Beecroft Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology

Abstract:

We propose and develop a general algorithm for finding the action for cosmological perturbations which rivals the conventional, gauge-invariant approach and can be applied to theories with more than one metric. We then apply it to a particular case of bigravity, focusing on the Eddington- inspired Born-Infeld theory, and show that we can obtain a nearly scale-invariant power spectrum for both scalar and tensor primordial quantum perturbations. Unfortunately, in the case of the minimal Eddington-inspired Born-Infeld theory, we find that the tensor-to-scalar ratio of perturbations is unacceptably large. We discuss the applicability of our general method and the possibility of resurrecting the specific theory we have looked at.

Abstract:

Galaxy-galaxy weak lensing is a direct probe of the mean matter distribution around galaxies. The depth and sky coverage of the CFHT Legacy Survey yield statistically significant galaxy halo mass measurements over a much wider range of stellar masses ($10^{8.75}$ to $10^{11.3} M_{\odot}$) and redshifts ($0.2 < z < 0.8$) than previous weak lensing studies. At redshift $z \sim 0.5$, the stellar-to-halo mass ratio (SHMR) reaches a maximum of $4.0\pm0.2$ percent as a function of halo mass at $\sim 10^{12.25} M_{\odot}$. We find, for the first time from weak lensing alone, evidence for significant evolution in the SHMR: the peak ratio falls as a function of cosmic time from $4.5 \pm 0.3$ percent at $z \sim 0.7$ to $3.4 \pm 0.2$ percent at $z \sim 0.3$, and shifts to lower stellar mass haloes. These evolutionary trends are dominated by red galaxies, and are consistent with a model in which the stellar mass above which star formation is quenched "downsizes" with cosmic time. In contrast, the SHMR of blue, star-forming galaxies is well-fit by a power law that does not evolve with time. This suggests that blue galaxies form stars at a rate that is balanced with their dark matter accretion in such a way that they evolve along the SHMR locus. The redshift dependence of the SHMR can be used to constrain the evolution of the galaxy population over cosmic time.