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Sinha, Kuver

Publications and source records attributed to Sinha, Kuver.

At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Exploring dark forces with multimessenger studies of extreme mass ratio inspirals

Abstract The exploration of dark sector interactions via gravitational waves (GWs) from binary inspirals has been a subject of recent interest. We study dark forces using extreme mass ratio inspirals (EMRIs), pointing out two issues of interest. Firstly, the innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO) of the EMRI, which sets the characteristic length scale of the system and hence the dark force range to which it exhibits enhanced sensitivity, probes force mediator masses that complement those studied with supermassive black hole (SMBH) or neutron star binaries. The LISA mission (the proposedμAres detector) will probe mediators with massesm V ∼ 10 -16 eV (m V ∼ 10 -18 eV), corresponding to ISCOs of 10 6 M ⊙ (10 8 M ⊙ ) central SMBHs. Secondly, while the sensitivity to dark couplings is typically limited by the uncertainty in the binary component masses, independent mass measurements of the central SMBH through reverberation mapping campaigns or the motion of dynamical tracers enable one to break this degeneracy. Our results therefore highlight the necessity for coordinated studies, loosely referred to as “multimessenger”, between futureμHz- mHz GW observatories and ongoing and forthcoming SMBH mass measurement campaigns, including OzDES-RM, SDSS-RM, and SDSS-V Black Hole Mapper.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗
DOE OSTI2024

Recycled dark matter

Here, we outline a new production mechanism for dark matter that we dub “recycling”: dark sector particles are kinematically trapped in the false vacuum during a dark phase transition; the false pockets collapse into primordial black holes (PBHs), which ultimately evaporate before Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) to reproduce the dark sector particles. The requirement that all PBHs evaporate prior to BBN necessitates high scale phase transitions and hence high scale masses for the dark sector particles in the true vacuum. Our mechanism is therefore particularly suited for the production of ultra heavy dark matter (UHDM) with masses above ~10 12 GeV. The correct relic density of UHDM is obtained because of the exponential suppression of the false pocket number density. Recycled UHDM has several novel features: the dark sector today consists of multiple decoupled species that were once in thermal equilibrium and the PBH formation stage has extended mass functions whose shape can be controlled by IR operators coupling the dark and visible sectors.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

First Constraints on the Photon Coupling of Axionlike Particles from Multimessenger Studies of the Neutron Star Merger GW170817

We use multimessenger observations of the neutron star merger event GW170817 to derive new constraints on axionlike particles (ALPs) coupling to photons. ALPs are produced via Primakoff and photon coalescence processes in the merger, escape the remnant, and decay back into two photons, giving rise to a photon signal approximately along the line of sight to the merger. We analyze the spectral and temporal information of the ALP-induced photon signal and use the Fermi Large Area Telescope (Fermi-LAT) observations of GW170817 to derive our new ALP constraints. We also show the improved prospects with future MeV 𝛾-ray missions, taking the spectral and temporal coverage of Fermi-LAT as an example.

Physics↗
DOE OSTI2024

Multi-component Dark Matter and small scale structure formation

We consider the evolution of non-thermal dark matter perturbations in models which contain both Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) and axions. Using constraints from existing observations we examine the percentage of WIMPs and axions that may comprise the cosmological dark matter budget in models with an Early Matter Dominated Epoch (EMDE) — where entropy production is important. After carefully tracking the thermal evolution of the various species by solving the Boltzmann equations, we consider the enhancement of perturbations that may have led to early structure formation for axions and WIMPs. We investigate the impact of enhanced perturbations on the parameter space of both species, after imposing existing constraints from indirect detection experiments. Given these constraints we establish the feasibility of axions to form miniclusters in the early universe in EMDEs for a given percentage of allowed WIMPs. We find that EMDEs with low reheat temperatures near the BBN limit are preferred for axion minicluster formation. When the EMDE is caused by string moduli, the WIMP contribution to the relic density is set by the moduli branching to dark matter at the level of ≲ $\mathcal{O}$ (10 −4 ).

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

The primordial black holes that disappeared: connections to dark matter and MHz-GHz gravitational Waves

In the post-LIGO era, there has been a lot of focus on primordial black holes (PBHs) heavier than ~10 15 g as potential dark matter (DM) candidates. We point out that the branch of the PBH family that disappeared — PBHs lighter than ~10 9 g that ostensibly Hawking evaporated away in the early Universe — also constitute an interesting frontier for DM physics. Hawking evaporation itself serves as a portal through which such PBHs can illuminate new physics, for example by emitting dark sector particles. Here, taking a simple DM scalar singlet model as a template, we compute the abundance and mass of PBHs that could have provided, by Hawking evaporation, the correct DM relic density. We consider two classes of such PBHs: those originating from curvature perturbations generated by inflation, and those originating from false vacuum collapse during a first-order phase transition. For PBHs of both origins we compute the gravitational wave (GW) signals emanating from their formation stage: from second-order effects in the case of curvature perturbations, and from sound waves in the case of phase transitions. The GW signals have peak frequencies in the MHz-GHz range typical of such light PBHs. We compute the strength of such GWs compatible with the observed DM relic density, and find that the GW signal morphology can in principle allow one to distinguish between the two PBH formation histories.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Polarization formalism for ALP-induced X-ray emission from magnetars

