Constraint on the effective number of neutrino species from the WMAP and SDSS LRG power spectra

We derive a constraint on the effective number of neutrino species N ν from the cosmic microwave background power spectrum of the WMAP and galaxy clustering power spectrum of the SDSS luminous red galaxies (LRGs). Using these two latest data sets of CMB and galaxy clustering alone, we obtain the limit 0.9 < N ν < 8.2 (95% C.L.) for the power-law Λ CDM flat universe, with no external prior. The lower limit corresponds to the lower bound on the reheating temperature of the universe T R > 2 MeV.