arXiv subjects

Dragan Huterer

Publications and source records attributed to Dragan Huterer.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2025

Late-time growth weakly affects the significance of high-redshift massive galaxies

Recent observations by the James Webb Space Telescope have revealed massive galaxies at very high redshift ($z\simeq 7-15$). The question of whether the existence of such galaxies is expected in the corresponding JWST surveys has received a lot of attention, though the answer straddles areas of cosmology and complex astrophysical details of high-redshift galaxy formation. The growth rate of density fluctuations determines the amplitude of overdensities that collapse to form galaxies. Late-time modifications of growth, combined with measurements at both $z\sim 1$ from large-scale structure and $z\sim 1000$ from the cosmic microwave background, affect the predictions for the abundance of first galaxies in the universe. In this paper, we point out that the late-time growth rate of structure affects the statistical significance of high-redshift, high-mass objects very weakly. Consequently, if the existence and abundance of these objects are confirmed to be unexpected, the variations in the late-time growth history are unlikely to explain these anomalies.

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arXiv2024

Compressed baryon acoustic oscillation analysis is robust to modified-gravity models

We study the robustness of the baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) analysis to the underlying cosmological model. We focus on testing the standard BAO analysis that relies on the use of a template. These templates are constructed assuming a fixed fiducial cosmological model and used to extract the location of the acoustic peaks. Such "compressed analysis" had been shown to be unbiased when applied to the $Λ$CDM model and some of its extensions. However, it has not been known whether this type of analysis introduces biases in a wider range of cosmological models where the template may not fully capture relevant features in the BAO signal. In this study, we apply the compressed analysis to noiseless mock power spectra that are based on Horndeski models, a broad class of modified-gravity theories specified with eight additional free parameters. We study the precision and accuracy of the BAO peak-location extraction assuming DESI, DESI II, and MegaMapper survey specifications. We find that the bias in the extracted peak locations is negligible; for example, it is less than 10% of the statistical error for even the proposed future MegaMapper survey. Our findings indicate that the compressed BAO analysis is remarkably robust to the underlying cosmological model.

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arXiv2024

Local primordial non-Gaussianity from the large-scale clustering of photometric DESI luminous red galaxies

We use angular clustering of luminous red galaxies from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) imaging surveys to constrain the local primordial non-Gaussianity parameter $\fnl$. Our sample comprises over 12 million targets, covering 14,000 square degrees of the sky, with redshifts in the range $0.2< z < 1.35$. We identify Galactic extinction, survey depth, and astronomical seeing as the primary sources of systematic error, and employ linear regression and artificial neural networks to alleviate non-cosmological excess clustering on large scales. Our methods are tested against simulations with and without $\fnl$ and systematics, showing superior performance of the neural network treatment. The neural network with a set of nine imaging property maps passes our systematic null test criteria, and is chosen as the fiducial treatment. Assuming the universality relation, we find $\fnl = 34^{+24(+50)}_{-44(-73)}$ at 68\%(95\%) confidence. We apply a series of robustness tests (e.g., cuts on imaging, declination, or scales used) that show consistency in the obtained constraints. We study how the regression method biases the measured angular power-spectrum and degrades the $\fnl$ constraining power. The use of the nine maps more than doubles the uncertainty compared to using only the three primary maps in the regression. Our results thus motivate the development of more efficient methods that avoid over-correction, protect large-scale clustering information, and preserve constraining power. Additionally, our results encourage further studies of $\fnl$ with DESI spectroscopic samples, where the inclusion of 3D clustering modes should help separate imaging systematics and lessen the degradation in the $\fnl$ uncertainty.

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arXiv2023

Not empty enough: a local void cannot solve the $H_0$ tension

We review arguably the simplest solution for the Hubble tension -- the possibility that we live in a void. In this scenario, the local Hubble constant $H_0$ is higher than the global value, thus potentially explaining why $H_0$ measured locally by the distance ladder including Type Ia supernovae (SNIa) would be larger than the value inferred from the cosmic microwave background and other cosmological probes. In addition, since the local supernova sample is sparse and highly inhomogeneous, the error bars in the local Hubble constant might be larger than previously estimated. These two effects -- local matter density and sample inhomogeneity -- constitute the sample variance (or the cosmic variance) of the local Hubble constant measurements. To investigate these effects explicitly, we have mocked up SNIa observations by exactly matching their actual spatial distribution in a large N-body simulation. We have then investigated whether the sample variance is large enough to explain the Hubble tension. The answer is resoundingly negative: the typical local variation in $H_0$ is far smaller than what would be required to explain the Hubble tension; the latter would require a 20-$σ$ deviation from the expected sample variance. Equivalently, the void required to explain the Hubble tension would need to be so empty ($δ\approx-0.8$ on a scale 120 $h^{-1}{\rm Mpc}$) that it would be incompatible with the large-scale structure in a $Λ$CDM universe. Therefore, the possibility that we live in a void does not come close to explaining the Hubble tension.

