Abstracts of Interest
Selected by:
Hayden James
Abstract: 2406.09483
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Title:Illuminating the Cosmos: Dark matter, primordial black holes, and cosmic dawn
View PDF HTML (experimental)Abstract:The $\Lambda$-CDM model of cosmology has done much to clarify our picture of the early universe. However, there are still some questions that $\Lambda$-CDM does not necessarily answer; questions such as what is the fundamental nature of dark matter? What is its origin? And what causes the intriguing measurements that we are seeing from cosmic dawn? In this thesis, I will describe three directions in which I have pushed forward our understanding of how fundamental physics manifests in cosmology. First, I have studied the signatures of exotic energy injection in various astrophysical and cosmological probes, including the Lyman-$\alpha$ forest, the blackbody spectrum of the cosmic microwave background, the power spectrum of the cosmic microwave background, and the formation of the earliest stars in our universe. Second, I have investigated the formation of primordial black hole dark matter in a general model for inflation with multiple scalar fields. I have identified the space of models that can generate primordial black holes while remaining in compliance with observational constraints using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo, and also showed that future gravitational wave observatories will be able to further constrain these models. Finally, I have developed an analytic description of signals from 21\,cm cosmology using methods inspired by effective field theory. This method includes realistic observational effects and has been validated against state-of-the-art radiation hydrodynamic simulations, including those with alternative dark matter scenarios. With these recent efforts, we are advancing the frontiers of dark matter phenomenology and cosmology, thereby paving the way towards illuminating the remaining mysteries of our cosmos and drawing closer to a comprehensive understanding of the universe.
Abstract: 2406.09507
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Title:Properties of magnetic turbulence in GRB afterglows
View PDF HTML (experimental)Abstract:We present a model-independent way to characterise properties of the magnetic-field turbulence in the emitting regions of Gamma-Ray Burst afterglows. Our only assumption is that afterglows' synchrotron radiation is efficient. It turns out that the gyroradius of plasma particles must be smaller (with a good margin) than the correlation length of the magnetic-field fluctuations. Such turbulence is essentially non-linear and therefore must be produced by some kind of MHD instability, likely acting on top of kinetic Weibel instability. We also find that the emitting particles are loosely confined to local magnetic-field structures and diffusion allows them to sample the entire distribution of local magnetization values. This means that one-zone approach to modelling the afterglow spectra is still valid despite the non-linear nature of the magnetic turbulence. However, the non-linear turbulence may (and likely will) change the synchrotron spectrum of individual electrons.
Abstract: 2406.10372
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Title:Insights into Dark Matter Direct Detection Experiments: Decision Trees versus Deep Learning
View PDF HTML (experimental)Abstract:The detection of Dark Matter (DM) remains a significant challenge in particle physics. This study exploits advanced machine learning models to improve detection capabilities of liquid xenon time projection chamber experiments, utilizing state-of-the-art transformers alongside traditional methods like Multilayer Perceptrons and Convolutional Neural Networks. We evaluate various data representations and find that simplified feature representations, particularly corrected S1 and S2 signals, retain critical information for classification. Our results show that while transformers offer promising performance, simpler models like XGBoost can achieve comparable results with optimal data representations. We also derive exclusion limits in the cross-section versus DM mass parameter space, showing minimal differences between XGBoost and the best performing deep learning models. The comparative analysis of different machine learning approaches provides a valuable reference for future experiments by guiding the choice of models and data representations to maximize detection capabilities.
Abstract: 2406.10651
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Title:Influence of Cosmic Voids on the propagation of TeV Gamma Rays and the Puzzle of GRB 221009A
View PDF HTML (experimental)Abstract:The recent detection of gamma-ray burst GRB~221009A has attracted attention due to its record brightness and first-ever detection of $\gtrsim 10$ TeV $\gamma$ rays from a GRB. Despite being the second-nearest GRB ever detected, at a redshift of $z=0.151$, the distance is large enough for severe attenuation of $\gamma$-ray flux at these energies due to $\gamma\gamma\to e^\pm$ pair production with the extragalactic background light (EBL). Here, we investigate whether the presence of cosmic voids along the line of sight can significantly impact the detectability of very-high energy (VHE, $>$ 100 GeV) gamma rays from distant sources. Notably, we find that the gamma-gamma opacity for VHE gamma rays can be reduced by approximately 10\% and up to 30\% at around 13 TeV, the highest-energy photon detected from GRB~221009A, for intervening cosmic voids along the line-of-sight with a combined radius of 110 Mpc, typically found from voids catalogs, and 250 Mpc, respectively. This reduction is substantially higher for TeV photons compared to GeV photons, attributable to the broader target photon spectrum that TeV photons interact with. This finding implies that VHE photons are more susceptible to variations in the EBL spectrum, especially in regions dominated by cosmic voids. Our study sheds light on the detection of $\gtrsim 10$ TeV gamma rays from GRB 221009A in particular, and on the detection of extragalactic VHE sources in general.
