Abstract
We describe the algorithm used to select the emission line galaxy (ELG) sample at z ∼ 0.85 for the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV, using ...photometric data from the DECam Legacy Survey. Our selection is based on a selection box in the g − r versus r − z colour–colour space and a cut on the g-band magnitude, to favour galaxies in the desired redshift range with strong
${{\rm O}\,\small {II}}$
emission. It provides a target density of 200 deg−2 on the North Galactic Cap and of 240 deg−2 on the South Galactic Cap (SGC), where we use a larger selection box because of deeper imaging. We demonstrate that this selection passes the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey requirements in terms of homogeneity. About 50 000 ELGs have been observed since the observations have started in 2016, September. These roughly match the expected redshift distribution, though the measured efficiency is slightly lower than expected. The efficiency can be increased by enlarging the redshift range and with incoming pipeline improvement. The cosmological forecast based on these first data predict
$\sigma _{D_V}/D_V = 0.023$
, in agreement with previous forecasts. Lastly, we present the stellar population properties of the ELG SGC sample. Once observations are completed, this sample will be suited to provide a cosmological analysis at z ∼ 0.85, and will pave the way for the next decade of massive spectroscopic cosmological surveys, which heavily rely on ELGs. The target catalogue over the SGC will be released along with DR14.
The simplest theory describing large-scale redshift-space distortions (RSD), based on linear theory and distant galaxies, depends on the growth of cosmological structure, suggesting that strong tests ...of general relativity can be constructed from galaxy surveys. As data sets become larger and the expected constraints more precise, the extent to which the RSD follow the simple theory needs to be assessed in order that we do not introduce systematic errors into the tests by introducing inaccurate simplifying assumptions. We study the impact of the sample geometry, non-linear processes and biases induced by our lack of understanding of the radial galaxy distribution on RSD measurements. Using Large Suite of Dark Matter Simulations of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey II (SDSS-II) luminous red galaxy data, these effects are shown to be important at the level of 20 per cent. Including them, we can accurately model the recovered clustering in these mock catalogues on scales 30-200 h
−1 Mpc. Applying this analysis to robustly measure parameters describing the growth history of the Universe from the SDSS-II data gives f(z= 0.25)σ8(z= 0.25) = 0.3512 ± 0.0583 and f(z= 0.37)σ8(z= 0.37) = 0.4602 ± 0.0378 when no prior is imposed on the growth rate, and the background geometry is assumed to follow a Λ cold dark matter (ΛCDM) model with the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP)+Type Ia supernova priors. The standard WMAP constrained ΛCDM model with general relativity predicts f(z= 0.25)σ8(z= 0.25) = 0.4260 ± 0.0141 and f(z= 0.37)σ8(z= 0.37) = 0.4367 ± 0.0136, which is fully consistent with these measurements.
Reconstruction in Fourier space Burden, A; Percival, W. J; Howlett, C
Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,
10/2015, Volume:
453, Issue:
1
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
We present a fast iterative fast Fourier transform (FFT) based reconstruction algorithm that allows for non-parallel redshift-space distortions (RSDs). We test our algorithm on both N-body dark ...matter simulations and mock distributions of galaxies designed to replicate galaxy survey conditions. We compare solenoidal and irrotational components of the redshift distortion and show that an approximation of this distortion leads to a better estimate of the real-space potential (and therefore faster convergence) than ignoring the RSD when estimating the displacement field. Our iterative reconstruction scheme converges in two iterations for the mock samples corresponding to Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey CMASS Data Release 11 when we start with an approximation of the RSD. The scheme takes six iterations when the initial estimate, measured from the redshift-space overdensity, has no RSD correction. Slower convergence would be expected for surveys covering a larger angle on the sky. We show that this FFT based method provides a better estimate of the real-space displacement field than a configuration space method that uses finite difference routines to compute the potential for the same grid resolution. Finally, we show that a lognormal transform of the overdensity, used as a proxy for the linear overdensity, is beneficial in estimating the full displacement field from a dense sample of tracers. However, the lognormal transform of the overdensity does not perform well when estimating the displacements from sparser simulations with a more realistic galaxy density.
