Upper Bound of 0.28 eV on Neutrino Masses from the Largest Photometric Redshift Survey

Abstract

We present a new upper limit of mν ≤ 0.28 (95% CL) on the sum of the neutrino masses assuming a flat ΛCDM cosmology. This relaxes slightly to mν ≤ 0.34 and mν ≤ 0.47 when quasi non-linear scales are removed and w = −1, respectively. These bounds are derived from a new photometric redshift catalogue of over 700,000 Luminous Red Galaxies (MegaZ DR7) with a volume of 3.3 (Gpc h −1 ) 3 , extending over the redshift range 0.45 < z < 0.65 and up to angular scales of max = 300. The data are combined with WMAP 5-year CMB fluctuations, Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO), type 1a Supernovae (SNe) and an HST prior on the Hubble parameter. This is the first combined constraint from a photometric redshift catalogue with other cosmological probes. When combined with WMAP this data set proves to be as constraining as the addition of all SNe and BAO data available to date. The upper limit is one of the tightest and 'cleanest' constraints on the neutrino mass from cosmology or particle physics. Furthermore, if the aforementioned bounds hold, they all predict that current-to-next generation neutrino experiments, such as KATRIN, are unlikely to obtain a detection.

Combining Planck data with large scale structure information gives a strong neutrino mass constraint

“…Even though such large masses are ruled out by structure formation if the neutrinos are thermalized [20][21][22][23][24][25], those constraints can be circumvented by nonstandard physics mechanisms [26][27][28]. We have analyzed one such short baselineinspired scenario called ΛCDM 3þ1ν .…”

The clustering of galaxies in the SDSS-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey: signs of neutrino mass in current cosmological data sets

“…The suppression of clustering is caused by the large thermal velocity of neutrinos which leads to a large free-streaming scale. Many recent publications have attempted to constrain mν, but most were only able to set upper limits (Seljak, Slosar & McDonald 2006;Hinshaw et al 2009;Dunkley et al 2009;Reid et al 2010;Komatsu et al 2011;Saito, Takada & Taruya 2011;Thomas, Abdalla & Lahav 2010;Tereno et al 2009;Gong et al 2009;Ichiki, Takada & Takahashi 2009;Li et al 2009;Zhao et al 2013;Hinshaw et al 2013;de Putter et al 2012;Xia et al 2012;Sanchez et al 2012;Riemer-Sorensen, Parkinson & Davis 2013;Giusarma et al 2013) with some exceptions based on cluster abundance results, e.g., Hou et al (2012); Ade et al (2013b); Battye & Moss (2013); Wyman et al (2013); Burenin (2013); Rozo et al (2013).…”

Reactor sterile neutrinos, dark energy, and the age of the universe

“…For example, the first limits on the number of neutrino flavours came from big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) (Steigman et al 1977). And because measurements of the statistical distribution of matter in the universe and the anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) have improved, it has become possible to put increasingly stringent upper bounds on the sum of the neutrino masses (Komatsu et al 2011;Thomas et al 2010). The strongest bounds result, of course, when one starts from the simplest cosmological model with a handful of parameters fitted to a selection of the most important data sets and then includes the sum of the neutrino masses as an additional degree of freedom.…”