Abstract: 2406.10753
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Title:Testing the parametric model for self-interacting dark matter using matched halos in cosmological simulations
View PDF HTML (experimental)Abstract:We systemically evaluate the performance of the self-interacting dark matter (SIDM) halo model proposed in arXiv:2305.16176 with matched halos from high-resolution cosmological CDM and SIDM simulations. The model incorporates SIDM effects along mass evolution histories of CDM halos and it is applicable to both isolated halos and suhbhalos. We focus on the accuracy of the model in predicting halo density profiles at $z=0$ and the evolution of maximum circular velocity. We find the model predictions agree with the simulations within $10\%-50\%$ for most of the simulated (sub)halos, $50\%-100\%$ for extreme cases. This indicates that the model effectively captures the gravothermal evolution of the halos with very strong, velocity-dependent self-interactions. For an example application, we apply the model to study the impact of various SIDM scenarios on strong lensing perturber systems, demonstrating its utility in predicting SIDM effects for small-scale structure analyses. Our findings confirm that the model is an effective tool for mapping CDM halos into their SIDM counterparts.
Abstract: 2406.10944
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Title:Testing unified models for the origin of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays and neutrinos:Multimessenger approaches with x-ray observations
View PDF HTML (experimental)Abstract:The unified models of astrophysical sources to account for ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) and high-energy cosmic neutrinos with energies greater than 100 TeV have been discussed. Based on model-independent arguments, we argue that if the photomeson production is the dominant mechanism, the most probable candidate sources are x-ray transient objects, allowing for the semi-transparency for the photomeson production. We develop a generic model of high-energy neutrino emitters accompanied by x-ray emission, and present how multimessenger observations can place significant constraints on the source parameters that characterize the common sources of neutrinos and UHECRs, such as the cosmic-ray loading factor. The requirements of UHECR acceleration, escape, and energetics further constrain the magnetic field and the bulk Lorentz factor of the sources. The resulting bounds provide diagnoses of the unified models, which demonstrates the importance of current and future x-ray facilities such as MAXI and Einstein Probe.
Abstract: 2406.11015
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Title:Imprints of PeV cosmic-ray sources on the diffuse gamma-ray emission
View PDF HTML (experimental)Abstract:We present our new model for the description of the very high energy Galactic gamma-ray emission based on a discrete injection of cosmic rays by individual sources. We investigate the morphology of the very high energy gamma-ray sky, the detectability of cosmic-ray sources and the clumpiness of the diffuse gamma-ray flux, assuming two different scenarios for cosmic-ray propagation. Namely, a standard isotropic and homogeneous diffusion process and an isotropic and inhomogeneous diffusion process. We notably formulate a possible explanation to the small number of hadronic PeVatrons recently detected by LHAASO. In the case of the inhomogeneous diffusion process, we constrain the number of hadronic PeVatrons to be small. Finally, we give an argument that may explain the discrepancy between the interstellar gas density distribution and the very high energy diffuse gamma-ray flux.
Abstract: 2406.11902
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Title:Magnetic Suppression of Cosmic Rays' Flux in $\boldsymbol{f(R)}$ and $\boldsymbol{f(Q)}$ Theories of Gravity
View PDF HTML (experimental)Abstract:We investigate the effects of magnetic diffusion on the spectrum of ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) from a cosmological perspective. To this end, we consider two modified theories of gravity (MTGs), namely, the $f(R)$ gravity and a symmetric teleparallel gravity, also known as $f(Q)$ gravity. Utilizing these two MTGs, we calculate the suppression in the flux of UHECRs for a collection of sources. Non-evolution (NE) and cosmic star formation rate (SFR) scenarios have been considered in our calculation of the suppression factor. This study also includes a mixed composition scenario involving the nuclei upto iron (Fe). Furthermore, we provide a parameterization of the suppression factor for the proton and also for the mixed compositions within the $f(R)$ and $f(Q)$ theories, considering both NE and SFR scenarios. The influence of the turbulent magnetic field on the suppression factor is also incorporated in our work. Comparative analysis of all our results with the standard $\Lambda$CDM model reveals significant effects of MTGs on the suppression factor that the $f(R)$ power-law model predicts the lowest suppression factor, while the $f(Q)$ model predicts the highest, and interestingly the results from the standard model fall within the range predicted by these two cosmological models.