Reconstructing an estimate of linear baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) from an evolved galaxy field has become a standard technique in recent analyses. By partially removing non-linear damping ...caused by bulk motions, the real-space BAO peak in the correlation function is sharpened, and oscillations in the power spectrum are visible to smaller scales. In turn these lead to stronger measurements of the BAO scale. Future surveys are being designed assuming that this improvement has been applied, and this technique is therefore of critical importance for future BAO measurements. A number of reconstruction techniques are available, but the most widely used is a simple algorithm that decorrelates large-scale and small-scale modes approximately removing the bulk-flow displacements by moving the overdensity field. We consider the practical implementation of this algorithm, looking at the efficiency of reconstruction as a function of the assumptions made for the bulk-flow scale, the shot-noise level in a random catalogue used to quantify the mask and the method used to estimate the bulk-flow shifts. We also examine the efficiency of reconstruction against external factors including galaxy density, volume and edge effects, and consider their impact for future surveys. Throughout we make use of the mocks catalogues created for the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) Date Release 11 samples covering 0.43 < z < 0.7 (CMASS) and 0.15 < z < 0.43 (LOWZ), to empirically test these changes.
There is now strong evidence that the current energy density of the Universe is dominated by dark energy with an equation of state $w<-1/3$, which is causing accelerated expansion. The build-up of ...structure within such Universes is subject to significant ongoing study, particularly through the spherical collapse model. This paper aims to review and consolidate progress for cosmologies in which the dark energy component remains homogeneous on the scales of the structures being modelled. The equations presented are designed to allow for dark energy with a general time-varying equation of state $w(a)$. In addition to reviewing previous work, a number of new results are introduced: a new fitting formula for the linear growth factor in constant w cosmologies is given. A new formalism for determining the critical density for collapse is presented based on the initial curvature of the perturbation. The commonly used approximation to the critical density for collapse based on the linear growth factor is discussed for a general dark energy equation of state. Virialisation within such cosmologies is also considered, and the standard assumption that energy is conserved between turn-around and virialisation is questioned and limiting possiblities are presented.
We investigate the cosmological implications of the latest growth of structure measurement from the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) CMASS Data Release 11 with particular focus on the ...sum of the neutrino masses, ∑m
ν. We examine the robustness of the cosmological constraints from the baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) scale, the Alcock–Paczynski effect and redshift-space distortions (D
V/r
s, F
AP, fσ8) of Beutler et al., when introducing a neutrino mass in the power spectrum template. We then discuss how the neutrino mass relaxes discrepancies between the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and other low-redshift measurements within Λ cold dark matter. Combining our cosmological constraints with 9-year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP9) yields ∑m
ν = 0.36 ± 0.14 eV (68 per cent c.l.), which represents a 2.6σ preference for non-zero neutrino mass. The significance can be increased to 3.3σ when including weak lensing results and other BAO constraints, yielding ∑m
ν = 0.35 ± 0.10 eV (68 per cent c.l.). However, combining CMASS with Planck data reduces the preference for neutrino mass to ∼2σ. When removing the CMB lensing effect in the Planck temperature power spectrum (by marginalizing over A
L), we see shifts of ∼1σ in σ8 and Ωm, which have a significant effect on the neutrino mass constraints. In the case of CMASS plus Planck without the A
L lensing signal, we find a preference for a neutrino mass of ∑m
ν = 0.34 ± 0.14 eV (68 per cent c.l.), in excellent agreement with the WMAP9+CMASS value. The constraint can be tightened to 3.4σ yielding ∑m
ν = 0.36 ± 0.10 eV (68 per cent c.l.) when weak lensing data and other BAO constraints are included.
