Related papers: Using $\Delta N_{\rm eff}$ to constrain preferred …
Current observations of the cosmic microwave background could confirm an increase in the radiation energy density after primordial nucleosynthesis but before photon decoupling. We show that, if the gravitino problem is solved by a light…
One of the targets of future Cosmic Microwave Background and Baryon Acoustic Oscillation measurements is to improve the current accuracy in the neutrino sector and reach a much better sensitivity on extra dark radiation in the Early…
Contemporary attempts to explain the existence of ultra-high energy cosmic rays using plasma-based wakefield acceleration deliberately avoid non-Standard Model particle physics. However, such proposals exploit some of the most extreme…
Axions arise in many theoretical extensions of the Standard Model of particle physics, in particular the "string axiverse". If the axion masses, $m_a$, and (effective) decay constants, $f_a$, lie in specific ranges, then axions contribute…
We study cosmological solutions of (pseudo)scalar theories with periodic potentials, in the presence of arbitrary cosmological fluids -- including a cosmological constant of either sign. Independently of the initial misalignment angle and…
Composite axion scenarios offer a robust field theoretic justification for the existence of a Peccei-Quinn symmetry of high quality. We present a new class of realizations that are naturally embedded in Grand-Unified Theories, retain…
We calculate the relic abundance of mixed axion/neutralino cold dark matter which arises in R-parity conserving supersymmetric (SUSY) models wherein the strong CP problem is solved by the Peccei-Quinn (PQ) mechanism with a concommitant…
A major goal of axion searches is to reach inside the parameter space region of realistic axion models. Currently, the boundaries of this region depend on somewhat arbitrary criteria, and it would be desirable to specify them in terms of…
A large number of studies, all using Bayesian parameter inference from Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods, have constrained the presence of a decaying dark matter component. All such studies find a strong preference for either very long-lived…
Recent studies of the cosmic microwave background, large scale structure, and big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) show trends towards extra radiation. Within the framework of supersymmetric hadronic axion models, we explore two…
Presence of any extra radiation energy density at the time of cosmic microwave background formation can significantly impact the measurement of the effective relativistic neutrino degrees of freedom or ${\rm \Delta N_{eff}}$ which is very…
The connection of Dark Matter to our particle physics model is still one of the open cosmological questions. In these proceedings I will argue that axinos can be successful Cold Dark Matter candidates in models with Supersymmetry and the…
We study the constraints on neutralino dark matter in minimal low energy supersymmetry models and the case of heavy lepton and quark scalar superpartners. For values of the Higgsino and gaugino mass parameters of the order of the weak…
Axions are a natural consequence of the Peccei-Quinn mechanism, the most compelling solution to the strong-CP problem. Similar axion-like particles (ALPs) also appear in a number of possible extensions of the Standard Model, notably in…
A TeV scale decaying dark matter chiral multiplet N is introduced in addition to the minimal supersymmetric standard model(MSSM). For a calculable abundance of N, we introduce heavy axino decaying to N and MSSM particles including the…
We present a minimal Grand Unified Theory model, based on $SU(5)$ gauge symmetry and a global $U(1)$ Peccei-Quinn symmetry, that predicts the existence of an ultralight axion dark matter within a narrow mass range of…
Broad disagreement persists between helioseismological observables and predictions of solar models computed with the latest surface abundances. Here we show that most of these problems can be solved by the presence of asymmetric dark matter…
It is usually assumed that dark matter is produced during the radiation dominated era. There is, however, no direct evidence for radiation domination prior to big-bang nucleosynthesis. Two non-standard thermal histories are considered. In…
We examine the theoretical possibility for the heavy QCD axion to induce slow-roll inflation while solving the strong CP problem through the Peccei-Quinn mechanism. If the cancellation between contributions from a small-size instanton and…
Dark matter (DM) can be composed of a collection of axions, or axion-like particles (ALPs), whose existence is due to the spontaneous breaking of the Peccei-Quinn $U(1)$ symmetry which is the most compelling solution of the strong…