Constraining cosmic microwave background consistent primordial voids with cluster evolution

Abstract

Using cosmological simulations, we make predictions for the distribution of clusters in a plausible non-Gaussian model where primordial voids nucleated during inflation act together with scale-invariant adiabatic Gaussian fluctuations as seeds for the formation of large-scale structure. The parameters of the void network are constrained by the cosmic microwave background (CMB) fluctuations and by the abundance and size of the large empty regions seen in local galaxy redshift surveys. The model may account for the excess of CMB temperature anisotropy power measured on cluster scales by the Cosmic Background Imager. We show that the z = 0 cluster mass function differs little from predictions for a standard A cold dark matter cosmology with the same σ 8 , but that the evolution of the mass function at z ∼ 1 is slower than in a Gaussian model. Because massive clusters form much earlier in the 'void' scenario, we show that future integrated number counts of Sunyaev-Zel'dovich sources and simple statistics of strong lensing will provide additional constraints on this non-Gaussian model.