The most massive galaxies in the present-day Universe are found to lie in the centres of rich clusters. They have old, coeval stellar populations suggesting that the bulk of their stars must have ...formed at early epochs in spectacular starbursts, which should be luminous phenomena when observed at submillimetre wavelengths. The most popular model of galaxy formation predicts that these galaxies form in proto-clusters at high-density peaks in the early Universe. Such peaks are indicated by massive high-redshift radio galaxies. Here we report deep submillimetre mapping of seven high-redshift radio galaxies and their environments. These data confirm not only the presence of spatially extended regions of massive star-formation activity in the radio galaxies themselves, but also in companion objects previously undetected at any wavelength. The prevalence, orientation, and inferred masses of these submillimetre companion galaxies suggest that we are witnessing the synchronous formation of the most luminous elliptical galaxies found today at the centres of rich clusters of galaxies.
ABSTRACT
We study the modelling of the halo occupation distribution (HOD) for the eBOSS DR16 emission line galaxies (ELGs). Motivated by previous theoretical and observational studies, we consider ...different physical effects that can change how ELGs populate haloes. We explore the shape of the average HOD, the fraction of satellite galaxies, their probability distribution function (PDF), and their density and velocity profiles. Our baseline HOD shape was fitted to a semi-analytical model of galaxy formation and evolution, with a decaying occupation of central ELGs at high halo masses. We consider Poisson and sub/super-Poissonian PDFs for satellite assignment. We model both Navarro–Frenk–White and particle profiles for satellite positions, also allowing for decreased concentrations. We model velocities with the virial theorem and particle velocity distributions. Additionally, we introduce a velocity bias and a net infall velocity. We study how these choices impact the clustering statistics while keeping the number density and bias fixed to that from eBOSS ELGs. The projected correlation function, wp, captures most of the effects from the PDF and satellites profile. The quadrupole, ξ2, captures most of the effects coming from the velocity profile. We find that the impact of the mean HOD shape is subdominant relative to the rest of choices. We fit the clustering of the eBOSS DR16 ELG data under different combinations of the above assumptions. The catalogues presented here have been analysed in companion papers, showing that eBOSS RSD+BAO measurements are insensitive to the details of galaxy physics considered here. These catalogues are made publicly available.
The observed distribution of galaxies has local transverse isotropy around the line of sight (LOS) with respect to the observer. The difference in the statistical clustering signal along and across ...the LOS encodes important information about the geometry of the Universe, its expansion rate and the rate of growth of structure within it. Because the LOS varies across a survey, the standard fast Fourier transform (FFT) based methods of measuring the anisotropic power spectrum (APS) cannot be used for surveys with wide observational footprint, other than to measure the monopole moment. We derive a simple analytic formula to quantify the bias for higher order Legendre moments, and we demonstrate that it is scale independent for a simple survey model, and depends only on the observed area. We derive a similar numerical correction formula for recently proposed alternative estimators of the APS that are based on summing over galaxies rather than using an FFT, and can therefore incorporate a varying LOS. We demonstrate that their bias depends on scale but not on the observed area. For a quadrupole the bias is always less than 1 per cent for
$k > 0.01\,h\,\mathrm{Mpc}^{{\rm \tt {-}}1}$
at z > 0.32. For a hexadecapole the bias is below 5 per cent for
$k > 0.05\,h\,\mathrm{Mpc}^{{\rm \tt {-}}1}$
at z > 0.32.
We address the problem of separating stars from galaxies in future large photometric surveys. We focus our analysis on simulations of the Dark Energy Survey (DES). In the first part of the paper, we ...derive the science requirements on star/galaxy separation, for measurement of the cosmological parameters with the gravitational weak lensing and large-scale structure probes. These requirements are dictated by the need to control both the statistical and systematic errors on the cosmological parameters, and by point spread function calibration. We formulate the requirements in terms of the completeness and purity provided by a given star/galaxy classifier. In order to achieve these requirements at faint magnitudes, we propose a new method for star/galaxy separation in the second part of the paper. We first use principal component analysis to outline the correlations between the objects parameters and extract from it the most relevant information. We then use the reduced set of parameters as input to an Artificial Neural Network. This multiparameter approach improves upon purely morphometric classifiers (such as the classifier implemented in SExtractor), especially at faint magnitudes: it increases the purity by up to 20 per cent for stars and by up to 12 per cent for galaxies, at i-magnitude fainter than 23.