Missions like NASA's Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) are poised to provide an unprecedented view of the Universe in polarized X-rays. Polarization probes physical anisotropies, a fact exploited by particle physicists to look for the anisotropic a E∙B operator in the axion-like-particle (ALP) Lagrangian. Such studies have typically focused on polarization in the radio and microwaves, through local or cosmic birefringence effects. To such polarization studies we add X-rays emanating from magnetars — a class of neutron stars with near-critical strength magnetic fields — that are important targets for IXPE. ALPs produced in the neutron star core convert to X-rays in the magnetosphere; such X-rays are polarized along the direction parallel to the dipolar magnetic field at the point of conversion. Here, we develop the full theoretical formalism for ALP-induced polarization in the presence of dipolar magnetic fields. For uncorrelated photon and ALP production mechanisms, we completely disentangle the ALP contributions to the Stokes parameters in terms of the ALP intensity, the ALP-to-photon conversion probability, and the ALP-induced birefringence. In the proper limit, our results demonstrate that the inclusion of ALPs suppresses the observed degree of circular polarization compared to its pure astrophysical value. Our results can also be used to impose limits on ALP couplings with IXPE polarization data from magnetars 4U 0142+61 and 1RXS J170849.0-400910, the subject of upcoming work.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Baryogenesis, primordial black holes and MHz–GHz gravitational waves

Gravitational waves (GWs) in the MHz–GHz frequency range are motivated by a host of early Universe phenomena such as oscillons, preheating, and cosmic strings. We point out that baryogenesis too serves as a motivation to probe GWs in this frequency range. The connection is through primordial black holes (PBHs): on the one hand, PBHs induce baryogenesis by Hawking evaporating into a species that has baryon number and CP violating decays; on the other, PBHs induce GWs through second order effects when the scalar fluctuations responsible for their formation re-enter the horizon. We describe the interplay of the parameters responsible for successful baryogenesis on the plane of the strain and frequency of the induced GWs, being careful to delineate regimes where PBH domination or washout effects occur. We provide semi-analytic scalings of the GW strain with the baryon number to entropy ratio and other parameters important for baryogenesis. Along the way, we sketch a solution to the dark matter-baryogenesis coincidence problem with two populations of PBHs, which leads to a double-peaked GW signal. Our results underscore the importance of probing the ultra high frequency GW frontier.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Joint statistics of cosmological constant and SUSY breaking in flux vacua with nilpotent Goldstino

We obtain the joint distribution of the gravitino mass and the cosmological constant in KKLT and LVS models with anti-D3 brane uplifting described via the nilpotent goldstino formalism. Moduli stabilisation (of both complex structure and Kähler moduli) is incorporated so that we sample only over points corresponding to vacua. Our key inputs are the distributions of the flux superpotential, the string coupling and the hierarchies of warped throats. In the limit of zero cosmological constant, we find that both in KKLT and LVS the distributions are tilted favourably towards lower scales of supersymmetry breaking.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2022

The dark universe after reheating in string inflation

We study the production of dark matter and dark radiation after reheating in string inflation models where the Calabi-Yau has a fibred structure and the visible sector lives on D3 branes. We show how the interplay between different physical constraints from inflation, reheating, supersymmetry breaking and dark radiation, leads to distinct predictions for the nature of dark matter. In particular, in Fibre Inflation dark matter can only be primordial black holes or an open string QCD axion with an intermediate scale decay constant since WIMPs are always too heavy and ultralight closed string axions cannot behave as fuzzy dark matter due to strong isocurvature bounds. On the other hand, Kähler moduli inflation can allow for non-thermal WIMP dark matter at the TeV-scale.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Detection of early-universe gravitational-wave signatures and fundamental physics

Detection of a gravitational-wave signal of non-astrophysical origin would be a landmark discovery, potentially providing a significant clue to some of our most basic, big-picture scientific questions about the Universe. In this white paper, we survey the leading early-Universe mechanisms that may produce a detectable signal—including inflation, phase transitions, topological defects, as well as primordial black holes—and highlight the connections to fundamental physics. We review the complementarity with collider searches for new physics, and multimessenger probes of the large-scale structure of the Universe.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Report of the Topical Group on Particle Dark Matter for Snowmass 2021

