Dark radiation from the axino solution of the gravitino problem

Current observations of the cosmic microwave background could confirm an increase in the radiation energy density after primordial nucleosynthesis but before photon decoupling. We show that, if the gravitino problem is solved by a light axino, dark (clecoupled) radiation emerges naturally in this period leading to a new upper bound on the reheating temperature T-R less than or similar to 10(11) GeV. In turn, successful thermal leptogenesis might predict such an increase. The Large Hadron Collider could endorse this opportunity. At the same time, axion and axino can naturally form the observed dark matter. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.