early universe

Dark matter and dark radiation from the early universe with a modulus coupled to the PQMSSM

Howard Baer, The supersymmetrized DFSZ axion model is especially compelling in that it contains 1. the SUSY solution to the gauge hierarchy problem, 2. the Peccei-Quinn (PQ) solution to the strong CP problem and 3. the Kim-Nilles solution to the SUSY mu problem. In a string setting, where a discrete R-symmetry ({\bf Z}_{24}^R for example) may emerge from the compactification process, a high-quality accidental axion (accion) can emerge from the accidental, approximate remnant global U(1)_{PQ} symmetry where the decay constant f_a is linked to the SUSY breaking scale, and is within the cosmological sweet zone.

Modelling the cosmological Lyman-Werner background radiation field in the Early Universe

Andrea Incatasciato The Lyman-Werner (LW) radiation field is a key ingredient in the chemo-thermal evolution of gas in the Early Universe, as it dissociates H2 molecules, the primary cooling channel in an environment devoid of metals and dust. Despite its important role, it is still not implemented in cosmological simulations on a regular basis, in contrast to the general UV background. This is in part due to uncertainty in the source modelling, their spectra and abundance, as well as the detailed physics involved in the propagation of the photons and their interactions with the molecules.

2102+6015: an Intriguing Radio-loud Active Galactic Nucleus in the Early Universe

S. Frey The powerful high-redshift quasar J2102+6015 (at z=4.575) may provide useful information for studying supermassive black hole growth, galaxy evolution and feedback in the early Universe. The source has so far been imaged with very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) at 2/8 GHz (S/X) bands only, showing complex compact structure. Its total radio spectrum peaks at ~6 GHz in the rest frame. There is no sign of Doppler-boosted jet emission, and the separation of the two major features in its east-west oriented structure spanning ~10 milliarcsec does not change significantly on a timescale longer than a decade.

Hubble tension as a guide for refining the early Universe: Cosmologies with explicit local Lorentz and diffeomorphism violation

Mohsen Khodadi This paper is dedicated to assessing modified cosmological settings based on the gravitational Standard-Model Extension (SME). Our analysis rests upon the Hubble tension (HT), which is a discrepancy between the observational determination of the Hubble parameter via data from the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) and Type Ia supernovae, respectively. While the latter approach is model-independent, the former highly depends on the model used to describe the physics of the early Universe.

FLARES VIII. The Emergence of Passive Galaxies in the Early Universe (z>5)

Christopher C. Lovell Passive galaxies are ubiquitous in the local universe, and various physical channels have been proposed that lead to this passivity. To date, robust passive galaxy candidates have been detected up to $z \leqslant 5$, but it is still unknown if they exist at higher redshifts, what their relative abundances are, and what causes them to stop forming stars. We present predictions from the First Light And Reionisation Epoch Simulations (FLARES), a series of zoom simulations of a range of overdensities using the EAGLE code.

Early or phantom dark energy, self-interacting, extra, or massive neutrinos, primordial magnetic fields, or a curved universe: An exploration of possible solutions to the $H_0$ and $σ_8$ problems

Helena García Escudero In this paper we explore the existing tensions in the local cosmological expansion rate, $H_0$, and amplitude of the clustering of large-scale structure at $8\, h^{-1}\mathrm{Mpc}$, $σ_8$, as well as models that claim to alleviate these tensions. We consider seven models: evolving dark energy ($w$CDM), extra radiation ($N_\mathrm{eff}$), massive neutrinos, curvature, primordial magnetic fields (PMF), self-interacting neutrino models, and early dark energy (EDE). We test these models against three data sets that span the full range of measurable cosmological epochs, have significant precision, and are well-tested against systematic effects: the Planck 2018 cosmic microwave background data, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey baryon acoustic oscillation scale measurements, and the Pantheon catalog of Type Ia supernovae.

Probing early universe through redshifted 21-cm signal: Modelling and observational challenges

Abinash Kumar Shaw The redshifted 21-cm radiation from the atomic hydrogen (HI) provides an excellent direct probe to study the evolution of HI in IGM and thus reveal the nature of the first luminous objects, their evolution and role during Cosmic Dawn (CD) and Epoch of Reionization (EoR), and formation and evolution of the structures thereafter. Direct mapping of the HI density during the CD-EoR is rather difficult with the current and future instruments due to large foreground and other observational contamination.

Magnetic reconnection in the wakes of cosmic strings

First author: Dilip Kumar The motion of cosmic strings in the universe leads to the generation of wakes behind them. We study magnetized wakes of cosmic strings moving in the post recombination plasma. We show that magnetic reconnection can occur in the post shock region. Since the width of the cosmic string wake is very small, the reconnection occurs over a very short lengthscale. The reconnection leads to a large amount of kinetic energy being released in the post shock region of the cosmic string wake.

Radio observations of four active galactic nuclei hosting intermediate-mass black hole candidates: studying the outflow activity and evolution

First author: Xiaolong Yang Observational searches for intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs; $10^2 - 10^6$ $M_\odot$) include relatively isolated dwarf galaxies. For those that host active galactic nuclei (AGNs), the IMBH nature may be discerned through the accretion - jet activity. We present radio observations of four AGN-hosting dwarf galaxies (which potentially harbor IMBHs). Very large array (VLA) observations indicate steep spectra (indices of $-$0.63 to $-$1.05) between 1.4 and 9 GHz.

The HI mass function of star-forming galaxies at $\mathbf{z \sim 0.35}$

First author: Apurba Bera The neutral atomic hydrogen (HI) mass function (HIMF) describes the distribution of the HI content of galaxies at any epoch; its evolution provides an important probe of models of galaxy formation and evolution. Here, we report Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope HI 21cm spectroscopy of blue star-forming galaxies at $z\approx0.20-0.42$ in the Extended Groth Strip, which has allowed us to determine the scaling relation between the average HI mass ($\rm{M_{HI}}$) and the absolute B-band magnitude ($\rm{M_B}$) of such galaxies at $z \approx 0.