Testing an unstable cosmic neutrino background
P. Di Bari
Full text: pdf
Pre-published on: December 09, 2025
Published on: December 10, 2025
Abstract
I show how different cosmological observations can test the possibility that neutrinos might be unstable on cosmological times,
resulting into an unstable cosmic neutrino background. I discuss how different independent anomalies intriguingly hint to
such a possibility that would clearly point to new physics.
I first focus on how the new DESI results place an upper bound on the sum of neutrino masses that starts to be in tension
with the lower bound from neutrino oscillation experiments and how this tension could be easily solved assuming unstable relic neutrinos.
Then I show how 21 cm cosmology allows to test radiative relic neutrino decays and how these could explain the controversial EDGES anomaly.
I also show how the excess radio background and in particular the ARCADE 2 data can also be nicely explained by relic neutrino radiative decays.
Finally, I point out the difficulties in building a model that does not clash with the upper limits on the effective magnetic moment coming from neutrino-electron scattering experiments and globular cluster stars.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22323/1.490.0100
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