Galaxy Bispectrum from Massive Spinning Particles

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new theoretical template for the galaxy bispectrum caused by massive spinning particles during inflation and forecasts the ability of upcoming surveys to detect and characterize these particles through primordial non-Gaussianity.

Contribution

The paper develops the first general template for the bispectrum from massive spinning particles and assesses future survey capabilities to constrain their properties.

Findings

Surveys could detect primordial non-Gaussianity with amplitude >~1.

Potential to infer masses of spinning particles within tens of percent.

New theoretical model applicable to general triangle configurations.

Abstract

Massive spinning particles, if present during inflation, lead to a distinctive bispectrum of primordial perturbations, the shape and amplitude of which depend on the masses and spins of the extra particles. This signal, in turn, leaves an imprint in the statistical distribution of galaxies; in particular, as a non-vanishing galaxy bispectrum, which can be used to probe the masses and spins of these particles. In this paper, we present for the first time a new theoretical template for the bispectrum generated by massive spinning particles, valid for a general triangle configuration. We then proceed to perform a Fisher-matrix forecast to assess the potential of two next-generation spectroscopic galaxy surveys, EUCLID and DESI, to constrain the primordial non-Gaussianity sourced by these extra particles. We model the galaxy bispectrum using tree-level perturbation theory, accounting for redshift-space distortions and the Alcock-Paczynski effect, and forecast constraints on the primordial non-Gaussianity parameters marginalizing over all relevant biases and cosmological parameters. Our results suggest that these surveys would potentially be sensitive to any primordial non-Gaussianity with an amplitude larger than $f_{\rm NL}\approx 1$, for massive particles with spins 2, 3, and 4. Interestingly, if non-Gaussianities are present at that level, these surveys will be able to infer the masses of these spinning particles to within tens of percent. If detected, this would provide a very clear window into the particle content of our Universe during inflation.