Superhorizon fluctuations and the cosmic dipole problem

Fuente: arXiv
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Autores principales: Chen, Ge, Han, Chengcheng, Qiu, Linwei
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2025
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author Chen, Ge
Han, Chengcheng
Qiu, Linwei
author_facet Chen, Ge
Han, Chengcheng
Qiu, Linwei
contents Recent observations have identified a significant 4.9$σ$ tension between the cosmic dipole inferred from galaxy number counts and that derived from the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), suggesting a potential deviation from the cosmological principle. This work investigates whether superhorizon isocurvature perturbations in cold dark matter (CDM) can account for this discrepancy. We demonstrate that, unlike adiabatic modes which cancel at leading order, superhorizon isocurvature modes can generate an intrinsic CMB dipole without significantly affecting galaxy number counts, thereby explaining the observed mismatch. We explore both single-mode and continuous-spectrum cases, focusing on two concrete models: a nearly scale-invariant power-law spectrum with a UV cutoff and axion-induced isocurvature perturbations. For the axion scenario, we show that if the radial mode evolves during inflation, the resulting perturbations can match the required amplitude while evading current CMB constraints. Our analysis constrains the self-coupling of associated potential for the axion to the range $10^{-9} < λ< 4 \times 10^{-9}$. These findings offer a viable solution to the dipole tension and may serve as indirect evidence for axion dark matter.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2507_20462
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Superhorizon fluctuations and the cosmic dipole problem
Chen, Ge
Han, Chengcheng
Qiu, Linwei
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
Recent observations have identified a significant 4.9$σ$ tension between the cosmic dipole inferred from galaxy number counts and that derived from the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), suggesting a potential deviation from the cosmological principle. This work investigates whether superhorizon isocurvature perturbations in cold dark matter (CDM) can account for this discrepancy. We demonstrate that, unlike adiabatic modes which cancel at leading order, superhorizon isocurvature modes can generate an intrinsic CMB dipole without significantly affecting galaxy number counts, thereby explaining the observed mismatch. We explore both single-mode and continuous-spectrum cases, focusing on two concrete models: a nearly scale-invariant power-law spectrum with a UV cutoff and axion-induced isocurvature perturbations. For the axion scenario, we show that if the radial mode evolves during inflation, the resulting perturbations can match the required amplitude while evading current CMB constraints. Our analysis constrains the self-coupling of associated potential for the axion to the range $10^{-9} < λ< 4 \times 10^{-9}$. These findings offer a viable solution to the dipole tension and may serve as indirect evidence for axion dark matter.
title Superhorizon fluctuations and the cosmic dipole problem
topic Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.20462