Kavli Affiliate: Tom Abel
| First 5 Authors: Karsten Jedamzik, Levon Pogosian, Tom Abel, ,
| Summary:
Primordial Magnetic Fields (PMFs), long studied as potential relics of the
early Universe, accelerate the recombination process and have been proposed as
a possible way to relieve the Hubble tension. However, previous studies relied
on simplified toy models. In this study, for the first time, we use the recent
high-precision evaluations of recombination with PMFs, incorporating full
magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations and detailed Lyman-alpha radiative
transfer, to test PMF-enhanced recombination ($bLambda$CDM) against
observational data from the cosmic microwave background (CMB), baryon acoustic
oscillations (BAO), and Type Ia supernovae (SN). Focusing on non-helical PMFs
with a Batchelor spectrum, we find a preference for present-day total field
strengths of approximately 5-10 pico-Gauss. Depending on the dataset
combination, this preference ranges from mild ($sim 1.8sigma$ with Planck +
DESI) to moderate ($sim 3sigma$ with Planck + DESI + SH0ES-calibrated SN)
significance. The $bLambda$CDM has Planck + DESI $chi^2$ values equal or
better than those of the $Lambda$CDM model while predicting a higher Hubble
constant. The favored field strengths align closely with those required for
cluster magnetic fields to originate entirely from primordial sources, without
the need for additional dynamo amplification or stellar magnetic field
contamination. Future high-resolution CMB temperature and polarization
measurements will be crucial for confirming or further constraining the
presence of PMFs at recombination.
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