Large-scale Structure Observations Research Articles

Measuring kinematic anisotropies with pulsar timing arrays

Recent pulsar timing array (PTA) collaborations show strong evidence for a stochastic gravitational wave background (SGWB) with the characteristic Hellings-Downs interpulsar correlations. The signal may stem from supermassive black hole binary mergers, or early Universe phenomena. The former is expected to be strongly anisotropic, while primordial backgrounds are likely to be predominantly isotropic with small fluctuations. In the case the observed SGWB is of cosmological origin, our relative motion with respect to the SGWB rest frame is a guaranteed source of anisotropy, leading to O(10−3) energy density fluctuations of the SGWB. For such cosmological SGWB, kinematic anisotropies are likely to be larger than the intrinsic anisotropies, akin to the cosmic microwave background (CMB) dipole anisotropy. We assess the sensitivity of current PTA data to the kinematic dipole anisotropy, and we also forecast at what extent the magnitude and direction of the kinematic dipole can be measured in the future with an SKA-like experiment. We also discuss how the spectral shape of the SGWB and the location of the pulsars to monitor affect the prospects of detecting the kinematic dipole with PTA. In the future, a detection of this anisotropy may even help resolve the discrepancy in the magnitude of the kinematic dipole as measured by CMB and large-scale structure observations. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

FREmu: Power Spectrum Emulator for f(R) Gravity

To investigate gravity in the nonlinear regime of cosmic structure using measurements from stage IV surveys, it is imperative to accurately compute large-scale structure observables, such as nonlinear matter power spectra, for gravity models that extend beyond general relativity. However, the theoretical predictions of nonlinear observables are typically derived from N-body simulations, which demand substantial computational resources. In this study, we introduce a novel public emulator, termed FREmu, designed to provide rapid and precise forecasts of nonlinear power spectra specifically for the Hu–Sawicki f(R) gravity model across scales 0.0089h Mpc−1 < k < 0.5h Mpc−1 and redshifts 0 < z < 3. FREmu leverages principal component analysis and artificial neural networks to establish a mapping from parameters to power spectra, utilizing training data derived from the Quijote-MG simulation suite. With a parameter space encompassing seven dimensions, including Ω m , Ω b , h, n s , σ 8, M ν , and fR0 , the emulator achieves an accuracy exceeding 95% for the majority of cases, thus proving to be highly efficient for constraining parameters.

Is the Radio Source Dipole from NVSS Consistent with the Cosmic Microwave Background and ΛCDM?

The dipole moment in the angular distribution of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) is thought to originate from the doppler effect and our motion relative to the CMB frame. Observations of large-scale structure (LSS) should show a related “kinematic dipole” and help test the kinematic origin of the CMB dipole. Intriguingly, many previous LSS dipole studies suggest discrepancies with the expectations from the CMB. Here, we reassess the apparent inconsistency between the CMB measurements and dipole estimates from the NVSS catalog of radio sources. We find that it is important to account for the shot noise and clustering of the NVSS sources, as well as kinematic contributions, in determining the expected dipole signal. We use the clustering redshift method and a cross-matching technique to refine estimates of the clustering term. We then derive a probability distribution for the expected NVSS dipole in a standard ΛCDM cosmological model including all (i.e., kinematic, shot noise, and clustering) dipole components. Our model agrees with most of the previous NVSS dipole measurements in the literature at better than ≲2σ. We conclude that the NVSS dipole is consistent with a kinematic origin for the CMB dipole within ΛCDM.

