The Glow of Axion Quark Nugget Dark Matter: (IV) CMB Spectral and Anisotropy Signatures

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Majidi, Fereshteh, Liang, Xunyu, Sekatchev, Michael, Van Waerbeke, Ludovic, Zhitnitsky, Ariel
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Majidi, Fereshteh
Liang, Xunyu
Sekatchev, Michael
Van Waerbeke, Ludovic
Zhitnitsky, Ariel
author_facet Majidi, Fereshteh
Liang, Xunyu
Sekatchev, Michael
Van Waerbeke, Ludovic
Zhitnitsky, Ariel
contents Axion quark nuggets (AQNs) are macroscopic dark-matter candidates, with masses of the order of a few grams to a kilogram and sub-micron radius, thought to form at the Quantum Chromo Dynamic era through axion-induced charge separation. This framework naturally links the dark and visible matter abundances ($Ω_{\rm DM} \sim Ω_{\rm visible}$) and provides a mechanism for generating the baryon-antibaryon asymmetry where dark matter is composed of matter AQNs and antimatter AQNs. Although behaving as cold dark matter on cosmological scales, baryons annihilate with antimatter AQNs, producing ionizing high-energy photons. The resulting energy injection may imprint spectral distortions on the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and modify the reionization history. Using a modified version of the \texttt{CLASS} Boltzmann code we compute the impact of this energy injection on the $μ$ and $y$ spectral distortion parameters as well as on the optical depth. We find that (1) the CMB anisotropies remain essentially unaffected by baryon annihilation, and (2) the associated spectral distortion signatures lie within the sensitivity reach of proposed CMB spectral distortion missions. Finally, we discuss the similarities and differences between the AQN scenario and annihilating or decaying dark matter models.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_05401
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle The Glow of Axion Quark Nugget Dark Matter: (IV) CMB Spectral and Anisotropy Signatures
Majidi, Fereshteh
Liang, Xunyu
Sekatchev, Michael
Van Waerbeke, Ludovic
Zhitnitsky, Ariel
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
Axion quark nuggets (AQNs) are macroscopic dark-matter candidates, with masses of the order of a few grams to a kilogram and sub-micron radius, thought to form at the Quantum Chromo Dynamic era through axion-induced charge separation. This framework naturally links the dark and visible matter abundances ($Ω_{\rm DM} \sim Ω_{\rm visible}$) and provides a mechanism for generating the baryon-antibaryon asymmetry where dark matter is composed of matter AQNs and antimatter AQNs. Although behaving as cold dark matter on cosmological scales, baryons annihilate with antimatter AQNs, producing ionizing high-energy photons. The resulting energy injection may imprint spectral distortions on the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and modify the reionization history. Using a modified version of the \texttt{CLASS} Boltzmann code we compute the impact of this energy injection on the $μ$ and $y$ spectral distortion parameters as well as on the optical depth. We find that (1) the CMB anisotropies remain essentially unaffected by baryon annihilation, and (2) the associated spectral distortion signatures lie within the sensitivity reach of proposed CMB spectral distortion missions. Finally, we discuss the similarities and differences between the AQN scenario and annihilating or decaying dark matter models.
title The Glow of Axion Quark Nugget Dark Matter: (IV) CMB Spectral and Anisotropy Signatures
topic Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.05401