Updated bounds on sum of neutrino masses in various cosmological scenarios

We present strong bounds on the sum of three active neutrino masses (m_) in various cosmological models. We use the following baseline datasets: CMB temperature data from Planck 2015, BAO measurements from SDSS-III BOSS DR12, the newly released SNe Ia dataset from Pantheon Sample, and a prior on the optical depth to reionization from 2016 Planck Intermediate results. We constrain cosmological parameters in CDM model with 3 massive active neutrinos. For this CDM+ m_ model we find a upper bound of m_ < 0. 152 eV at 95\% C. L. Adding the high-l polarization data from Planck strengthens this bound to m_ < 0. 118 eV, which is very close to the minimum required mass of m_ 0. 1 eV for inverted hierarchy. This bound is reduced to m_ < 0. 110 eV when we also vary r, the tensor to scalar ratio (CDM+r+ m_ model), and add an additional dataset, BK14, the latest data released from the Bicep-Keck collaboration. This bound is further reduced to m_ < 0. 101 eV in a cosmology with non-phantom dynamical dark energy (w₀ wₐ CDM+ m_ model with w (z) -1 for all z). Considering the w₀ wₐ CDM+r+ m_ model and adding the BK14 data again, the bound can be even further reduced to m_ < 0. 093 eV. For the w₀ wₐ CDM+ m_ model without any constraint on w (z), the bounds however relax to m_ < 0. 276 eV. Adding a prior on the Hubble constant (H₀ = 73. 24 1. 74 km/sec/Mpc) from Hubble Space Telescope (HST), the above mentioned bounds further improve to m_ < 0. 117 eV, 0. 091 eV, 0. 085 eV, 0. 082 eV, 0. 078 eV and 0. 247 eV respectively. This substantial improvement is mostly driven by a more than 3 tension between Planck 2015 and HST measurements of H₀ and should be taken cautiously. (abstract abridged)