Unveiling the journey of a highly inclined CME

Context.A fast (∼2000 km s−1) and wide (&gt; 110°) coronal mass ejection (CME) erupted from the Sun on March 13, 2012. Its interplanetary counterpart was detected in situ two days later by STEREO-A and near-Earth spacecraft, such as ACE, Wind, and Cluster. We suggest that at 1 au the CME extended at least 110° in longitude, with Earth crossing its east flank and STEREO-A crossing its west flank. Despite their separation, measurements from both positions showed very similar in situ CME signatures. The solar source region where the CME erupted was surrounded by three coronal holes (CHs). Their locations with respect to the CME launch site were east (negative polarity), southwest (positive polarity) and west (positive polarity). The solar magnetic field polarity of the area covered by each CH matches that observed at 1 au in situ. Suprathermal electrons at each location showed mixed signatures with only some intervals presenting clear counterstreaming flows as the CME transits both locations. Thestrahlpopulation coming from the shortest magnetic connection of the structure to the Sun showed more intensity.Aims.The aim of this work is to understand the propagation and evolution of the CME and its interaction with the surrounding CHs, to explain the similarities and differences between the observations at each spacecraft, and report what one of the most longitudinal expanded CME structures measured in situ would be.Methods.Known properties of the large-scale structures from a variety of catalogues and previous studies were used to have a better overview of this particular event. In addition, multipoint observations were used to reconstruct the 3D geometry of the CME and determine the context of the solar and heliospheric conditions before the CME eruption and during its propagation. The graduated cylindrical shell model (GCS) was used to reproduce the orientation, size and speed of the structure with a simple geometry. Also, the Drag-Based Model (DBM) was utilised to understand the conditions of the interplanetary medium better in terms of the drag undergone by the structure while propagating in different directions. Finally, a comparative analysis of the different regions of the structure through the different observatories was carried out in order to directly compare the in situ plasma and magnetic field properties at each location.Results.The study presents important findings regarding the in situ measured CME on March 15, 2012, detected at a longitudinal separation of 110° in the ecliptic plane despite its initial inclination being around 45° when erupted (March 13). This suggests that the CME may have deformed and/or rotated, allowing it to be observed near its legs with spacecraft at a separation angle greater than 100°. The CME structure interacted with high-speed streams generated by the surrounding CHs. The piled-up plasma in the sheath region exhibited an unexpected correlation in magnetic field strength despite the large separation in longitude. In situ observations reveal that at both locations there was a flank encounter – where the spacecraft crossed the first part of the CME – then encountered ambient solar wind, and finally passed near the legs of the structure.Conclusions.A scenario covering all evidence is proposed for both locations with a general view of the whole structure and solar wind conditions. Also, the study shows the necessity of having multipoint observations of large-scale structures in the heliosphere.

Modeling neutrino-induced scale-dependent galaxy clustering for photometric galaxy surveys

The increasing statistical precision of photometric redshift surveys requires improved accuracy of theoretical predictions for large-scale structure observables to obtain unbiased cosmological constraints. In ΛCDM cosmologies, massive neutrinos stream freely at small cosmological scales, suppressing the small-scale power spectrum. In massive neutrino cosmologies, galaxy bias modeling needs to accurately relate the scale-dependent growth of the underlying matter field to observed galaxy clustering statistics. In this work, we implement a computationally efficient approximation of the neutrino-induced scale-dependent bias (NISDB). Through simulated likelihood analyses of Dark Energy Survey Year 3 (DESY3) and Legacy Survey of Space and Time Year 1 (LSSTY1) synthetic data that contain an appreciable NISDB, we examine the impact of linear galaxy bias and neutrino mass modeling choices on cosmological parameter inference. We find model misspecification of the NISDB approximation and neutrino mass models to decrease the constraining power of photometric galaxy surveys and cause parameter biases in the cosmological interpretation of future surveys. We quantify these biases and devise mitigation strategies.

Anatomy of diluted dark matter in the minimal left-right symmetric model

Temporary matter domination and late entropy dilution, injected by a “long-lived” particle in the early Universe, serves as a standard mechanism for yielding the correct dark matter relic density. We recently pointed out the cosmological significance of diluting particle’s partial decay into dark matter. When repopulated in such a way, dark matter carries higher momentum than its thermal counterpart, resulting in a suppression of the linear matter power spectrum that is constrained by the large scale structure observations. In this work, we study the impact of such constraints on the minimal left-right symmetric model that accounts for the origin of neutrino mass. We map out a systematic anatomy of possible dilution scenarios with viable parameter spaces, allowed by cosmology and various astrophysical and terrestrial constraints. We show that to accommodate the observed dark matter relic abundance the spontaneous left-right symmetry breaking scale must be above PeV and cosmology will continue to provide the most sensitive probes of it. In case the dilutor is one of the heavier right-handed neutrinos, it can be much lighter and lie near the electroweak scale. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Starting Cosmological Simulations from the Big Bang.

