Ultra-light axions and the S 8tension: joint constraints from the cosmic microwave background and galaxy clustering

Keir K. Rogers; Renée HloÅ3/4ek; Alex Laguë; Mikhail M. Ivanov; Oliver H.E. Philcox; Giovanni Cabass; Kazuyuki Akitsu; David J.E. Marsh

doi:10.1088/1475-7516/2023/06/023

Ultra-light axions and the S ₈tension: joint constraints from the cosmic microwave background and galaxy clustering

Keir K. Rogers^*, Renée HloÅ3/4ek, Alex Laguë, Mikhail M. Ivanov, Oliver H.E. Philcox, Giovanni Cabass, Kazuyuki Akitsu, David J.E. Marsh

^*Corresponding author for this work

Physics

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

33 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We search for ultra-light axions as dark matter (DM) and dark energy particle candidates, for axion masses 10-32 eV ≤ m a ≤ 10-24 eV, by a joint analysis of cosmic microwave background (CMB) and galaxy clustering data - and consider if axions can resolve the tension in inferred values of the matter clustering parameter S 8. We give legacy constraints from Planck 2018 CMB data, improving 2015 limits on the axion density ωa h 2 by up to a factor of three; CMB data from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope and the South Pole Telescope marginally weaken Planck bounds at m a = 10-25 eV, owing to lower (and theoretically-consistent) gravitational lensing signals. We jointly infer, from Planck CMB and full-shape galaxy power spectrum and bispectrum data from the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS), that axions are, today, < 10% of the DM for m a ≤ 10-26 eV and < 1% for 10-30 eV ≤ m a ≤ 10-28 eV. BOSS data strengthen limits, in particular at higher m a by probing high-wavenumber modes (k < 0.4h Mpc-1). BOSS alone finds a preference for axions at 2.7σ, for m a = 10-26 eV, but Planck disfavours this result. Nonetheless, axions in a window 10-28 eV ≤ m a ≤ 10-25 eV can improve consistency between CMB and galaxy clustering data, e.g., reducing the S 8 discrepancy from 2.7σ to 1.6σ, since these axions suppress structure growth at the 8h -1 Mpc scales to which S 8 is sensitive. We expect improved constraints with upcoming high-resolution CMB and galaxy lensing and future galaxy clustering data, where we will further assess if axions can restore cosmic concordance.

Original language	English
Article number	023
Journal	Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Volume	2023
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1088/1475-7516/2023/06/023
Publication status	Published - 1 Jun 2023

Keywords

axions
cosmological parameters from CMBR
cosmological parameters from LSS
dark matter theory

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10.1088/1475-7516/2023/06/023Licence: CC BY

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title = "Ultra-light axions and the S 8tension: joint constraints from the cosmic microwave background and galaxy clustering",

abstract = "We search for ultra-light axions as dark matter (DM) and dark energy particle candidates, for axion masses 10-32 eV ≤ m a ≤ 10-24 eV, by a joint analysis of cosmic microwave background (CMB) and galaxy clustering data - and consider if axions can resolve the tension in inferred values of the matter clustering parameter S 8. We give legacy constraints from Planck 2018 CMB data, improving 2015 limits on the axion density ωa h 2 by up to a factor of three; CMB data from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope and the South Pole Telescope marginally weaken Planck bounds at m a = 10-25 eV, owing to lower (and theoretically-consistent) gravitational lensing signals. We jointly infer, from Planck CMB and full-shape galaxy power spectrum and bispectrum data from the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS), that axions are, today, < 10% of the DM for m a ≤ 10-26 eV and < 1% for 10-30 eV ≤ m a ≤ 10-28 eV. BOSS data strengthen limits, in particular at higher m a by probing high-wavenumber modes (k < 0.4h Mpc-1). BOSS alone finds a preference for axions at 2.7σ, for m a = 10-26 eV, but Planck disfavours this result. Nonetheless, axions in a window 10-28 eV ≤ m a ≤ 10-25 eV can improve consistency between CMB and galaxy clustering data, e.g., reducing the S 8 discrepancy from 2.7σ to 1.6σ, since these axions suppress structure growth at the 8h -1 Mpc scales to which S 8 is sensitive. We expect improved constraints with upcoming high-resolution CMB and galaxy lensing and future galaxy clustering data, where we will further assess if axions can restore cosmic concordance.",

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author = "Rogers, {Keir K.} and Ren{\'e}e Hlo{\AA}3/4ek and Alex Lagu{\"e} and Ivanov, {Mikhail M.} and Philcox, {Oliver H.E.} and Giovanni Cabass and Kazuyuki Akitsu and Marsh, {David J.E.}",

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doi = "10.1088/1475-7516/2023/06/023",

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AU - Rogers, Keir K.