This report summarizes the findings of the CF1 Topical Subgroup to Snowmass 2021, which was focused on particle dark matter. One of the most important scientific goals of the next decade is to reveal the nature of dark matter (DM). To accomplish this goal, we must delve deep, to cover high priority targets including weakly-interacting massive particles (WIMPs), and search wide, to explore as much motivated DM parameter space as possible. A diverse, continuous portfolio of experiments at large, medium, and small scales that includes both direct and indirect detection techniques maximizes the probability of discovering particle DM. Detailed calibrations and modeling of signal and background processes are required to make a convincing discovery. In the event that a candidate particle is found through different means, for example at a particle collider, the program described in this report is also essential to show that it is consistent with the actual cosmological DM. The US has a leading role in both direct and indirect detection dark matter experiments -- to maintain this leading role, it is imperative to continue funding major experiments and support a robust R&D program.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2022

On the Search for Low W 0

The magnitude of the vacuum expectation value of the Gukov-Vafa-Witten superpotential |W o | plays a central role in the phenomenology of type IIB flux compactifications. Recent analytical constructions have shown that perturbatively flat vacua can be used to obtain very low values of |W o |. We present systematic algorithms to carry out exhaustive numerical searches for such vacua. Here we also analyse them in the statistical context, as part of the entire ensemble of type IIB flux vacua at low |W o |. Our preliminary analysis indicates that these perturbatively flat vacua are statistically sparse in the whole set of vacua at low |W o | as calculated by Denef and Douglas. Two-moduli examples are used to illustrate these more general findings in specific settings. We find that these simple (two moduli) cases are good examples for existence proofs but they do not feature a large statistical tuning freedom for phenomenological applications.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2022

Light scalars in neutron star mergers

Due to their unique set of multimessenger signals, neutron star mergers have emerged as a novel environment for studies of new physics beyond the Standard Model (SM). As a case study, we consider the simplest extension of the SM scalar sector involving a light CP-even scalar singlet S mixing with the SM Higgs boson. These S particles can be produced abundantly in neutron star mergers via the nucleon bremsstrahlung process. Here, we show that the S particles may either be trapped in or stream freely out of the merger remnant, depending on the S mass, its mixing with the SM Higgs boson, and the temperature and baryon density in the merger. In the free-streaming region, the scalar S will provide an extra channel to cool down the merger remnant, with cooling timescales as small as Script O(ms). On the other hand, in the trapped region, the Bose gas of S particles could contribute a larger thermal conductivity than the trapped neutrinos in some parts of the parameter space, thus leading to faster thermal equilibration than expected. Therefore, future observations of the early postmerger phase of a neutron star merger could effectively probe a unique range of the S parameter space, largely complementary to the existing and future laboratory and supernova limits. In view of these results, we hope the merger simulation community will be motivated to implement the effects of light CP-even scalars into their simulations in both the free-streaming and trapped regimes.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Asymmetric reheating by primordial black holes

Here we investigate Hawking evaporation of a population of primordial black holes (PBHs) prior to big bang nucleosynthesis as a mechanism to achieve asymmetric reheating of two sectors coupled solely by gravity. While the visible sector is reheated by the inflaton or a modulus, the dark sector is reheated by PBHs. Compared to inflationary or modular reheating of both sectors, there are two advantages: (i) inflaton or moduli mediated operators that can subsequently thermalize the dark sector with the visible sector are not relevant to the asymmetric reheating process and (ii) the mass and abundance of the PBHs provide parametric control of the thermal history of the dark sector, and in particular the ratio of the temperatures of the two sectors. Asymmetric reheating with PBHs turns out to have a particularly rich dark sector phenomenology, which we explore using a single self-interacting real scalar field in the dark sector as a template. Four thermal histories, involving nonrelativistic and relativistic dark matter at chemical equilibrium, followed by the presence or absence of cannibalism, are explored. These histories are then constrained by the observed relic abundance in the current Universe and the Bullet Cluster. The case where PBHs dominate the energy density of the Universe, and reheat both the visible as well as the dark sectors, is also treated in detail.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Moduli stabilisation and the statistics of axion physics in the landscape

String theory realisations of the QCD axion are often said to belong to the anthropic window where the decay constant is around the GUT scale and the initial misalignment angle has to be tuned close to zero. In this paper we revisit this statement by studying the statistics of axion physics in the string landscape. We take moduli stabilisation properly into account since the stabilisation of the saxions is crucial to determine the physical properties of the corresponding axionic partners. We focus on the model-independent case of closed string axions in type IIB flux compactifications and find that their decay constants and mass spectrum feature a logarithmic, instead of a power-law, distribution. In the regime where the effective field theory is under control, most of these closed string axions are ultra-light axion-like particles, while axions associated to blow-up modes can naturally play the role of the QCD axion. Hence, the number of type IIB flux vacua with a closed string QCD axion with an intermediate scale decay constant and a natural value of the misalignment angle is only logarithmically suppressed. In a recent paper we found that this correlates also with a logarithmic distribution of the supersymmetry breaking scale, providing the intriguing indication that most, if not all, of the phenomenologically interesting quantities in the string landscape might feature a logarithmic distribution.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