The cosmic large-scale structure (LSS) provides a unique testing ground for connecting fundamental physics to astronomical observations. Modeling the LSS requires numerical N-body simulations or perturbative techniques that both come with distinct shortcomings. Here we present the first unified numerical approach, enabled by new time integration and discreteness reduction schemes, and demonstrate its convergence at the field level. In particular, we show that our simulations (i)can be initialized directly at time zero, and (ii)can be made to agree with high-order Lagrangian perturbation theory in the fluid limit. This enables fast, self-consistent, and UV-complete forward modeling of LSS observables.

Patchy screening of the CMB from dark photons

We study anisotropic (patchy) screening induced by the resonant conversion of cosmic microwave background (CMB) photons into dark-sector massive vector bosons (dark photons) as they cross non-linear large scale structure (LSS). Resonant conversion takes place through the kinetic mixing of the photon with the dark photon, one of the simplest low energy extensions to the Standard Model. In the early Universe, resonant conversion can occur when the photon plasma mass, obtained as the photon propagates through the ionized interstellar and intergalactic media, matches the dark photon mass. After the epoch of reionization, resonant conversion occurs mainly in the ionized gas that occupies virialized dark matter halos, for a range of dark photon masses between 10-13 eV ≲ m A' ≲ 10-11 eV. This leads to new CMB anisotropies that are correlated with LSS, which we refer to as patchy dark screening, in analogy with anisotropies from Thomson screening. Its unique frequency dependence allows it to be distinguished from the blackbody CMB. In this paper, we use a halo model approach to predict the imprint of dark screening on the CMB temperature and polarization anisotropies, as well as their correlation with LSS. We then examine the two- and three-point correlation functions of the dark-screened CMB, as well as correlation functions between CMB and LSS observables, to project the sensitivity of future measurements to the kinetic mixing parameter and dark photon mass. We demonstrate that an analysis with existing CMB data can improve upon current constraints on the kinetic mixing parameter by two orders of magnitude with the two-point correlation functions, while data from upcoming CMB experiments and LSS surveys can further improve the reach by another order of magnitude with two- and three-point correlation functions.

Euclid preparation. XXXIV. The effect of linear redshift-space distortions in photometric galaxy clustering and its cross-correlation with cosmic shear

The cosmological surveys that are planned for the current decade will provide us with unparalleled observations of the distribution of galaxies on cosmic scales, by means of which we can probe the underlying large-scale structure (LSS) of the Universe. This will allow us to test the concordance cosmological model and its extensions. However, precision pushes us to high levels of accuracy in the theoretical modelling of the LSS observables so that no biases are introduced into the estimation of the cosmological parameters. In particular, effects such as redshift-space distortions (RSD) can become relevant in the computation of harmonic-space power spectra even for the clustering of the photometrically selected galaxies, as has previously been shown in literature. In this work, we investigate the contribution of linear RSD, as formulated in the Limber approximation by a previous work, in forecast cosmological analyses with the photometric galaxy sample of the survey. We aim to assess their impact and to quantify the bias on the measurement of cosmological parameters that would be caused if this effect were neglected. We performed this task by producing mock power spectra for photometric galaxy clustering and weak lensing as is expected to be obtained from the survey. We then used a Markov chain Monte Carlo approach to obtain the posterior distributions of cosmological parameters from these simulated observations. When the linear RSD is neglected, significant biases are caused when galaxy correlations are used alone and when they are combined with cosmic shear in the so-called 3times 2pt approach. These biases can be equivalent to as much as $5\ when an underlying Lambda CDM cosmology is assumed When the cosmological model is extended to include the equation-of-state parameters of dark energy, the extension parameters can be shifted by more than $1\ sigma$.

