Speaker
Jens Chluba
(Institute of Astronomy)
Description
CMB spectral distortions caused by energy release in the early Universe create broad distortions that are usually described as superposition of mu-, y- and r-type distortions. These signals will allow us to gain new insights into the pre-recombination Universe, telling us about early-universe and particle physics. There is, however, another way to create distortions: by *photon injection*. One example is related to the hydrogen and helium recombination radiation emitted around *z*~1000, however, similarly decaying and annihilating particle scenarios or super-conducting strings should lead to copious photon production. The types of distortions that are created by photon injection show a much richer phenomenology than the classical mu and y distortions, as I will illustrate in my talk. This may provide additional ways of distinguishing different energy release mechanisms.
Author
Jens Chluba
(Institute of Astronomy)
