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Author Norena, J.; Verde, L.; Jimenez, R.; Pena-Garay, C.; Gomez, C.
Title Cancelling out systematic uncertainties Type Journal Article
Year 2012 Publication Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Abbreviated Journal Mon. Not. Roy. Astron. Soc.
Volume 419 Issue 2 Pages 1040-1050
Keywords methods: statistical; cosmology: theory
Abstract We present a method to minimize, or even cancel out, the nuisance parameters affecting a measurement. Our approach is general and can be applied to any experiment or observation where systematic errors are a concern e.g. are larger than statistical errors. We compare it with the Bayesian technique used to deal with nuisance parameters: marginalization, and show how the method compares and improves by avoiding biases. We illustrate the method with several examples taken from the astrophysics and cosmology world: baryonic acoustic oscillations (BAOs), cosmic clocks, Type Ia supernova (SNIa) luminosity distance, neutrino oscillations and dark matter detection. By applying the method we not only recover some known results but also find some interesting new ones. For BAO experiments we show how to combine radial and angular BAO measurements in order to completely eliminate the dependence on the sound horizon at radiation drag. In the case of exploiting SNIa as standard candles we show how the uncertainty in the luminosity distance by a second parameter modelled as a metallicity dependence can be eliminated or greatly reduced. When using cosmic clocks to measure the expansion rate of the universe, we demonstrate how a particular combination of observables nearly removes the metallicity dependence of the galaxy on determining differential ages, thus removing the agemetallicity degeneracy in stellar populations. We hope that these findings will be useful in future surveys to obtain robust constraints on the dark energy equation of state.
Address [Norena, Jorge; Verde, Licia; Jimenez, Raul] Univ Barcelona IEEC UB, ICREA, Barcelona 08028, Spain, Email: jorge.norena@icc.ub.edu
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Wiley-Blackwell Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN (up) 0035-8711 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes WOS:000298482300011 Approved no
Is ISI yes International Collaboration no
Call Number IFIC @ pastor @ Serial 890
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Author Jimenez, R.; Pena-Garay, C.; Verde, L.
Title Is it possible to explore Peccei-Quinn axions from frequency-dependence radiation dimming? Type Journal Article
Year 2011 Publication Physics Letters B Abbreviated Journal Phys. Lett. B
Volume 703 Issue 3 Pages 232-236
Keywords Axion; CF; White dwarf
Abstract We explore how the Peccei-Quinn (PQ) axion parameter space can be constrained by the frequency-dependence dimming of radiation from astrophysical objects. To do so we perform accurate calculations of photon-axion conversion in the presence of a variable magnetic field. We propose several tests where the PQ axion parameter space can be explored with current and future astronomical surveys: the observed spectra of isolated neutron stars, occultations of background objects by white dwarfs and neutron stars, the light-curves of eclipsing binaries containing a white dwarf. We find that the lack of dimming of the light-curve of a detached eclipsing white dwarf binary recently observed, leads to relevant constraints on the photon-axion conversion. Current surveys designed for Earth-like planet searches are well matched to strengthen and improve the constraints on the PQ axion using astrophysical objects radiation dimming.
Address [Jimenez, R; Verde, L] Univ Barcelona IEEC UB, ICREA & ICC, Barcelona 08028, Spain, Email: jimenez@icc.ub.edu
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Elsevier Science Bv Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN (up) 0370-2693 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes WOS:000295198300005 Approved no
Is ISI yes International Collaboration no
Call Number IFIC @ elepoucu @ Serial 779
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Author Carbone, C.; Mena, O.; Verde, L.
Title Cosmological parameters degeneracies and non-Gaussian halo bias Type Journal Article
Year 2010 Publication Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics Abbreviated Journal J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys.
Volume 07 Issue 7 Pages 020 - 17pp
Keywords power spectrum; redshift surveys; galaxy clusters; cosmological parameters from LSS
Abstract We study the impact of the cosmological parameters uncertainties on the measurements of primordial non-Gaussianity through the large-scale non-Gaussian halo bias effect. While this is not expected to be an issue for the standard Lambda CDM model, it may not be the case for more general models that modify the large-scale shape of the power spectrum. We consider the so-called local non-Gaussianity model, parametrized by the f(NL) non-Gaussianity parameter which is zero for a Gaussian case, and make forecasts on f(NL) from planned surveys, alone and combined with a Planck CMB prior. In particular, we consider EUCLID- and LSST-like surveys and forecast the correlations among f(NL) and the running of the spectral index alpha(s), the dark energy equation of state w, the effective sound speed of dark energy perturbations c(s)(2), the total mass of massive neutrinos M-nu = Sigma m(nu), and the number of extra relativistic degrees of freedom N-nu(rel). Neglecting CMB information on f(NL) and scales k > 0.03h/Mpc, we find that, if N-nu(rel) is assumed to be known, the uncertainty on cosmological parameters increases the error on f(NL) by 10 to 30% depending on the survey. Thus the f(NL) constraint is remarkable robust to cosmological model uncertainties. On the other hand, if N-nu(rel) is simultaneously constrained from the data, the f(NL) error increases by similar to 80%. Finally, future surveys which provide a large sample of galaxies or galaxy clusters over a volume comparable to the Hubble volume can measure primordial non-Gaussianity of the local form with a marginalized 1-sigma error of the order Delta f(NL) similar to 2 – 5, after combination with CMB priors for the remaining cosmological parameters. These results are competitive with CMB bispectrum constraints achievable with an ideal CMB experiment.