The FLAMINGO project: revisiting the S8 tension and the role of baryonic physics

ABSTRACT A number of recent studies have found evidence for a tension between observations of large-scale structure (LSS) and the predictions of the standard model of cosmology with the cosmological parameters fit to the cosmic microwave background (CMB). The origin of this ‘S8 tension’ remains unclear, but possibilities include new physics beyond the standard model, unaccounted for systematic errors in the observational measurements and/or uncertainties in the role that baryons play. Here, we carefully examine the latter possibility using the new FLAMINGO suite of large-volume cosmological hydrodynamical simulations. We project the simulations onto observable harmonic space and compare with observational measurements of the power and cross-power spectra of cosmic shear, CMB lensing, and the thermal Sunyaev-Zel’dovich (tSZ) effect. We explore the dependence of the predictions on box size and resolution and cosmological parameters, including the neutrino mass, and the efficiency and nature of baryonic ‘feedback’. Despite the wide range of astrophysical behaviours simulated, we find that baryonic effects are not sufficiently large to remove the S8 tension. Consistent with recent studies, we find the CMB lensing power spectrum is in excellent agreement with the standard model, while the cosmic shear power spectrum, tSZ effect power spectrum, and the cross-spectra between shear, CMB lensing, and the tSZ effect are all in varying degrees of tension with the CMB-specified standard model. These results suggest that some mechanism is required to slow the growth of fluctuations at late times and/or on non-linear scales, but that it is unlikely that baryon physics is driving this modification.

The FLAMINGO project: cosmological hydrodynamical simulations for large-scale structure and galaxy cluster surveys

ABSTRACT We introduce the Virgo Consortium’s FLAMINGO suite of hydrodynamical simulations for cosmology and galaxy cluster physics. To ensure the simulations are sufficiently realistic for studies of large-scale structure, the subgrid prescriptions for stellar and AGN feedback are calibrated to the observed low-redshift galaxy stellar mass function and cluster gas fractions. The calibration is performed using machine learning, separately for each of FLAMINGO’s three resolutions. This approach enables specification of the model by the observables to which they are calibrated. The calibration accounts for a number of potential observational biases and for random errors in the observed stellar masses. The two most demanding simulations have box sizes of 1.0 and 2.8 Gpc on a side and baryonic particle masses of 1 × 108 and $1\times 10^9\, \text{M}_\odot$, respectively. For the latter resolution, the suite includes 12 model variations in a 1 Gpc box. There are 8 variations at fixed cosmology, including shifts in the stellar mass function and/or the cluster gas fractions to which we calibrate, and two alternative implementations of AGN feedback (thermal or jets). The remaining 4 variations use the unmodified calibration data but different cosmologies, including different neutrino masses. The 2.8 Gpc simulation follows 3 × 1011 particles, making it the largest ever hydrodynamical simulation run to z = 0. Light-cone output is produced on-the-fly for up to 8 different observers. We investigate numerical convergence, show that the simulations reproduce the calibration data, and compare with a number of galaxy, cluster, and large-scale structure observations, finding very good agreement with the data for converged predictions. Finally, by comparing hydrodynamical and ‘dark-matter-only’ simulations, we confirm that baryonic effects can suppress the halo mass function and the matter power spectrum by up to ≈20 per cent.

Understanding large scale CMB anomalies with the generalized nonminimal derivative coupling during inflation

We study the observational implications of a class of inflationary models wherein the inflaton is coupled to the Einstein tensor through a generalized nonminimal derivative coupling (GNMDC). In particular, we explore whether these models can generate suitable features in the primordial spectrum of curvature perturbations as a possible explanation for the large-scale anomalies associated with the angular power spectrum of CMB temperature anisotropies. We derive model-independent constraints on the GNMDC function for such a scenario, considering both the scalar and tensor perturbations. We modify cosmomc to accommodate our GNMDC framework and investigate different classes of inflationary models using a fully consistent numerical approach. We find that the hilltop-quartic model with a specific choice of the GNMDC function provides a considerable improvement over the best-fit reference $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}\mathrm{CDM}$ model with a nearly scale-invariant power spectrum. While the large-scale structure observations should be able to provide independent constraints, future CMB experiments, such as CMB-S4 and CMB-Bharat, are expected to constrain further the parameter space of such beyond canonical single-field inflationary models.

