Updating neutrino mass constraints with Background measurements

TL;DR

This study enhances cosmological neutrino mass constraints by incorporating diverse background measurements, achieving limits below previous expectations and revealing tensions with neutrino oscillation data.

Contribution

It introduces new background probes into neutrino mass analysis and demonstrates their significant impact on tightening bounds beyond prior methods.

Findings

Neutrino mass limits below 0.06 eV from combined data.

Each background probe independently constrains neutrino mass.

Tension observed between cosmological and oscillation neutrino results.

Abstract

Low-redshift probes, such as Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO) and Supernovae Ia luminosity distances, have been shown to be crucial for improving the bounds on the total neutrino mass from cosmological observations, due to their ability to break degeneracies among the different parameters. Here, we expand background observations to include $H(z)$ measurements from cosmic chronometers, distance moduli from Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs), and angular diameter distances from galaxy clusters. For the very first time, we find neutrino mass limits below the minimal expectations from neutrino oscillation probes, suggesting non-standard neutrino and/or cosmological scenarios. The tightening of the neutrino mass bound is due to the slightly higher value of the Hubble constant $H_0$ preferred by the former three background probes, and also due to the improved errors on $H_0$ and the matter mass-energy density $\Omega_{\rm m}$. All values of $H_0$ are however in agreement at the $1-2\sigma$ level. Interestingly, it is not only the combination of the three background probes that is responsible for the $\sum m_\nu <0.06$~eV limits, but also each of them independently. The tightest bound we find here is $\sum m_\nu<0.043$~eV at $2\sigma$ after combining Cosmic Microwave Background Planck data with DESI BAO, Supernovae Ia, GRBs, cosmic chronometers, and galaxy clusters, showing a clear tension between neutrino oscillation results and cosmological analyses. In general, removing either one of the two background probes still provides a limit $\sum m_\nu \lesssim 0.06$~eV, reassuring the enormous potential of these low-redshift observations in constraining the neutrino mass.