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arXiv2023

Growth of Cosmic Structure

We review one of the most fruitful areas in cosmology today that bridge theory and data - the temporal growth of large-scale structure. We go over the growth's physical foundations, and derive its behavior in simple cosmological models. While doing so, we explain how measurements of growth can be used to understand theory. We then review how some of the most mature cosmological probes - galaxy clustering, gravitational lensing, the abundance of clusters of galaxies, cosmic velocities, and cosmic microwave background - can be used to probe the growth of structure. We report the current constraints on growth, which are summarized as measurements of the parameter combination $fσ_8$ as a function of redshift, or else as the mass fluctuation amplitude parameter $S_8$. We finally illustrate several statistical approaches, ranging from the "growth index" parameterization to more general comparisons of growth and geometry, that can sharply test the standard cosmological model and indicate the presence of modifications to general relativity.

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arXiv2023

Sweeping Horndeski Canvas: New Growth-Rate Parameterization for Modified-Gravity Theories

We propose and numerically validate a new fitting formula that is sufficiently accurate to model the growth of structure in Horndeski theories of modified gravity for upcoming Stage IV and V large-scale structure surveys. Based on an analysis of more than 18,000 Horndeski models and adopting the popular parameterization of the growth rate $f(z) = Ω_{M}(z)^γ$, we generalize the constant growth index $γ$ to a two-parameter redshift-dependent quantity, $γ(z)$, that more accurately fits these models. We demonstrate that the functional form $γ(z)=γ_0+γ_1z^2 / (1+z)$ improves the median $χ^2$ of the fit to viable Horndeski models by a factor of $\sim40$ relative to that of a constant $γ$, and is sufficient to obtain unbiased results even for precise measurements expected in Stage IV and V surveys. Finally, we constrain the parameters of the new fitting formula using current cosmological data.

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arXiv2023

Evidence for suppression of structure growth in the concordance cosmological model

We present evidence for a suppressed growth rate of large-scale structure during the dark-energy dominated era. Modeling the growth rate of perturbations with the ``growth index'' $γ$, we find that current cosmological data strongly prefer a higher growth index than the value $γ=0.55$ predicted by general relativity in a flat $Λ$CDM cosmology. Both the cosmic microwave background data from Planck and the large-scale structure data from weak lensing, galaxy clustering, and cosmic velocities separately favor growth suppression. When combined, they yield $γ=0.633^{+0.025}_{-0.024}$, excluding $γ=0.55$ at a statistical significance of 3.7$σ$. The combination of $fσ_8$ and Planck measurements prefers an even higher growth index of $γ=0.639^{+0.024}_{-0.025}$, corresponding to a 4.2$σ$-tension with the concordance model. In Planck data, the suppressed growth rate offsets the preference for nonzero curvature and fits the data equally well as the latter model. A higher $γ$ leads to a higher matter fluctuation amplitude $S_8$ inferred from galaxy clustering and weak lensing measurements, and a lower $S_8$ from Planck data, effectively resolving the $S_8$ tension.

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arXiv2022

Constraints on dark matter to dark radiation conversion in the late universe with DES-Y1 and external data

We study a phenomenological class of models where dark matter converts to dark radiation in the low redshift epoch. This class of models, dubbed DMDR, characterizes the evolution of comoving dark matter density with two extra parameters, and may be able to help alleviate the observed discrepancies between early- and late-time probes of the universe. We investigate how the conversion affects key cosmological observables such as the CMB temperature and matter power spectra. Combining 3x2pt data from Year 1 of the Dark Energy Survey, {\it Planck}-2018 CMB temperature and polarization data, supernovae (SN) Type Ia data from Pantheon, and baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) data from BOSS DR12, MGS and 6dFGS, we place new constraints on the amount of dark matter that has converted to dark radiation and the rate of this conversion. The fraction of the dark matter that has converted since the beginning of the universe in units of the current amount of dark matter, $ζ$, is constrained at 68\% confidence level to be $<0.32$ for DES-Y1 3x2pt data, $<0.030$ for CMB+SN+BAO data, and $<0.037$ for the combined dataset. The probability that the DES and CMB+SN+BAO datasets are concordant increases from 4\% for the $Λ$CDM model to 8\% (less tension) for DMDR. The tension in $S_8 = σ_8 \sqrt{Ω_{\rm m}/0.3}$ between DES-Y1 3x2pt and CMB+SN+BAO is slightly reduced from $2.3σ$ to $1.9σ$. We find no reduction in the Hubble tension when the combined data is compared to distance-ladder measurements in the DMDR model. The maximum-posterior goodness-of-fit statistics of DMDR and $Λ$CDM model are comparable, indicating no preference for the DMDR cosmology over $Λ$CDM.