Using machine learning to compress the matter transfer function T(k)

The linear matter power spectrum $P(k,z)$ connects theory with large scale structure observations in cosmology. Its scale dependence is entirely encoded in the matter transfer function $T(k)$, which can be computed numerically by Boltzmann solvers, and can also be computed semianalytically by using fitting functions such as the well-known Bardeen-Bond-Kaiser-Szalay (BBKS) and Eisenstein-Hu (EH) formulas. However, both the BBKS and EH formulas have some significant drawbacks. On the one hand, although BBKS is a simple expression, it is only accurate up to 10%, which is well above the 1% precision goal of forthcoming surveys. On the other hand, while EH is as accurate as required by upcoming experiments, it is a rather long and complicated expression. Here, we use the genetic algorithms (GAs), a particular machine learning technique, to derive simple and accurate fitting formulas for the transfer function $T(k)$. When the effects of massive neutrinos are also considered, our expression slightly improves over the EH formula, while being notably shorter in comparison.

Inflation in Weyl scaling invariant gravity with R3 extensions

The cosmological observations of cosmic microwave background and large-scale structure indicate that our universe has a nearly scaling invariant power spectrum of the primordial perturbation. However, the exact origin for this primordial spectrum is still unclear. Here, we propose the Weyl scaling invariant $R^2+R^3$ gravity that gives rise to inflation that is responsible for the primordial perturbation in the early universe. We develop both analytic and numerical treatments on inflationary observables, and find this model gives a distinctive scalar potential that can support two different patterns of inflation. The first one is similar to that occurs in the pure $R^2$ model, but with a wide range of tensor-to-scalar ratio $r$ from $\mathcal O(10^{-4})$ to $\mathcal O(10^{-2})$. The other one is a new situation with not only slow-roll inflation but also a short stage of oscillation-induced accelerating expansion. Both patterns of inflation have viable parameter spaces that can be probed by future experiments on cosmic microwave background and primordial gravitational waves.

Sidestepping the inversion of the weak-lensing covariance matrix with Approximate Bayesian Computation

Weak gravitational lensing is one of the few direct methods to map the dark-matter distribution on large scales in the Universe, and to estimate cosmological parameters. We study a Bayesian inference problem where the data covariance C, estimated from a number ns of numerical simulations, is singular. In a cosmological context of large-scale structure observations, the creation of a large number of such N-body simulations is often prohibitively expensive. Inference based on a likelihood function often includes a precision matrix, Ψ=C−1. The covariance matrix corresponding to a p-dimensional data vector is singular for p≥ns, in which case the precision matrix is unavailable. We propose the likelihood-free inference method Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC) as a solution that circumvents the inversion of the singular covariance matrix. We present examples of increasing degree of complexity, culminating in a realistic cosmological scenario of the determination of the weak-gravitational lensing power spectrum for the upcoming European Space Agency satellite Euclid. While we found the ABC parameter estimate variances to be mildly larger compared to likelihood-based approaches, which are restricted to settings with p<ns, we obtain unbiased parameter estimates with ABC even in extreme cases where p/ns≫1. The code has been made publicly available11https://github.com/emilleishida/CorrMatrix_ABC. to ensure the reproducibility of the results.

Mirror dark sector solution of the Hubble tension with time-varying fine-structure constant

We explore a model introduced by Cyr-Racine, Ge, and Knox (arXiv:2107.13000(2)) that resolves the Hubble tension by invoking a ``mirror world" dark sector with energy density a fixed fraction of the ``ordinary" sector of Lambda-CDM. Although it reconciles cosmic microwave background and large-scale structure observations with local measurements of the Hubble constant, the model requires a value of the primordial Helium mass fraction that is discrepant with observations and with the predictions of Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN). We consider a variant of the model with standard Helium mass fraction but with the value of the electromagnetic fine-structure constant slightly different during photon decoupling from its present value. If $\alpha$ at that epoch is lower than its current value by $\Delta \alpha \simeq -2\times 10^{-5}$, then we can achieve the same Hubble tension resolution as in Cyr-Racine, et al. but with consistent Helium abundance. As an example of such time-evolution, we consider a toy model of an ultra-light scalar field, with mass $m <4\times 10^{-29}$ eV, coupled to electromagnetism, which evolves after photon decoupling and that appears to be consistent with late-time constraints on $\alpha$ variation and the weak equivalence principle.

