Related papers: Ionization history of the Universe as a test for S…
The Pop III.1 theory for supermassive black hole (SMBH) formation predicts that a substantial fraction of the early universe was ionized by supermassive stars at redshifts $z\sim20-30$, an era we refer to as ``The Flash''. This is followed…
We examine the impact of helium reionization on the structure of the intergalactic medium (IGM). We model the reionization using a radiative transfer (RT) code coupled to the combined gravity hydrodynamics code Enzo. Neutral hydrogen and…
Dark stars powered by dark matter annihilation have been proposed as the first luminous sources in the universe. These stars are believed to form in the central dark matter cusp of low-mass minihalos. Recent calculations indicate stellar…
Hydrogen atoms in the Universe that initially formed at redshift z = 1100 were reionized at 5 < z < 60. It is likely that this transition proceeded through a mixed phase of partial ionization. We develop an analytic approach to calculating…
The development of primordial inhomogeneities into the non-linear regime and the formation of the first astrophysical objects within dark matter halos mark the transition from a simple, neutral, cooling universe -- described by just a few…
A remarkable result of the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) observations is that the universe was significantly reionized at large redshifts. The standard explanation is that massive stars formed early and reionized the universe…
The history of the transition from a neutral intergalactic medium (IGM) to one that is almost fully ionized can reveal the character of cosmological ionizing sources. We study the evolution of the volume filling factor of HII and HeIII…
Recent cosmological measurements favour additional relativistic energy density beyond the one provided by the three active neutrinos and photons of the Standard Model (SM). This is often referred to as "dark radiation", suggesting the need…
We consider particle decays during the cosmic dark ages with two aims: (1) to explain the high optical depth reported by WMAP, and (2) to provide new constraints to the parameter space for decaying particles. We delineate the decay channels…
We considered propagation of Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECR) through the galaxy. We investigated models with sources of UHECR distributed in the same way as Cold Dark Matter (CDM) in a self-consistent way, taking into account both…
Recent observations show that the measured rates of star formation in the early universe are insufficient to produce re-ionization, and therefore, another source of ionizing photons is required. In this \emph{Letter}, we examine the…
The origin of Ultra--High Energy ($E \gsim 10^{20}$ eV) Cosmic Rays (UHECR) remains mysterious. I discuss ``top--down'' models, where UHECR originate from the decay of very massive, long--lived particles. I summarize the calculation of the…
We study the formation of first molecules, negative Hydrogen ions and molecular ions in model of the Universe with cosmological constant and cold dark matter. The cosmological recombination is described in the framework of modified model of…
We consider the degree to which "21 cm tomography" of the high-redshift Universe can distinguish different ionization histories. Using a new analytic model for the size distribution of HII regions that associates these ionized bubbles with…
I give a brief review of high energy gamma-ray signatures of dark matter. The decay of massive $X$-particles and subsequent hadronization have been suggested as the origin of the highest energy cosmic rays. Propagation over cosmological…
The universe has evolved through several phases as its various constituents dominated its energy content. Candidate dark matter particles may have undergone freeze-out during any such phase. While the standard freeze-out scenarios have been…
In popular cold dark matter cosmological scenarios, stars may have first appeared in significant numbers around a redshift of 10 or so, as the gas within protogalactic halos with virial temperatures in excess of 20,000 K (corresponding to…
In the present paper, it is assumed that there exist two dark matter particles: superheavy dark matter particles (SHDM), whose mass $\sim$ inflaton mass, and lighter fermion dark matter particles (LFDM) which are the ultra-relativistic…
Understanding cosmic reionization requires the identification and characterization of early sources of hydrogen-ionizing photons. The 2012 Hubble Ultra Deep Field (UDF12) campaign has acquired the deepest infrared images with the Wide Field…
We propose a new mechanism by which dark matter (DM) can affect the early universe. The hot interior of a macroscopic DM, or macro, can behave as a heat reservoir so that energetic photons are emitted from its surface. This results in…