Primordial magnetic fields during the cosmic dawn in light of EDGES 21-cm signal

ABSTRACT We study prospects of constraining the primordial magnetic field (PMF) and its evolution during the dark ages and cosmic dawn in light of EDGES 21-cm signal. Our analysis has been carried out on a ‘colder IGM’ background which is one of the promising avenues to interpret the EDGES signal. We consider the dark matter-baryon interactions for the excess cooling. We find that the colder IGM suppresses both the residual free electron fraction and the coupling coefficient between the ionized and neutral components. The Compton heating also gets affected in colder IGM background. Consequently, the IGM heating rate due to the PMF enhances compared to the standard scenario. Thus, a significant fraction of the magnetic energy, for $B_0 \lesssim 0.5 \, {\rm nG}$, gets transferred to the IGM and the magnetic field decays at much faster rate compared to the simple (1 + z)2 scaling during the dark ages and cosmic dawn. This low PMF is an unlikely candidate for explaining the rise of the EDGES absorption signal at lower redshift. We also see that the PMF and DM-baryon interaction together introduces a plateau like feature in the redshift evolution of the IGM temperature. We find that the upper limit on the PMF depends on the underlying DM-baryon interaction. Higher PMF can be allowed when the interaction cross-section is higher and/or the DM particle mass is lower. Our study shows that the PMF with B0 up to ${\sim}0.4 \, {\rm nG}$, which is ruled out in the standard model, can be allowed if DM-baryon interaction with suitable cross-section and DM mass are considered.

Molecular $$\Xi _{bc}$$ states from meson–baryon interaction

We have studied the meson–baryon interaction in coupled channels with the same quantum numbers of $$\Xi _{bc}$$Ξbc. The interaction is attractive in some channels and of sufficient intensity to lead to bound states or resonances. We use a model describing the meson–baryon interaction based on an extrapolation of the local hidden gauge approach to the heavy sector, which has been successfully used in predicting $$\Omega _c$$Ωc and hidden charm states. We obtain many states, some of them narrow or with zero width, as a consequence of the interaction, which qualify as molecular states in those channels. The success in related sectors of the picture used should encourage the experimental search for such states.