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Register a new userWhich Fundamental Constants for CMB and BAO?
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James Rich
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We use the three-scale framework of Hu et al. to show how the Cosmic Microwave Background anisotropy spectrum depends on the fundamental constants. As expected, the spectrum depends only on emph{dimensionless} combinations of the constants, and we emphasize the points that make this generally true for cosmological observables. Our analysis suggests that the CMB spectrum shape is mostly determined by $alpha^2m_e/m_p$ and the proton-CDM-particle mass ratio, $m_p/mchi$. The distance to the last-scattering surface depends on $Gm_pmchi/hbar c$, so published CMB observational limits on time variations of the constants implicitly assume the time-independence of this quantity, as well as assuming a flat-lcdm~cosmological model. On the other hand, low-redshift BAO, $H_0$ and baryon-mass-fraction measurements can be combined with the emph{shape} of the CMB spectrum to give information that is largely independent of these assumptions. In particular we show that the pre-recombination values of $Gmchi^2/hbar c$, $m_p/mchi$ and $alpha^2m_e/m_p$ are equal to their present values at a precision of $sim15%$.
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Absorption-line systems detected in high resolution quasar spectra can be used to compare the value of dimensionless fundamental constants such as the fine-structure constant, alpha, and the proton-to-electron mass ratio, mu = m_p/m_e, as measured in remote regions of the Universe to their value today on Earth. In recent years, some evidence has emerged of small temporal and also spatial variations in alpha on cosmological scales which may reach a fractional level of 10 ppm . We are conducting a Large Programme of observations with VLT UVES to explore these variations. We here provide a general overview of the Large Programme and report on the first results for these two constants, discussed in detail in Molaro et al. and Rahmani et al. A stringent bound for Delta(alpha)/Alpha is obtained for the absorber at_abs = 1.6919 towards HE 2217-2818. The absorption profile is complex with several very narrow features, and is modeled with 32 velocity components. The relative variation in alpha in this system is +1.3+-2.4_{stat}+-1.0_{sys} ppm if Al II lambda 1670AA and three Fe II transitions are used, and +1.1+-2.6_{stat} ppm in a lightly different analysis with only Fe II transitions used. The expectation at this sky position of the recently-reported dipolar variation of alpha is (3.2--5.4)+-1.7 ppm depending on dipole model. This constraint of Delta(alpha)/alpha at face value is not supporting this expectation but is not inconsistent with it at the 3 sigma level. For the proton-to-electron mass ratio the analysis of the H_2 absorption lines of the z_{abs}~2.4018 damped Ly alpha system towards HE 0027- 1836 provides Delta(mu)/mu = (-7.6 +- 8.1_{stat} +- 6.3_{sys}) ppm which is also consistent with a null variation. (abridged)
We apply a tension metric $Q_textrm{UDM}$, the update difference in mean parameters, to understand the source of the difference in the measured Hubble constant $H_0$ inferred with cosmic microwave background lensing measurements from the Planck satellite ($H_0=67.9^{+1.1}_{-1.3}, mathrm{km/s/Mpc}$) and from the South Pole Telescope ($H_0=72.0^{+2.1}_{-2.5}, mathrm{km/s/Mpc}$) when both are combined with baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) measurements with priors on the baryon density (BBN). $Q_textrm{UDM}$ isolates the relevant parameter directions for tension or concordance where the two data sets are both informative, and aids in the identification of subsets of data that source the observed tension. With $Q_textrm{UDM}$, we uncover that the difference in $H_0$ is driven by the tension between Planck lensing and BAO+BBN, at probability-to-exceed of 6.6%. Most of this mild tension comes from the galaxy BAO measurements parallel to the line of sight. The redshift dependence of the parallel BAOs pulls both the matter density $Omega_m$ and $H_0$ high in $Lambda$CDM, but these parameter anomalies are usually hidden when the BAO measurements are combined with other cosmological data sets with much stronger $Omega_m$ constraints.
The values of the fundamental constants such as $mu = m_P/m_e$, the proton to electron mass ratio and $alpha$, the fine structure constant, are sensitive to the product $sqrt{zeta_x^2(w+1)}$ where $zeta_x$ is a coupling constant between a rolling scalar field responsible for the acceleration of the expansion of the universe and the electromagnetic field with x standing for either $mu$ or $alpha$. The dark energy equation of state $w$ can assume values different than $-1$ in cosmologies where the acceleration of the expansion is due to a scalar field. In this case the value of both $mu$ and $alpha$ changes with time. The values of the fundamental constants, therefore, monitor the equation of state and are a valuable tool for determining $w$ as a function of redshift. In fact the rolling of the fundamental constants is one of the few definitive discriminators between acceleration due to a cosmological constant and acceleration due to a quintessence rolling scalar field. $w$ is often given in parameterized form for comparison with observations. In this manuscript the predicted evolution of $mu$, is calculated for a range of parameterized equation of state models and compared to the observational constraints on $Delta mu / mu$. We find that the current limits on $Delta mu / mu$ place significant constraints on linear equation of state models and on thawing models where $w$ deviates from $-1$ at late times. They also constrain non-dynamical models that have a constant $w$ not equal to $-1$. These constraints are an important compliment to geometric tests of $w$ in that geometric tests are sensitive to the evolution of the universe before the epoch of observation while fundamental constants are sensitive to the evolution of the universe after the observational epoch. Abstract truncated.
Small fractions of isocurvature perturbations correlated with the dominant adiabatic mode are shown to be a significant primordial systematic for future Baryon Acoustic Oscillation (BAO) surveys, distorting the standard ruler distance by broadening and shifting the peak in the galaxy correlation function. Untreated this systematic leads to biases that can exceed $10sigma$ in the dark energy parameters even for Planck-level isocurvature constraints. Accounting for the isocurvature modes corrects for this bias but degrades the dark energy figure of merit by at least 50%. The BAO data in turn provides extremely powerful new constraints on the nature of the primordial perturbations. Future large galaxy surveys will thus be powerful probes of the earliest phase of the universe in addition to helping pin down the nature of dark energy.
Several interesting Dark Matter (DM) models invoke a dark sector leading to two types of relic particles, possibly interacting with each other: non-relativistic DM, and relativistic Dark Radiation (DR). These models have interesting consequences for cosmological observables, and could in principle solve problems like the small-scale cold DM crisis, Hubble tension, and/or low $sigma_8$ value. Their cosmological behaviour is captured by the ETHOS parametrisation, which includes a DR-DM scattering rate scaling like a power-law of the temperature, $T^n$. Scenarios with $n=0$, $2$, or $4$ can easily be realised in concrete dark sector set-ups. Here we update constraints on these three scenarios using recent CMB, BAO, and high-resolution Lyman-$alpha$ data. We introduce a new Lyman-$alpha$ likelihood that is applicable to a wide range of cosmological models with a suppression of the matter power spectrum on small scales. For $n=2$ and $4$, we find that Lyman-$alpha$ data strengthen the CMB+BAO bounds on the DM-DR interaction rate by many orders of magnitude. However, models offering a possible solution to the missing satellite problem are still compatible with our new bounds. For $n=0$, high-resolution Lyman-$alpha$ data bring no stronger constraints on the interaction rate than CMB+BAO data, except for extremely small values of the DR density. Using CMB+BAO data and a theory-motivated prior on the minimal density of DR, we find that the $n=0$ model can reduce the Hubble tension from $4.1sigma$ to $2.7sigma$, while simultaneously accommodating smaller values of the $sigma_8$ and $S_8$ parameters hinted by cosmic shear data.
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