Contraints on radiative dark-matter decay from the cosmic microwave background
read the original abstract
If dark matter decays to electromagnetically-interacting particles, it can inject energy into the baryonic gas and thus affect the processes of recombination and reionization. This leaves an imprint on the cosmic microwave background (CMB): the large-scale polarization is enhanced, and the small-scale temperature fluctuation is damped. We use the WMAP three-year data combined with galaxy surveys to constrain radiatively decaying dark matter. Our new limits to the dark-matter decay width are about ten times stronger than previous limits. For dark-matter lifetimes that exceed the age of the Universe, a limit of $\zeta \Gamma_{\chi} < 1.7 \times 10^{-25} s^{-1}$ (95% CL) is derived, where $\zeta$ is the efficiency of converting decay energy into ionization energy. Limits for lifetimes short compared with the age of the Universe are also derived. We forecast improvements expected from the Planck satellite.
This paper has not been read by Pith yet.
Forward citations
Cited by 3 Pith papers
-
Primordial Black Holes from Slow Phase Transitions with Delayed Reheating: A Peak-Theory Approach
PBH production from slow phase transitions with delayed reheating is modeled via peak theory and Monte Carlo simulations, showing extreme sensitivity to reheating efficiency and potential to explain all dark matter.
-
Constraints on Primordial Black Holes
Updated compilation shows PBHs are tightly constrained across 55 orders of magnitude in mass, ruling out dominant dark matter contributions except in narrow windows, with many limits carrying observational uncertainties.
-
Early- and Late-Time Modifications to $\Lambda$CDM: Implications for the Hubble Tension
An extended model with decaying dark matter around equality and w0 dark energy yields H0 ≈ 70 km/s/Mpc from Planck+ACT+DESI data, reducing Hubble tension to ~2.2σ while producing Bayesian evidence comparable to ΛCDM.
discussion (0)
Sign in with ORCID, Apple, or X to comment. Anyone can read and Pith papers without signing in.