Precision Detection of the Cosmic Neutrino Background

Journal Article · Sat May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1999 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.82.3952· OSTI ID:341405

Lopez, R E; Turner, M S ^[1]; Dodelson, S; Turner, M S ^[2]; Heckler, A ^[3]; Turner, M S ^[4]

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1. Department of Physics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637-1433 (United States)
2. NASA/Fermilab Astrophysics Center, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Batavia, Illinois 60510-0500 (United States)
3. Department of Physics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210 (United States)
4. Department of Astronomy Astrophysics, Enrico Fermi Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637-1433 (United States)

In the standard big bang cosmology the canonical value for the ratio of relic neutrinos to cosmic microwave background (CMB) photons is 9/11. Within the framework of the standard model of particle physics there are small corrections, in sum about 1{percent} , due to slight heating of neutrinos by electron-positron annihilations and finite-temperature QED effects. We show that this leads to changes in the predicted CMB anisotropies that will bias determination of the other cosmological parameters if not correctly taken into account. These changes might be detected by future satellite experiments. {copyright} {ital 1999} {ital The American Physical Society}

• DOE Contract Number: FG02-91ER40690
• OSTI ID: 341405
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 20 Vol. 82; ISSN 0031-9007; ISSN PRLTAO
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

66 PHYSICS
BACKGROUND RADIATION
COSMIC NEUTRINOS
COSMIC RADIATION
COSMOLOGY
ELECTRON-POSITRON INTERACTIONS
QUANTUM ELECTRODYNAMICS
STANDARD MODEL