Prof. David Alonso

Abstract:

<jats:p>We present a generalisation of the standard pseudo- <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:msub><mml:mi>C</mml:mi><mml:mo>ℓ</mml:mo></mml:msub></mml:math> approach for power spectrum estimation to the case of spin- <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:mi>s</mml:mi></mml:math> fields weighted by a general positive-definite weight matrix that couples the different spin components of the field (e.g.  <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:mi>Q</mml:mi></mml:math> and <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:mi>U</mml:mi></mml:math> maps in CMB polarisation analyses, or <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:msub><mml:mi>γ</mml:mi><mml:mn>1</mml:mn></mml:msub></mml:math> and <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:msub><mml:mi>γ</mml:mi><mml:mn>2</mml:mn></mml:msub></mml:math> shear components in weak lensing). Relevant use cases are, for example, data with significantly anisotropic noise properties, or situations in which different masks must be applied to the different field components. The weight matrix map is separated into a spin-0 part, which corresponds to the “mask” in the standard pseudo- <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:msub><mml:mi>C</mml:mi><mml:mo>ℓ</mml:mo></mml:msub></mml:math> approach, and a spin- <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:mrow><mml:mn>2</mml:mn><mml:mi>s</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:math> part sourced solely by the anisotropic elements of the matrix, leading to additional coupling between angular scales and <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:mrow><mml:mi>E</mml:mi><mml:mi>/</mml:mi><mml:mi>B</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:math> modes. The general expressions for the mode-coupling coefficients involving the power spectra of these anisotropic weight components are derived and validated. The generalised algorithm is as computationally efficient as the standard approach. We implement the method in the public code NaMaster.</jats:p>

Abstract:

<jats:p>We use the projected clustering of quasars in the Gaia-unWISE quasar catalog, Quaia, and its cross-correlation with CMB lensing data from Planck, to measure the large-scale turnover of the matter power spectrum, associated with the size of the horizon at the epoch of matter-radiation equality. The turnover is detected with a significance of between <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:mn>2.3</mml:mn></mml:math> and <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:mrow><mml:mn>3.1</mml:mn><mml:mi>σ</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:math>, depending on the method used to quantify it. From this measurement, the equality scale is determined at the <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:mrow><mml:mo>∼</mml:mo><mml:mn>20</mml:mn><mml:mi>%</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:math> level. Using the turnover scale as a standard ruler alone (suppressing information from the large-scale curvature of the power spectrum), in combination with supernova data through an inverse distance ladder approach, we measure the current expansion rate to be . The addition of information coming from the power spectrum curvature approximately halves the standard ruler uncertainty. Our measurement in combination with calibrated supernovae from Pantheon <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:mo>+</mml:mo></mml:math> and SH0ES constrains the CMB temperature to be , independently of CMB data. Alternatively, assuming the value of from COBE-FIRAS, we can constrain the effective number of relativistic species in the early Universe to be .</jats:p>