Relic neutrino freeze-out: dependence on natural constants

DOI10.1016/J.NUCLPHYSB.2014.11.020zbMATH Open1326.81249arXiv1406.1759OpenAlexW2144611539MaRDI QIDQ895413FDOQ895413

J. Rafelski, Jeremiah Birrell, Cheng Tao Yang

Publication date: 2 December 2015

Published in: Nuclear Physics B (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: Analysis of cosmic microwave background radiation fluctuations favors an effective number of neutrinos, $N_u>3$. This motivates a reinvestigation of the neutrino freeze-out process. Here we characterize the dependence of $N_u$ on the Standard Model (SM) parameters that govern neutrino freeze-out. We show that $N_u$ depends on a combination $eta$ of several natural constants characterizing the relative strength of weak interaction processes in the early Universe and on the Weinberg angle $si{n}^{2}het{a}_W$. We determine numerically the dependence $N_u(eta,si{n}^{2}het{a}_W)$ and discuss these results. The extensive numerical computations are made possible by two novel numerical procedures: a spectral method Boltzmann equation solver adapted to allow emerging chemical non-equilibrium, and a method to evaluate Boltzmann equation collision integrals that generates a smooth integrand.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1406.1759

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zbMATH Keywords

early universereheating

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Boltzmann equations (35Q20) Weak interaction in quantum theory (81V15) Unified quantum theories (81V22) Relativistic cosmology (83F05) Irreversible thermodynamics, including Onsager-Machlup theory (82C35)

Cites Work

• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Varying constants, gravitation and cosmology
• Neutrinos and big bang nucleosynthesis
• The Einstein-Vlasov system/kinetic theory
• Accurate spectral numerical schemes for kinetic equations with energy diffusion
• Kinetic Theory in the Expanding Universe
• Trend to equilibrium of a degenerate relativistic gas
• Boltzmann equation solver adapted to emergent chemical non-equilibrium

Cited In (5)

• Towards a precision calculation of \(N_{\mathrm{eff}}\) in the standard model. III: Improved estimate of NLO contributions to the collision integral
• A precision calculation of relic neutrino decoupling
• Insights into neutrino decoupling gleaned from considerations of the role of electron mass
• Local clustering of relic neutrinos with kinetic field theory
• Towards a precision calculation of the effective number of neutrinos N_eff in the Standard Model: the QED equation of state

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