AU - HloÅ3/4ek, Renée

AU - Laguë, Alex

AU - Ivanov, Mikhail M.

AU - Philcox, Oliver H.E.

AU - Cabass, Giovanni

AU - Akitsu, Kazuyuki

AU - Marsh, David J.E.

PY - 2023/6/1

Y1 - 2023/6/1

N2 - We search for ultra-light axions as dark matter (DM) and dark energy particle candidates, for axion masses 10-32 eV ≤ m a ≤ 10-24 eV, by a joint analysis of cosmic microwave background (CMB) and galaxy clustering data - and consider if axions can resolve the tension in inferred values of the matter clustering parameter S 8. We give legacy constraints from Planck 2018 CMB data, improving 2015 limits on the axion density ωa h 2 by up to a factor of three; CMB data from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope and the South Pole Telescope marginally weaken Planck bounds at m a = 10-25 eV, owing to lower (and theoretically-consistent) gravitational lensing signals. We jointly infer, from Planck CMB and full-shape galaxy power spectrum and bispectrum data from the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS), that axions are, today, < 10% of the DM for m a ≤ 10-26 eV and < 1% for 10-30 eV ≤ m a ≤ 10-28 eV. BOSS data strengthen limits, in particular at higher m a by probing high-wavenumber modes (k < 0.4h Mpc-1). BOSS alone finds a preference for axions at 2.7σ, for m a = 10-26 eV, but Planck disfavours this result. Nonetheless, axions in a window 10-28 eV ≤ m a ≤ 10-25 eV can improve consistency between CMB and galaxy clustering data, e.g., reducing the S 8 discrepancy from 2.7σ to 1.6σ, since these axions suppress structure growth at the 8h -1 Mpc scales to which S 8 is sensitive. We expect improved constraints with upcoming high-resolution CMB and galaxy lensing and future galaxy clustering data, where we will further assess if axions can restore cosmic concordance.

AB - We search for ultra-light axions as dark matter (DM) and dark energy particle candidates, for axion masses 10-32 eV ≤ m a ≤ 10-24 eV, by a joint analysis of cosmic microwave background (CMB) and galaxy clustering data - and consider if axions can resolve the tension in inferred values of the matter clustering parameter S 8. We give legacy constraints from Planck 2018 CMB data, improving 2015 limits on the axion density ωa h 2 by up to a factor of three; CMB data from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope and the South Pole Telescope marginally weaken Planck bounds at m a = 10-25 eV, owing to lower (and theoretically-consistent) gravitational lensing signals. We jointly infer, from Planck CMB and full-shape galaxy power spectrum and bispectrum data from the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS), that axions are, today, < 10% of the DM for m a ≤ 10-26 eV and < 1% for 10-30 eV ≤ m a ≤ 10-28 eV. BOSS data strengthen limits, in particular at higher m a by probing high-wavenumber modes (k < 0.4h Mpc-1). BOSS alone finds a preference for axions at 2.7σ, for m a = 10-26 eV, but Planck disfavours this result. Nonetheless, axions in a window 10-28 eV ≤ m a ≤ 10-25 eV can improve consistency between CMB and galaxy clustering data, e.g., reducing the S 8 discrepancy from 2.7σ to 1.6σ, since these axions suppress structure growth at the 8h -1 Mpc scales to which S 8 is sensitive. We expect improved constraints with upcoming high-resolution CMB and galaxy lensing and future galaxy clustering data, where we will further assess if axions can restore cosmic concordance.

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Ultra-light axions and the S ₈tension: joint constraints from the cosmic microwave background and galaxy clustering

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