New CMB spectral distortion constraints on decaying dark matter with full evolution of electromagnetic cascades before recombination

Abstract

Current constraints on energy injection in the form of energetic particles before the epoch of recombination using CMB spectral distortions assume that all energy goes into $y$ and $\mu$-type distortions. We revisit these constraints with exact calculations of the spectral distortions by evolving the electromagnetic cascades. The actual spectral distortion differs in shape and amplitude from the $y$-type distortion and depends on the energy and nature of injected particles. The constraints on the energy injection processes such as dark matter decay can be relaxed by as much as a factor of 5.

Revised version, comments welcome

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• Extraction of the multiplicity dependence of Multiparton Interactions from LHC pp data using Machine Learning techniques
• Constraints on $N_{\mathrm{eff}}$ of high energy non-thermal neutrino injections upto $z\sim 10^8$ from CMB spectral distortions and abundance of light elements
• Cosmology with Recombination Spectrum
• Cosmic microwave background spectral distortions from Rayleigh scattering at second order
• The Glow of Axion Quark Nugget Dark Matter: (IV) CMB Spectral and Anisotropy Signatures
• Cosmological constraints on the decay of heavy relics into neutrinos