Address [Carbone, Carmelita] Univ Bologna, Dipartimento Astron, I-40127 Bologna, Italy, Email: carmelita.carbone@unibo.it
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Iop Publishing Ltd Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN (up) 1475-7516 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes ISI:000283573200010 Approved no
Is ISI yes International Collaboration yes
Call Number IFIC @ elepoucu @ Serial 347
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Author Lopez Honorez, L.; Reid, B.A.; Mena, O.; Verde, L.; Jimenez, R.
Title Coupled dark matter-dark energy in light of near universe observations Type Journal Article
Year 2010 Publication Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics Abbreviated Journal J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys.
Volume 09 Issue 9 Pages 029 - 36pp
Keywords dark energy experiments; dark energy theory; cosmological parameters from LSS
Abstract Cosmological analysis based on currently available observations are unable to rule out a sizeable coupling among the dark energy and dark matter fluids. We explore a variety of coupled dark matter-dark energy models, which satisfy cosmic microwave background constraints, in light of low redshift and near universe observations. We illustrate the phenomenology of different classes of dark coupling models, paying particular attention in distinguishing between effects that appear only on the expansion history and those that appear in the growth of structure. We find that while a broad class of dark coupling models are effectively models where general relativity (GR) is modified – and thus can be probed by a combination of tests for the expansion history and the growth of structure -, there is a class of dark coupling models where gravity is still GR, but the growth of perturbations is, in principle modified. While this effect is small in the specific models we have considered, one should bear in mind that an inconsistency between reconstructed expansion history and growth may not uniquely indicate deviations from GR. Our low redshift constraints arise from cosmic velocities, redshift space distortions and dark matter abundance in galaxy voids. We find that current data constrain the dimensionless coupling to be vertical bar xi vertical bar < 0.2, but prospects from forthcoming data are for a significant improvement. Future, precise measurements of the Hubble constant, combined with high-precision constraints on the growth of structure, could provide the key to rule out dark coupling models which survive other tests. We shall exploit as well weak equivalence principle violation arguments, which have the potential to highly disfavour a broad family of coupled models.
Address [Lopez Honorez, Laura] UAM, CSIC, Dept Phys, Madrid 28049, Spain, Email: laura.lopez@uam.es
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Iop Publishing Ltd Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN (up) 1475-7516 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes ISI:000283576500007 Approved no
Is ISI yes International Collaboration yes
Call Number IFIC @ elepoucu @ Serial 343
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Author Wagner, C.; Verde, L.; Boubekeur, L.
Title N-body simulations with generic non-Gaussian initial conditions I: power spectrum and halo mass function Type Journal Article
Year 2010 Publication Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics Abbreviated Journal J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys.
Volume 10 Issue 10 Pages 022 - 24pp
Keywords power spectrum; cosmological simulations; initial conditions and eternal universe; galaxy clusters
Abstract We address the issue of setting up generic non-Gaussian initial conditions for N-body simulations. We consider inflationary-motivated primordial non-Gaussianity where the perturbations in the Bardeen potential are given by a dominant Gaussian part plus a non-Gaussian part specified by its bispectrum. The approach we explore here is suitable for any bispectrum, i.e. it does not have to be of the so-called separable or factorizable form. The procedure of generating a non-Gaussian field with a given bispectrum (and a given power spectrum for the Gaussian component) is not univocal, and care must be taken so that higher-order corrections do not leave a too large signature on the power spectrum. This is so far a limiting factor of our approach. We then run N-body simulations for the most popular inflationary-motivated non-Gaussian shapes. The halo mass function and the non-linear power spectrum agree with theoretical analytical approximations proposed in the literature, even if they were so far developed and tested only for a particular shape (the local one). We plan to make the simulations outputs available to the community via the non-Gaussian simulations comparison project web site http://icc.ub.edu/similar to liciaverde/NGSCP.html.
Address [Wagner, Christian; Verde, Licia] Univ Barcelona, ICCUB IEEC, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain, Email: cwagner@icc.ub.edu
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Iop Publishing Ltd Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN (up) 1475-7516 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes ISI:000283577600013 Approved no
Is ISI yes International Collaboration no
Call Number IFIC @ elepoucu @ Serial 339
Permanent link to this record