Using Big Bang Nucleosynthesis to extend CMB probes of neutrino physics

We present calculations showing that upcoming Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) experiments will have the power to improve on current constraints on neutrino masses and provide new limits on neutrino degeneracy parameters. The latter could surpass those derived from Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of cosmology and astroparticle physics 2010-05, Vol.2010 (5), p.037-37, Article 037
Main Authors: Shimon, M, Miller, N.J, Kishimoto, C.T, Smith, C.J, Fuller, G.M, Keating, B.G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ASTROPHYSICS
ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
BARYON NUMBER
COSMOLOGY
EV RANGE
GRAVITATIONAL LENSES
HELIUM
LIMITING VALUES
MARKOV PROCESS
MONTE CARLO METHOD
NEUTRINOS
NUCLEOSYNTHESIS
RELICT RADIATION
REST MASS
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Summary:We present calculations showing that upcoming Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) experiments will have the power to improve on current constraints on neutrino masses and provide new limits on neutrino degeneracy parameters. The latter could surpass those derived from Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) and the observationally-inferred primordial helium abundance. These conclusions derive from our Monte Carlo Markov Chain (MCMC) simulations which incorporate a full BBN nuclear reaction network. This provides a self-consistent treatment of the helium abundance, the baryon number, the three individual neutrino degeneracy parameters and other cosmological parameters. Our analysis focuses on the effects of gravitational lensing on CMB constraints on neutrino rest mass and degeneracy parameter. We find for the PLANCK experiment that total (summed) neutrino mass M Delta *n > 0.29 eV could be ruled out at 2 Delta *s or better. Likewise neutrino degeneracy parameters Delta *x Delta *ne > 0.11 and
ISSN:1475-7516
1475-7516
DOI:10.1088/1475-7516/2010/05/037