English

Constraints on Primordial Magnetic Fields from High Redshift Stellar Mass Density

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics 2024-09-02 v1 Astrophysics of Galaxies

Abstract

Primordial magnetic fields (PMFs) play a pivotal role in influencing small-scale fluctuations within the primordial density field, thereby enhancing the matter power spectrum within the context of the Λ\LambdaCDM model at small scales. These amplified fluctuations accelerate the early formation of galactic halos and stars, which can be observed through advanced high-redshift observational techniques. Therefore, Stellar Mass Density (SMD) observations, which provide significant opportunities for detailed studies of galaxies at small scales and high redshifts, offer a novel perspective on small-scale cosmic phenomena and constrain the characteristics of PMFs. In this study, we compile 14 SMD data points at redshifts z>6z > 6 and derive stringent constraints on the parameters of PMFs, which include the amplitude of the magnetic field at a characteristic scale of λ=1Mpc\lambda=1\,{\rm Mpc}, denoted as B0B_0, and the spectral index of the magnetic field power spectrum, nBn_{\rm B}. At 95\% confidence level, we establish upper limits of B0<4.44B_0 < 4.44 nG and nB<2.24n_{\rm B} < -2.24, along with a star formation efficiency of approximately f00.1f_*^0 \sim 0.1. If we fix nBn_{\rm B} at specific values, such as 2.85-2.85, 2.9-2.9, and 2.95-2.95, the 95\% upper limits for the amplitude of the magnetic field can be constrained to 1.33 nG, 2.21 nG, and 3.90 nG, respectively. Finally, we attempt to interpret recent early observations provided by James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) using the theory of PMFs, and find that by selecting appropriate PMF parameters, it is possible to explain these results without significantly increasing the star formation efficiency.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2408.03584,
  title  = {Constraints on Primordial Magnetic Fields from High Redshift Stellar Mass Density},
  author = {Qile Zhang and Shang Li and Xiu-Hui Tan and Jun-Qing Xia},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2408.03584},
  year   = {2024}
}
R2 v1 2026-06-28T18:06:05.184Z