Abstract: 2406.13072
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Title:Supermassive black hole formation via collisions in black hole clusters
View PDF HTML (experimental)Abstract:More than 300 supermassive black holes have been detected at redshifts larger than 6, and they are abundant in the centers of local galaxies. Their formation mechanisms, however, are still rather unconstrained. A possible origin of these supermassive black holes could be through mergers in dense black hole clusters, forming as a result of mass segregation within nuclear star clusters in the center of galaxies. In this study, we present the first systematic investigation of the evolution of such black hole clusters where the effect of an external potential is taken into account. Such a potential could be the result of gas inflows into the central region, for example as a result of galaxy mergers. We show here that the efficiency for the formation of a massive central object is mostly regulated by the ratio of cluster velocity dispersion divided by the speed of light, potentially reaching efficiencies of 0.05-0.08 in realistic systems. Our results show that this scenario is potentially feasible and may provide seeds black hole of at least 10^3 solar masses. We conclude that the formation of seed black holes via this channel should be taken into account in statistical assessments of the black hole population.
Abstract: 2406.13336
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Title:Berezinsky Hidden Sources: An Emergent Tension in the High-Energy Neutrino Sky?
View PDF HTML (experimental)Abstract:The IceCube Collaboration has recently reported compelling evidence of high-energy neutrino emission from NGC~1068, and also mild excesses for NGC 4151 and CGCG420-015, local Seyfert galaxies. This has increased the interest along neutrino emission from hot-corona surrounding the super massive black holes of Seyfert Galaxies. In this paper, we revisit phenomenological constraints on the neutrino emission from hot-coronae of seyfert galaxies, using an assumption of equi-ripartition between cosmic-rays and magnetic energy densities. We show that not only these sources are consistent with such an assumption but also that the data point towards low beta plasma parameters inside Seyfert Galaxies. We exploit this finding to constrain the Seyfert diffuse neutrino flux and we obtain that, in order not to overproduce neutrinos, not all the sources can be in an equi-ripartition state. We conclude (along with previous findings) that seyfert galaxies cannot explain the diffuse neutrino spectrum above $\sim 100\, \rm TeV$, allowing space for other astrophysical sources.
Abstract: 2406.13786
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Title:Galaxy-group-associated distances to Very High Energy gamma-ray emitting BL Lacs KUV 00311-1938 and S2 0109+22
View PDF HTML (experimental)Abstract:Blazars constitute the most numerous source class in the known extragalactic population of very high energy (VHE) gamma-ray sources. However, determining their redshifts is often challenging due to weak or non-existent emission lines in their spectra. This study focuses on two BL Lacs, KUV 00311-1938 and S2 0109+22, where previous attempts at redshift determination have faced difficulties. By combining spectroscopic observations with photometric redshift estimates, we tentatively assign a redshift of z = 0.634 to KUV 00311-1938 and a likely redshift of z = 0.49 to S2 0109+22. Establishing redshift estimates for high-redshift blazars is crucial for understanding extragalactic VHE gamma-ray sources and their interactions with the surrounding universe.
Abstract: 2406.14001
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Title:High-energy Neutrino Emission from NGC 1068 by Outflow-cloud Interactions
View PDF HTML (experimental)Abstract:As the hottest high-energy neutrino spot, NGC 1068 has received much attention in recent years. Here we focus on the central region of the active galactic nuclei (AGN) and propose an outflow-cloud interaction model that could probably explain the observed neutrino data. Considering the accretion process adjacent to the central supermassive black hole (SMBH) of NGC 1068, strong outflows will be generated, which will likely interact with surrounding clouds floating in the corona region. Particles carried by the outflow will be accelerated to very high energy by the shocks forming during the outflow-cloud interactions. For the accelerated high-energy protons, $p\gamma$ interactions with the background photon field of the corona and disk and $pp$ interaction with the surrounding gas will produce considerable high-energy $\gamma$-rays and neutrino. However, because of the extremely dense photon fields in the corona and disk, the newly generated $\gamma$-rays will be significantly attenuated through the $\gamma\gamma$ absorptions. In our scenario, the expected GeV-TeV $\gamma$-ray emission will be suppressed to a much lower level than the neutrino emission, consistent with the observational characteristics of NGC 1068, while the generated 1-30\,TeV neutrino flux can fit the IceCube data very well.
Abstract: 2406.14002
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Title:A Collaborative Explanation of Cosmic Ray Spectrum Based on the Gluon Condensation Model
View PDF HTML (experimental)Abstract:Based on the Gluon Condensation (GC) model, the relationship between the spectra of electrons, $\gamma$ rays, and neutrinos in cosmic rays can be deduced. It has been found that these particles share the same parameter, $\beta_p$, and have an identical GC threshold values. This paper explores the connection between the second excess spectra of electron and the spectra of gamma rays and neutrinos. According to the observed gamma-ray data, it is suggested that the source LHAASO J2108+5157 might contribute to the second excess of electron.
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