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Cosmological moduli generically come to dominate the energy density of the early universe, and thereby trigger an early matter dominated era. Such non-standard cosmological histories are expected to have profound effects on the evolution and production of axion cold dark matter and dark radiation, as well as their prospects for detection. We consider moduli-axion couplings and investigate the early history of the coupled system, considering closely the evolution of the homogeneous modulus field, the back-reaction from the axion, and the energy densities of the two fields. A particular point of interest is the enhancement of axion production from modulus decay, due to tachyonic and parametric resonant instabilities, and the implications of such production on the cosmological moduli problem, axion dark radiation, and the available parameter space for axion dark matter. Using an effective field theory approach, WKB-based semi-analytical analysis, and detailed numerical estimates of the co-evolution of the system, we evaluate the expected decay efficiency of the modulus to axions. The effects of higher-order operators are studied and implications for UV-complete frameworks such as the Large Volume Scenarios in Type IIB string theory are considered in detail.
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Long-term dynamics driven by resonant wave–particle interactions: from Hamiltonian resonance theory to phase space mapping
In this study we consider the Hamiltonian approach for the construction of a map for a system with nonlinear resonant interaction, including phase trapping and phase bunching effects. We derive basic equations for a single resonant trajectory analysis and then generalize them into a map in the energy/pitch-angle space. The main advances of this approach are the possibility of considering effects of many resonances and to simulate the evolution of the resonant particle ensemble on long time ranges. For illustrative purposes we consider the system with resonant relativistic electrons and field-aligned whistler-mode waves. The simulation results show that the electron phase space density within the resonant region is flattened with reduction of gradients. This evolution is much faster than the predictions of quasi-linear theory. We discuss further applications of the proposed approach and possible ways for its generalization.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2021749
- PAR ID:
- 10315806
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Plasma Physics
- Volume:
- 87
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 0022-3778
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
-
Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022377821000246
