Astrophysics

The one-point probability distribution function (PDF) is a powerful summary statistic for non-Gaussian cosmological fields, such as the weak lensing (WL) convergence reconstructed from galaxy shapes or cosmic microwave background (CMB) maps. Thus far, no analytic model has been developed that successfully describes the high-convergence tail of the WL convergence PDF for small smoothing scales from first principles. Here, we present a halo-model formalism to compute the WL convergence PDF, building upon our previous results for the thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich field. Furthermore, we extend our formalism to analytically compute the covariance matrix of the convergence PDF. Comparisons to numerical simulations generally confirm the validity of our formalism in the non-Gaussian, positive tail of the WL convergence PDF, but also reveal the convergence PDF's strong sensitivity to small-scale systematic effects in the simulations (e.g., due to finite resolution). Finally, we present a simple Fisher forecast for a Rubin-Observatory-like survey, based on our new analytic model. Considering the { A s , Ω m ,Σ m ν } parameter space and assuming a Planck CMB prior on A s only, we forecast a marginalized constraint σ(Σ m ν )≈0.08 eV from the WL convergence PDF alone, even after marginalizing over parameters describing the halo concentration-mass relation. This error bar on the neutrino mass sum is comparable to the minimum value allowed in the normal hierarchy, illustrating the strong constraining power of the WL convergence PDF. We make our code publicly available at this https URL.

In this letter we propose a reduction of the H 0 tension puzzle by means of a theory of minimally modified gravity which is dubbed VCDM. After confronting the theory with the experiments, we find that the data allow for a low-redshift transition in the expansion history of the universe at either z≃0.3 or z≃1.8 , corresponding to one of the two local minima of the total χ 2 . From the bestfit values the total fitness parameter is improved by Δ χ 2 ≃12 , for the data set considered. We then infer the local Hubble expansion rate today within this theory by means of low redshift Pantheon data. The resulting local Hubble expansion rate today is H loc 0 =73.6±1.4 . We find the tension is reduced within the VCDM theory.

We use galaxies from the IllustrisTNG, MassiveBlack-II and Illustris hydrodynamic simulations to investigate the behaviour of large scale galaxy intrinsic alignments. Our analysis spans four redshift slices over the approximate range of contemporary lensing surveys z=0−1 . We construct comparable weighted samples from the three simulations, which we then analyse using an alignment model that includes both linear and quadratic alignment contributions. Our data vector includes galaxy-galaxy, galaxy-shape and shape-shape projected correlations, with the joint covariance matrix estimated analytically. In all of the simulations, we report non-zero IAs at the level of several σ . For a fixed lower mass threshold, we find a relatively strong redshift dependence in all three simulations, with the linear IA amplitude increasing by a factor of ∼2 between redshifts z=0 and z=1 . We report no significant evidence for non-zero values of the tidal torquing amplitude, A 2 , in TNG, above statistical uncertainties, although MassiveBlack-II favours a moderately negative A 2 ∼−2 . Examining the properties of the TATT model as a function of colour, luminosity and galaxy type (satellite or central), our findings are consistent with the most recent measurements on real data. We also outline a novel method for constraining the TATT model parameters directly from the pixelised tidal field, alongside a proof of concept exercise using TNG. This technique is shown to be promising, although the comparison with previous results obtained via other methods is non-trivial.

We present a two-dimensional (2D) Particle-Particle-Particle-Mesh (P 3 M) algorithm with an optimized Green function and adaptive softening length for gravitational lensing studies in N-Body simulations. The analytical form of the optimized Green function G ^ (k) is given. The softening schemes ( S ) are studied for both the PM and the PP calculations in order for accurate force calculation and suppression of the particle discreteness effect. Our method is two orders of magnitude more accurate than the simple PM algorithm with the {\it poor man's} Green function ( ??/ k 2 ) at a scale of a few mesh cells or smaller. The force anisotropy is also much smaller than the conventional PM calculation. We can achieve a force accuracy better than 0.1 percent at all scales with our algorithm, which makes it an ideal (accurate and fast) algorithm for {\textit{micro}} lensing studies . When we apply the algorithm to computing {\textit{weak}} and {\textit{strong}} lensing quantities in N-Body simulations, the errors are dominated by the Poisson noise caused by particle discreteness. The Poisson noise can be suppressed by smoothing out the particle distribution, which can be achieved by simply choosing an adaptive softening length in the PP calculation. We have presented a criterion to set the adaptive softening length. Our algorithm is also applicable to cosmological simulations. We provide a \textsc{python} implementation \texttt{P3Mlens} for this algorithm.

The cosmic structure formed from Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO) in the early universe is imprinted in the galaxy distribution observable in large scale surveys, and is used as a standard ruler in contemporary cosmology. BAO are typically detected as a preferential length scale in two point statistics, which gives little information about the location of BAO structures in real space. The aim of the algorithm described in this paper is to find probable centers of BAO in the cosmic matter distribution. The algorithm convolves the three dimensional distribution of matter density with a spherical shell kernel of variable radius placed at different locations. The locations that correspond to the highest values of the convolution correspond to the probable centers of BAO. This method is realized in an open-source, computationally efficient algorithm. We describe the algorithm and present the results of applying it to the SDSS DR9 CMASS survey and associated mock catalogs. A detailed performance study demonstrates the algorithm's ability to locate BAO centers, and in doing so presents a novel detection of the BAO scale in galaxy surveys.