Quijote-PNG: Simulations of Primordial Non-Gaussianity and the Information Content of the Matter Field Power Spectrum and Bispectrum

Primordial non-Gaussianity (PNG) is one of the most powerful probes of the early universe, and measurements of the large-scale structure of the universe have the potential to transform our understanding of this area. However, relating measurements of the late-time universe to the primordial perturbations is challenging due to the nonlinear processes that govern the evolution of the universe. To help address this issue, we release a large suite of N-body simulations containing four types of PNG: quijote-png. These simulations were designed to augment the quijote suite of simulations that explored the impact of various cosmological parameters on large-scale structure observables. Using these simulations, we investigate how much information on PNG can be extracted by extending power spectrum and bispectrum measurements beyond the perturbative regime at z = 0.0. This is the first joint analysis of the PNG and cosmological information content accessible with power spectrum and bispectrum measurements of the nonlinear scales. We find that the constraining power improves significantly up to , with diminishing returns beyond as the statistical probes signal-to-noise ratios saturate. This saturation emphasizes the importance of accurately modeling all the contributions to the covariance matrix. Further, we find that combining the two probes is a powerful method of breaking the degeneracies with the ΛCDM parameters.

Cosmic perturbations from a rotating field

Complex scalar fields charged under approximate U(1) symmetries appear in well-motivated extensions of the Standard Model. One example is the field that contains the QCD axion field associated with the Peccei-Quinn symmetry; others include flat directions in supersymmetric theories with baryon, lepton, or flavor charges. These fields may take on large values and rotate in field space in the early universe. The relevant approximate U(1) symmetry ensures that the angular direction of the complex field is light during inflation and that the rotation is thermodynamically stable and is long-lived. These properties allow rotating complex scalar fields to naturally serve as curvatons and explain the observed perturbations of the universe. The scenario imprints non-Gaussianity in the curvature perturbations, likely at a level detectable in future large scale structure observations. The rotation can also explain the baryon asymmetry of the universe without producing excessive isocurvature perturbations.

Global view of neutrino interactions in cosmology: The free streaming window as seen by Planck

Neutrinos are expected to freestream (i.e. not interact with anything) since they decouple in the early Universe at a temperature $T\sim 2~{\rm MeV}$. However, there are many relevant particle physics scenarios that can make neutrinos interact at $T< 2~{\rm MeV}$. In this work, we take a global perspective and aim to identify the temperature range in which neutrinos can interact given current cosmological observations. We consider a generic set of rates parametrizing neutrino interactions and by performing a full Planck cosmic microwave background (CMB) analysis we find that neutrinos cannot interact significantly for redshifts $2000 \lesssim z \lesssim 10^5$, which we refer to as the freestreaming window. We also derive a redshift dependent upper bound on a suitably defined interaction rate $\Gamma_\text{nfs}(z)$, finding $\Gamma_\text{nfs}(z)/H(z)\lesssim 1-10$ within the freestreaming window. We show that these results are largely model independent under some broad assumptions, and contextualize them in terms of neutrino decays, neutrino self-interactions, neutrino annihilations, and majoron models. We provide examples of how to use our model independent approach to obtain bounds in specific scenarios, and demonstrate agreement with existing results. We also investigate the reach of upcoming cosmological data finding that CMB Stage-IV experiments can improve the bound on $\Gamma_\text{nfs}(z)/H(z)$ by up to a factor $10$. Moreover, we comment on large-scale structure observations, finding that the ongoing DESI survey has the potential to probe uncharted regions of parameter space of interacting neutrinos. Finally, we point out a peculiar scenario that has so far not been considered, and for which relatively large interactions around recombination are still allowed by Planck data due to some degeneracy with $n_s$, $A_s$ and $H_0$. This scenario can be fully tested with CMB-S4.

Testing general relativity with cosmological large scale structure

In this paper I investigate the possibility to test Einstein’s equations with observations of cosmological large scale structure. I first show that we have not tested the equations in observations concerning only the homogeneous and isotropic Universe. I then show with several examples how we can do better when considering the fluctuations of both, the energy momentum tensor and the metric. This is illustrated with galaxy number counts, intensity mapping and cosmic shear, three examples that are by no means exhaustive.