Antony Lewis

Efficient computation of CMB anisotropies in closed FRW models

We implement the efficient line-of-sight method to calculate the anisotropy and polarization of the cosmic microwave background for scalar and tensor modes in almost Friedmann-Robertson-Walker models with positive spatial curvature. We present new results for the polarization power spectra in such models.

Cosmological parameters from CMB and other data: A Monte Carlo approach

We present a fast Markov chain Monte Carlo exploration of cosmological parameter space. We perform a joint analysis of results from recent cosmic microwave background ~CMB! experiments and provide parameter constraints, including s 8, from the CMB independent of other data. We next combine data from the CMB, HST Key Project, 2dF galaxy redshift survey, supernovae type Ia and big-bang nucleosynthesis. The Monte Carlo method allows the rapid investigation of a large number of parameters, and we present results from 6 and 9 parameter analyses of flat models, and an 11 parameter analysis of non-flat models. Our results include constraints on the neutrino mass ( mn&0.3 eV), equation of state of the dark energy, and the tensor amplitude, as well as demonstrating the effect of additional parameters on the base parameter constraints. In a series of appendixes we describe the many uses of importance sampling, including computing results from new data and accuracy correction of results generated from an approximate method. We also discuss the different ways of converting parameter samples to parameter constraints, the effect of the prior, assess the goodness of fit and consistency, and describe the use of analytic marginalization over normalization parameters.

Weak gravitational lensing of the CMB

Weak gravitational lensing has several important effects on the cosmic microwave background (CMB): it changes the CMB power spectra, induces non-Gaussianities, and generates a B-mode polarization signal that is an important source of confusion for the signal from primordial gravitational waves. The lensing signal can also be used to help constrain cosmological parameters and lensing mass distributions. We review the origin and calculation of these effects. Topics include: lensing in General Relativity, the lensing potential, lensed temperature and polarization power spectra, implications for constraining inflation, non-Gaussian structure, reconstruction of the lensing potential, delensing, sky curvature corrections, simulations, cosmological parameter estimation, cluster mass reconstruction, and moving lenses/dipole lensing.

The linear power spectrum of observed source number counts

We relate the observable number of sources per solid angle and redshift to the underlying proper source density and velocity, background evolution and line-of-sight potentials. We give an exact result in the case of linearized perturbations assuming general relativity. This consistently includes contributions of the source density perturbations and redshift distortions, magnification, radial displacement, and various additional linear terms that are small on sub-horizon scales. In addition we calculate the effect on observed luminosities, and hence the result for sources observed as a function of flux, including magnification bias and radial-displacement effects. We give the corresponding linear result for a magnitude-limited survey at low redshift, and discuss the angular power spectrum of the total count distribution. We also calculate the cross-correlation with the CMB polarization and temperature including Doppler source terms, magnification, redshift distortions and other velocity effects for the sources, and discuss why the contribution of redshift distortions is generally small. Finally we relate the result for source number counts to that for the brightness of line radiation, for example 21-cm radiation, from the sources.

Results of the GREAT08 Challenge: an image analysis competition for cosmological lensing

We present the results of the Gravitational LEnsing Accuracy Testing 2008 (GREAT08) Challenge, a blind analysis challenge to infer weak gravitational lensing shear distortions from images. The primary goal was to stimulate new ideas by presenting the problem to researchers outside the shear measurement community. Six GREAT08 Team methods were presented at the launch of the Challenge and five additional groups submitted results during the 6-month competition. Participants analyzed 30 million simulated galaxies with a range in signal-to-noise ratio, point spread function ellipticity, galaxy size and galaxy type. The large quantity of simulations allowed shear measurement methods to be assessed at a level of accuracy suitable for currently planned future cosmic shear observations for the first time. Different methods perform well in different parts of simulation parameter space and come close to the target level of accuracy in several of these. A number of fresh ideas have emerged as a result of the Challenge including a re-examination of the process of combining information from different galaxies, which reduces the dependence on realistic galaxy modelling. The image simulations will become increasingly sophisticated in future GREAT Challenges, meanwhile the GREAT08 simulations remain as a benchmark for additional developments in shear measurement algorithms.