We present a new mass function of galaxy clusters and groups using optical/near-infrared wavelength spectroscopic and photometric data from the Observations of Redshift Evolution in Large-Scale Environments (ORELSE) survey. At z?? , cluster mass function studies are rare regardless of wavelength and have never been attempted from an optical/near-infrared perspective. This work serves as a proof of concept that z?? cluster mass functions are achievable without supplemental X-ray or Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) data. Measurements of the cluster mass function provide important contraints on cosmological parameters and are complementary to other probes. With ORELSE, a new cluster finding technique based on Voronoi tessellation Monte-Carlo (VMC) mapping, and rigorous purity and completeness testing, we have obtained ??240 galaxy overdensity candidates in the redshift range 0.55<z<1.37 at a mass range of 13.6<log(M/ M ??)<14.8 . This mass range is comparable to existing optical cluster mass function studies for the local universe. Our candidate numbers vary based on the choice of multiple input parameters related to detection and characterization in our cluster finding algorithm, which we incorporated into the mass function analysis through a Monte-Carlo scheme. We find cosmological constraints on the matter density of Ω m = 0.250 +0.104 ??.099 and on the amplitude of fluctuations of ? 8 = 1.150 +0.260 ??.163 . While our Ω m value is close to concordance, our ? 8 value is ??? higher because of the inflated observed number densities compared to theoretical mass function models owing to how our survey targeted overdense regions. With Euclid and several other large, unbiased optical surveys on the horizon, VMC mapping will enable optical/NIR cluster cosmology at redshifts much higher than what has been possible before.

Accurate estimation of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) angular power spectrum is enticing due to the prospect for precision cosmology it presents. Galactic foreground emissions, however, contaminate the CMB signal and need to be subtracted reliably in order to lessen systematic errors on the CMB temperature estimates. Typically bright foregrounds in a region lead to further uncertainty in temperature estimates in the area even after some foreground removal technique is performed and hence determining the underlying full-sky angular power spectrum poses a challenge. We explore the feasibility of utilizing artificial neural networks to predict the angular power spectrum of the full sky CMB temperature maps from the observed angular power spectrum of the partial sky in which CMB temperatures in some bright foreground regions are masked. We present our analysis at large angular scales with two different masks. We produce unbiased predictions of the full-sky angular power spectrum and the underlying theoretical power spectrum using neural networks. Our predictions are also uncorrelated to a large extent. We further show that the multipole-multipole covariances of the predictions of the full-sky spectra made by the ANNs are much smaller than those of the estimates obtained using the method of pseudo- C l .

The BICEP/Keck Array experiment is a series of small-aperture refracting telescopes observing degree-scale Cosmic Microwave Background polarization from the South Pole in search of a primordial B -mode signature. As a pair differencing experiment, an important systematic that must be controlled is the differential beam response between the co-located, orthogonally polarized detectors. We use high-fidelity, in-situ measurements of the beam response to estimate the temperature-to-polarization (T ??P) leakage in our latest data including observations from 2016 through 2018. This includes three years of BICEP3 observing at 95 GHz, and multifrequency data from Keck Array. Here we present band-averaged far-field beam maps, differential beam mismatch, and residual beam power (after filtering out the leading difference modes via deprojection) for these receivers. We show preliminary results of "beam map simulations," which use these beam maps to observe a simulated temperature (no Q/U ) sky to estimate T ??P leakage in our real data.

Observations of non-random distribution of galaxies with opposite spin directions have recently attracted considerable attention. Here, a method for identifying cosine-dependence in a dataset of galaxies annotated by their spin directions is described in the light of different aspects that can impact the statistical analysis of the data. These aspects include the presence of duplicate objects in a dataset, errors in the galaxy annotation process, and non-random distribution of the asymmetry that does not necessarily form a dipole or quadrupole axes. The results show that duplicate objects in the dataset can artificially increase the likelihood of cosine dependence detected in the data, but a very high number of duplicate objects is required to lead to a false detection of an axis. Inaccuracy in galaxy annotations has relatively minor impact on the identification of cosine dependence when the error is randomly distributed between clockwise and counterclockwise galaxies. However, when the error is not random, even a small bias of 1% leads to a statistically significant cosine dependence that peaks at the celestial pole. Experiments with artificial datasets in which the distribution was not random showed strong cosine dependence even when the data did not form a full dipole axis alignment. The analysis when using the unmodified data shows asymmetry profile similar to the profile shown in multiple previous studies using several different telescopes.

We argue that primordial gravitational waves have a spectral break and its information is quite useful for exploring the early universe. Indeed, such a spectral break can be a fingerprint of the end of inflation, and the amplitude and the frequency at the break can tell us the energy scale of inflation and the reheating temperature simultaneously. In order to investigate the spectral break, we give an analytic formula for evolution of the Hubble parameter around the end of inflation where the slow roll approximation breaks down. We also evaluate the spectrum of primordial gravitational waves around the break point semi-analytically using the analytic formula for the inflation dynamics.