Enhanced matter power spectrum from axion kination after Big Bang nucleosynthesis

Abstract Despite stringent constraints from Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) and cosmic microwave background (CMB) observations, it is still possible for well-motivated particle physics models to substantially alter the cosmic expansion history between BBN and recombination. In this work we consider two different axion models that can realize a period of first matter domination, then kination, in this epoch. We perform fits to both primordial element abundances as well as CMB data and determine that up to a decade of late axion domination is allowed by these probes of the early universe. We establish the implications of late axion domination for the matter power spectrum on the scales 1/Mpc ≲ k ≲ 10 3 /Mpc. Our `log' model predicts a relatively modest bump-like feature together with a small suppression relative to the standard ΛCDM predictions on either side of the enhancement. Our `two-field' model predicts a larger, plateau-like feature that realizes enhancements to the matter power spectrum of up to two orders of magnitude. These features have interesting implications for structure formation at the forefront of current detection capabilities.