signals from photons, neutrinos,
gravitational waves, and chemical elements. This task is made all the more
difficult when it is necessary to evolve the neutrino component of the
radiation field and associated quantum-mechanical property of flavor in order
to model the astrophysical system of interest -- a numerical challenge that has
not been addressed to this day. In this work, we take a step in this direction
by adopting the technique of angular-integrated moments with a truncated tower
of dynamical equations and a closure, convolving a flavor-transformation with
spatial transport to evolve the neutrino radiation quantum field. We show that
moments capture the dynamical features of Fast Flavor Instabilities (FFI) and
provide comparable results to a more precise particle-in-cell method. We
propose areas for improvement in the future.Comment: 27 pages, 4 tables, 11 figure
Neutrino flavor mixing with moments
The successful transition from core-collapse supernova simulations using
classical neutrino transport to simulations using quantum neutrino transport
will require the development of methods for calculating neutrino flavor
transformations that mitigate the computational expense. One potential approach
is the use of angular moments of the neutrino field, which has the added appeal
that there already exist simulation codes which make use of moments for
classical neutrino transport. Evolution equations for quantum moments based on
the quantum kinetic equations can be straightforwardly generalized from the
evolution of classical moments based on the Boltzmann equation. We present an
efficient implementation of neutrino transformation using quantum angular
moments in the free streaming, spherically symmetric bulb model. We compare the
results against analytic solutions and the results from more exact multi-angle
neutrino flavor evolution calculations. We find that our moment-based methods
employing scalar closures predict, with good accuracy, the onset of collective
flavor transformations seen in the multi-angle results. However in some
situations they overestimate the coherence of neutrinos traveling along
different trajectories. More sophisticated quantum closures may improve the
agreement between the inexpensive moment-based methods and the multi-angle
approach.Comment: Accepted in Physical Review
CMB-S4 Science Book, First Edition
This book lays out the scientific goals to be addressed by the
next-generation ground-based cosmic microwave background experiment, CMB-S4,
envisioned to consist of dedicated telescopes at the South Pole, the high
Chilean Atacama plateau and possibly a northern hemisphere site, all equipped
with new superconducting cameras. CMB-S4 will dramatically advance cosmological
studies by crossing critical thresholds in the search for the B-mode
polarization signature of primordial gravitational waves, in the determination
of the number and masses of the neutrinos, in the search for evidence of new
light relics, in constraining the nature of dark energy, and in testing general
relativity on large scales
Catching Element Formation In The Act
Gamma-ray astronomy explores the most energetic photons in nature to address
some of the most pressing puzzles in contemporary astrophysics. It encompasses
a wide range of objects and phenomena: stars, supernovae, novae, neutron stars,
stellar-mass black holes, nucleosynthesis, the interstellar medium, cosmic rays
and relativistic-particle acceleration, and the evolution of galaxies. MeV
gamma-rays provide a unique probe of nuclear processes in astronomy, directly
measuring radioactive decay, nuclear de-excitation, and positron annihilation.
The substantial information carried by gamma-ray photons allows us to see
deeper into these objects, the bulk of the power is often emitted at gamma-ray
energies, and radioactivity provides a natural physical clock that adds unique
information. New science will be driven by time-domain population studies at
gamma-ray energies. This science is enabled by next-generation gamma-ray
instruments with one to two orders of magnitude better sensitivity, larger sky
coverage, and faster cadence than all previous gamma-ray instruments. This
transformative capability permits: (a) the accurate identification of the
gamma-ray emitting objects and correlations with observations taken at other
wavelengths and with other messengers; (b) construction of new gamma-ray maps
of the Milky Way and other nearby galaxies where extended regions are
distinguished from point sources; and (c) considerable serendipitous science of
scarce events -- nearby neutron star mergers, for example. Advances in
technology push the performance of new gamma-ray instruments to address a wide
set of astrophysical questions.Comment: 14 pages including 3 figure
Science from an Ultra-Deep, High-Resolution Millimeter-Wave Survey
Opening up a new window of millimeter-wave observations that span frequency
bands in the range of 30 to 500 GHz, survey half the sky, and are both an order
of magnitude deeper (about 0.5 uK-arcmin) and of higher-resolution (about 10
arcseconds) than currently funded surveys would yield an enormous gain in
understanding of both fundamental physics and astrophysics. In particular, such
a survey would allow for major advances in measuring the distribution of dark
matter and gas on small-scales, and yield needed insight on 1.) dark matter
particle properties, 2.) the evolution of gas and galaxies, 3.) new light
particle species, 4.) the epoch of inflation, and 5.) the census of bodies
orbiting in the outer Solar System.Comment: 5 pages + references; Submitted to the Astro2020 call for science
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Catching Element Formation In The Act
Gamma-ray astronomy explores the most energetic photons in nature to address
some of the most pressing puzzles in contemporary astrophysics. It encompasses
a wide range of objects and phenomena: stars, supernovae, novae, neutron stars,
stellar-mass black holes, nucleosynthesis, the interstellar medium, cosmic rays
and relativistic-particle acceleration, and the evolution of galaxies. MeV
gamma-rays provide a unique probe of nuclear processes in astronomy, directly
measuring radioactive decay, nuclear de-excitation, and positron annihilation.
The substantial information carried by gamma-ray photons allows us to see
deeper into these objects, the bulk of the power is often emitted at gamma-ray
energies, and radioactivity provides a natural physical clock that adds unique
information. New science will be driven by time-domain population studies at
gamma-ray energies. This science is enabled by next-generation gamma-ray
instruments with one to two orders of magnitude better sensitivity, larger sky
coverage, and faster cadence than all previous gamma-ray instruments. This
transformative capability permits: (a) the accurate identification of the
gamma-ray emitting objects and correlations with observations taken at other
wavelengths and with other messengers; (b) construction of new gamma-ray maps
of the Milky Way and other nearby galaxies where extended regions are
distinguished from point sources; and (c) considerable serendipitous science of
scarce events -- nearby neutron star mergers, for example. Advances in
technology push the performance of new gamma-ray instruments to address a wide
set of astrophysical questions
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