Ultra-light Axions: Degeneracies with Massive Neutrinos and Forecasts for Future Cosmological Observations

TL;DR

This paper investigates how ultralight axions predicted by string theory influence cosmological structures and observations, highlighting degeneracies with neutrinos and forecasting detection prospects with future data.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of the cosmological effects of the string axiverse and explores how these effects can be distinguished from neutrino signatures in upcoming observations.

Findings

Ultralight axions can be detected at a few percent level in dark matter with future surveys.

Degeneracies between axions and massive neutrinos can complicate cosmological parameter estimation.

Multiple observational probes are necessary to disentangle axion effects from other cosmological parameters.

Abstract

A generic prediction of string theory is the existence of many axion fields. It has recently been argued that many of these fields should be light and, like the well known QCD axion, lead to observable cosmological consequences. In this paper we study in detail the effect of the so-called string axiverse on large scale structure, focusing on the morphology and evolution of density perturbations, anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background and weak gravitational lensing of distant galaxies. We quantify specific effects that will arise from the presence of the axionic fields and highlight possible degeneracies that may arise in the presence of massive neutrinos. We take particular care understanding the different physical effects and scales that come into play. We then forecast how the string axiverse may be constrained and show that with a combination of different observations, it should be possible to detect a fraction of ultralight axions to dark matter of a few percent.