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Tracing Inflationary Imprints Through the Dark Ages: Implications for Early Stars and Galaxies Formation

K. El Bourakadi, M. Yu. Khlopov, M. Krasnov, H. Chakir, M. Bennai

TL;DR

The paper investigates how inflationary features, especially oscillatory imprints from axion-monodromy, propagate from primordial curvature perturbations to the nonlinear stages of structure formation. By combining the transfer function formalism, linear growth, Press-Schechter halo statistics, and detailed baryonic physics in minihalos, it shows how inflationary modulations in the primordial power spectrum can alter halo abundances, Pop III star formation thresholds, and the seeding and growth of primordial black holes. It further links these early-universe signals to observable properties of high-redshift galaxies and disks, providing testable predictions for JWST-era data. The work highlights a concrete bridge between high-energy inflationary physics and astrophysical observables, enabling constraints on inflation models through the small-scale structure and early galaxy formation history, while outlining avenues for incorporating radiative feedback and nonlinear collapse in future studies.

Abstract

We explore how inflationary features shape the early stages of cosmic structure formation. Using the transfer function formalism, we trace the evolution of primordial perturbations, showing how causal physics and oscillatory signatures from inflation influence the matter power spectrum. The variance of smoothed density fields is then applied to model the collapse of overdense regions and predict dark matter halo abundances through the Press-Schechter framework. Extending to the baryonic sector, we analyze primordial gas collapse in minihalos, emphasizing molecular hydrogen cooling and the thermochemical pathways leading to Population III star formation. Finally, we examine primordial black holes as potential seeds for early galaxies, connecting their accretion-driven growth to the stellar masses and disk properties of high-redshift systems. Our results indicate that oscillatory features from inflation can leave measurable imprints on halo abundances and early galaxy properties, providing a testable link between high-energy physics and astrophysical observations with JWST

Tracing Inflationary Imprints Through the Dark Ages: Implications for Early Stars and Galaxies Formation

TL;DR

The paper investigates how inflationary features, especially oscillatory imprints from axion-monodromy, propagate from primordial curvature perturbations to the nonlinear stages of structure formation. By combining the transfer function formalism, linear growth, Press-Schechter halo statistics, and detailed baryonic physics in minihalos, it shows how inflationary modulations in the primordial power spectrum can alter halo abundances, Pop III star formation thresholds, and the seeding and growth of primordial black holes. It further links these early-universe signals to observable properties of high-redshift galaxies and disks, providing testable predictions for JWST-era data. The work highlights a concrete bridge between high-energy inflationary physics and astrophysical observables, enabling constraints on inflation models through the small-scale structure and early galaxy formation history, while outlining avenues for incorporating radiative feedback and nonlinear collapse in future studies.

Abstract

We explore how inflationary features shape the early stages of cosmic structure formation. Using the transfer function formalism, we trace the evolution of primordial perturbations, showing how causal physics and oscillatory signatures from inflation influence the matter power spectrum. The variance of smoothed density fields is then applied to model the collapse of overdense regions and predict dark matter halo abundances through the Press-Schechter framework. Extending to the baryonic sector, we analyze primordial gas collapse in minihalos, emphasizing molecular hydrogen cooling and the thermochemical pathways leading to Population III star formation. Finally, we examine primordial black holes as potential seeds for early galaxies, connecting their accretion-driven growth to the stellar masses and disk properties of high-redshift systems. Our results indicate that oscillatory features from inflation can leave measurable imprints on halo abundances and early galaxy properties, providing a testable link between high-energy physics and astrophysical observations with JWST
Paper Structure (16 sections, 21 equations, 10 figures)

This paper contains 16 sections, 21 equations, 10 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Evolution of Cosmological Perturbations
  3. The Transfer Function
  4. The Matter Perturbations
  5. Axion-Monodromy Inflation with Oscillatory Features
  6. Gravitational Collapse of a dark matter halos
  7. Gravitational collapse of Overdense regions
  8. Dark Matter Halos Abundance
  9. First Star Formation
  10. Primordial Gas Collapse
  11. Formation process of early stars
  12. Inflationary Signatures in PBH Formation & Galaxy Properties
  13. Primordial Black Holes as Seeds for Early Galaxies
  14. Galactic Disk Formation and Structure
  15. Conclusion
  16. ...and 1 more sections

Figures (10)

  • Figure 1: Matter power spectrum $P(k,z)$ plotted over comoving scale and redshift for different values of b showing enhanced primordial oscillations
  • Figure 2: Matter Power Spectrum Evolution with Inflaton-Induced Oscillations for different choices of Redshift values.
  • Figure 3: The variance of overdense regions collapse as functions of field value at the horizon crossing and the redshift.
  • Figure 4: The mass fraction as functions of $\phi _{k}$ for different values of the redshift $z$.
  • Figure 5: Virial Radius $R_{\mathrm{vir}}$ vs. $\phi _{k}$ for Various $M_{h}$.
  • ...and 5 more figures