Large-scale cosmic microwave background anisotropies and dark energy

In this note we investigate the effects of perturbations in a dark energy component with a constant equation of state on large scale cosmic microwave background anisotropies. The inclusion of perturbations increases the large scale power. We investigate more speculative dark energy models with w < 1 and find the opposite behaviour. Overall the inclusion of perturbations in the dark energy component increases the degeneracies. We generalise the parameterization of the dark energy fluctuations to allow for an arbitrary constant sound speeds and show how constraints from cosmic microwave background experiments change if this is included. Combining cosmic microwave background with large scale structure, Hubble parameter and Supernovae observations we obtain w = 1.02 ± 0.16 (1σ) as a constraint on the equation of state, which is almost independent of the sound speed chosen. With the presented analysis we find no significant constraint on the constant speed of sound of the dark energy component.

Estimators for CMB statistical anisotropy

We use quadratic maximum-likelihood (QML) estimators to constrain models with Gaussian but statistically anisotropic CMB fluctuations, using CMB maps with realistic sky-coverage and instrumental noise. This approach is optimal when the anisotropy is small, or when checking for consistency with isotropy. We demonstrate the power of the QML approach by applying it to the WMAP data to constrain several models which modulate the observed CMB fluctuations to produce a statistically anisotropic sky. We first constrain an empirically motivated spatial modulation of the observed CMB fluctuations, reproducing marginal evidence for a dipolar modulation pattern with amplitude 7% at l?60, but demonstrate that the effect decreases at higher multipoles and is ?1% at l~500. We also look for evidence of a direction-dependent primordial power spectrum, finding a very statistically significant quadrupole signal nearly aligned with the ecliptic plane; however we argue this anisotropy is largely contaminated by observational systematics. Finally, we constrain the anisotropy due to a spatial modulation of adiabatic and isocurvature primordial perturbations, and discuss the close relationship between anisotropy and non-Gaussianity estimators.

Reconstructing the primordial power spectrum

We reconstruct the shape of the primordial power spectrum from the latest cosmic microwave background data, including the new results from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP), and large scale structure data from the two degree field galaxy redshift survey (2dFGRS). We discuss two parameterizations taking into account the uncertainties in four cosmological parameters. First we parameterize the initial spectrum by a tilt and a running spectral index, finding marginal evidence for a running spectral index only if the first three WMAP multipoles (l = 2,3,4) are included in the analysis. Secondly, to investigate further the low CMB large scale power, we modify the conventional power-law spectrum by introducing a scale above which there is no power. We find a preferred position of the cut at k(c) similar to 3 X 10(-4) Mpc(-1) although k(c) = 0 (no cut) is not ruled out.

CMB power spectrum parameter degeneracies in the era of precision cosmology

Cosmological parameter constraints from the CMB power spectra alone suffer several well-known degeneracies. These degeneracies can be broken by numerical artefacts and also a variety of physical effects that become quantitatively important with high-accuracy data e.g. from the Planck satellite. We study degeneracies in models with flat and non-flat spatial sections, non-trivial dark energy and massive neutrinos, and investigate the importance of various physical degeneracy-breaking effects. We test the CAMB power spectrum code for numerical accuracy, and demonstrate that the numerical calculations are accurate enough for degeneracies to be broken mainly by true physical effects (the integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect, CMB lensing and geometrical and other effects through recombination) rather than numerical artefacts. We quantify the impact of CMB lensing on the power spectra, which inevitably provides degeneracy-breaking information even without using information in the non-Gaussianity. Finally we check the numerical accuracy of sample-based parameter constraints using CAMB and COSMOMC. In an appendix we document recent changes to CAMBs numerical treatment of massive neutrino perturbations, which are tested along with other recent improvements by our degeneracy exploration results.

Crossing the phantom divide with parametrized post-Friedmann dark energy

Dark energy models with a single scalar field cannot cross the equation of state divide set by a cosmological constant. More general models that allow crossing require additional degrees of freedom to ensure gravitational stability. We show that a parameterized post-Friedmann description of cosmic accelerzation provides a simple but accurate description of multiple scalar field crossing models. Moreover the prescription provides a well-controlled approximation for a wide range of smooth dark energy models. It conserves energy and momentum and is exact in the metric evolution on scales well above and below the transition scale to relative smoothness. Standard linear perturbation tools have been altered to include this description and made publicly available for studies of the dark energy involving cosmological structure out to the horizon scale.