Searching for signatures of inflationary massive fields in DESI Imaging data and Stage-V galaxy surveys

Abstract

We investigate the cosmological imprints of massive fields during inflation through primordial non-Gaussianity (PNG). When these fields are sufficiently light, they produce a signal in galaxy clustering, $\propto f_{\rm NL,\Delta}k^{\Delta-2}$ with $\Delta\in(0,3/2]$, corresponding to a beyond-local PNG contribution to the scale-dependent bias. We use the angular correlation function to constrain $f_{\rm NL,\Delta}$ and $\Delta$ using imaging data used for the targeting of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI). For the most aggressive systematics treatment, there is no evidence for local PNG, hence no constraint on $\Delta$. However, when considering a less aggressive treatment, a hint is found with $f_{\rm NL}^{\rm loc}=27^{+10}_{-9}$, consistent with previous analyses. For beyond-local PNG, that signal gives a preference for $f_{\rm NL, \Delta}=5.12^{+6.13}_{-3.62}\times10^{3}$ and $\Delta=0.91^{+0.25}_{-0.19}$. This preference is not robust under decontamination choices, likely driven by residual systematics, and we present it as a showcase for future constraints. Additionally, we forecast the sensitivity of upcoming Stage-V surveys, the Wide-field Spectroscopic Telescope (WST), the MUltiplexed Survey Telescope (MUST), and the Spectroscopic Stage 5 Experiment (Spec-S5), to constrain $\Delta$ using Lyman-break galaxies. Around the local limit, $\Delta^{\rm fid}=0$, we find that they can reach uncertainties of $\sigma(\Delta)\simeq0.17-0.50$, depending on the survey, for a fiducial $f_{\rm NL,\Delta}^{\rm fid}=4$. The constraining power on $\Delta$ increases as we increase $f_{\rm NL,\Delta}^{\rm fid}$ and decreases for larger fiducial $\Delta$. Finally, we derive a relation between the detectability of $\Delta$ and the local PNG constraints, $\sigma(f_{\rm NL}^{\rm loc})$. This provides a tool to estimate the survey sensitivity required to resolve massive-field signatures.