Astrophysics

In this talk, I will discuss my exploration of the gravothermal collapse of isolated self-interacting dark matter (SIDM) halos, driven deep into the core-collapsed regime where interactions are frequent. We investigate how elastic collisions influence the central region of SIDM halos as they undergo core collapse. In our numerical findings, we discover a remarkable universality in the behavior of halos, allowing us to predict their evolution deep in the core-collapsed regime. We develop a semi-analytic method to characterize the core properties of the halo in the latest stages of evolution, which is crucial for making predictions of the mass of potential black holes forming at the heart of these dark matter halos.

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When additional degrees of freedom are considered during inflation, a crucial aspect of early universe physics emerges: the generation of isocurvature quantum fluctuations. In this talk, we will present generation and detection forecast for axionic blue-tilted isocurvature power spectra. The large blue-tilt readily evades current CMB bounds. Following a brief review, we will discuss a SUSY-embedded axion model which generates a strongly blue tilted (nI~4) isocurvature spectrum during inflation when the quantum modes are starting to be underdamped ( m/H > 3/2 ). Interestingly, there exist parametric regions with strong resonant spectral behavior that lead to rich isocurvature spectral shapes and large amplitude enhancements. These can be particularly interesting with observational consequences, in relation to the generation of PBH and GWs. The isocurvature spectral tilt is directly linked to the axion mass during inflation. Detecting blue-tilted isocurvatures can offer indirect evidence of a weakly interacting dark matter-like spectator field beyond conventional thermal-relic scenarios. Lastly, we will examine and forecast constraints for experiments such as Euclid (upcoming) and MegaMapper (proposed) using EFTofLSS based perturbative techniques. In the process we will comment upon the consistent renormalization requirements for mixed adiabatic and blue isocurvature primordial spectra.

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Studying galaxy evolution is a human endeavour.  Simulations would ideally include physical models based on relevance, but we are often limited by practical considerations like CPU time and code complexity. I will examine energy inputs to galaxies from radiation and stellar feedback, how they are modeled in simulations, and where they are expected to influence the state of the gas and the overall evolution of a galaxy. I will focus on superbubbles (clustered supernova and stellar wind feedback) and local radiation fields, looking at the differences in what these feedbacks can do in terms of where they act in the galaxy, how that impact changes over cosmic time and how the limitations of simulations have affected our view of them.

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In a complete theory of gravity we expect space-time singularities to be regularized by quantum effects. From this point of view, we have two possible regular alternatives to singular black holes (BHs) to describe the ultracompact objects that we saw in our universe: regular black holes and horizonless compact objects. I will talk about the possible structures of these black hole mimickers and the gravitational waves ringdown signal that we expect from their coalescence. In particular I will focus on the deviations in the spectrum of QNMs with respect to singular BHs, their possible detectability and the structure of echoes when backreaction effects are taken into account.

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While the standard $\Lambda$CDM model provides an astonishing fit to cosmological data, there is a 4-6 $\sigma$ tension in the Hubble constant, $H_0$, between the value inferred from early-Universe observables, Planck CMB anisotropy spectra, and the value determined by local measurements from SH0ES collaboration using Type 1a supernovae calibrated with Cepheid variables. As an effort to solve this tension, we develop a method of searching for data-driven solutions to the Hubble tension given cosmological dataset, based on the standard Fisher bias formalism. Taking as proof of principle the case of a time-varying electron mass, and focusing first on Planck CMB data, we demonstrate a modified recombination can solve the Hubble tension and lower $S_8$ to better match weak lensing measurements. Once baryonic acoustic oscillation and uncalibrated supernovae data are included, it is not possible to fully solve the tension with perturbative modifications to recombination. The method we develop in this work can be a useful tool to search for many other possible extensions to the $\Lambda$CDM model, and is expected to inspire a model-building effort from the cosmology and particle physics community.

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In this talk I will show how the gravitational potentials generated by ultralight dark matter halos interact with gravitational waves, resonantly amplifying them. Significant amplifications can be achieved in dense dark matter environments, where the Floquet exponent is increased. The frequency of the amplified gravitational wave is equal to the axion mass when one requires resonance in the first band. For some masses considered, the gravitational wave frequencies fall within the Pulsar Timing Array range, representing an interesting possibility to test ultralight axions as dark matter candidates.

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