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arXiv2022

The MegaMapper: A Stage-5 Spectroscopic Instrument Concept for the Study of Inflation and Dark Energy

In this white paper, we present the MegaMapper concept. The MegaMapper is a proposed ground-based experiment to measure Inflation parameters and Dark Energy from galaxy redshifts at $2<z<5$. In order to achieve path-breaking results with a mid-scale investment, the MegaMapper combines existing technologies for critical path elements and pushes innovative development in other design areas. To this aim, we envision a 6.5-m Magellan-like telescope, with a newly designed wide field, coupled with DESI spectrographs, and small-pitch robots to achieve multiplexing of at least 26,000. This will match the expected achievable target density in the redshift range of interest and provide a 10x capability over the existing state-of the art, without a 10x increase in project budget.

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arXiv2022

A Spectroscopic Road Map for Cosmic Frontier: DESI, DESI-II, Stage-5

In this white paper, we present an experimental road map for spectroscopic experiments beyond DESI. DESI will be a transformative cosmological survey in the 2020s, mapping 40 million galaxies and quasars and capturing a significant fraction of the available linear modes up to z=1.2. DESI-II will pilot observations of galaxies both at much higher densities and extending to higher redshifts. A Stage-5 experiment would build out those high-density and high-redshift observations, mapping hundreds of millions of stars and galaxies in three dimensions, to address the problems of inflation, dark energy, light relativistic species, and dark matter. These spectroscopic data will also complement the next generation of weak lensing, line intensity mapping and CMB experiments and allow them to reach their full potential.

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arXiv2022

Challenges for the statistical gravitational-wave method to measure the Hubble constant

Gravitational waves (GW) can be employed as standard sirens that will soon measure the Hubble constant with sufficient precision to weigh in on the $\sim 5σ$ Hubble tension. Most GW sources will have no identified electromagnetic counterpart, leading to uncertainty in the redshift of the source, and in turn a degeneracy between host galaxy distance, redshift, and $H_0$. In the case where no electromagnetic counterparts are identified, it has been proposed that a statistical canvassing of candidate GW hosts, found in a large galaxy survey for example, can be used to accurately constrain the Hubble constant. We study and simulate this "galaxy voting" method to compute $H_0$. We find that the Hubble constant posterior is in general biased relative to the true value even when making optimistic assumptions about the statistical properties of the sample. Using the MICECAT light-cone catalog, we find that the bias in the $H_0$ posteriors depends on the realization of the underlying galaxy sample and the precision of the GW source distance measurement.

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arXiv2022

Cosmology Intertwined: A Review of the Particle Physics, Astrophysics, and Cosmology Associated with the Cosmological Tensions and Anomalies

In this paper we will list a few important goals that need to be addressed in the next decade, also taking into account the current discordances between the different cosmological probes, such as the disagreement in the value of the Hubble constant $H_0$, the $σ_8$--$S_8$ tension, and other less statistically significant anomalies. While these discordances can still be in part the result of systematic errors, their persistence after several years of accurate analysis strongly hints at cracks in the standard cosmological scenario and the necessity for new physics or generalisations beyond the standard model. In this paper, we focus on the $5.0\,σ$ tension between the {\it Planck} CMB estimate of the Hubble constant $H_0$ and the SH0ES collaboration measurements. After showing the $H_0$ evaluations made from different teams using different methods and geometric calibrations, we list a few interesting new physics models that could alleviate this tension and discuss how the next decade's experiments will be crucial. Moreover, we focus on the tension of the {\it Planck} CMB data with weak lensing measurements and redshift surveys, about the value of the matter energy density $Ω_m$, and the amplitude or rate of the growth of structure ($σ_8,fσ_8$). We list a few interesting models proposed for alleviating this tension, and we discuss the importance of trying to fit a full array of data with a single model and not just one parameter at a time. Additionally, we present a wide range of other less discussed anomalies at a statistical significance level lower than the $H_0$--$S_8$ tensions which may also constitute hints towards new physics, and we discuss possible generic theoretical approaches that can collectively explain the non-standard nature of these signals.[Abridged]

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arXiv2021

A Test of the Standard Cosmological Model with Geometry and Growth

We perform a general test of the $Λ{\rm CDM}$ and $w {\rm CDM}$ cosmological models by comparing constraints on the geometry of the expansion history to those on the growth of structure. Specifically, we split the total matter energy density, $Ω_M$, and (for $w {\rm CDM}$) dark energy equation of state, $w$, into two parameters each: one that captures the geometry, and another that captures the growth. We constrain our split models using current cosmological data, including type Ia supernovae, baryon acoustic oscillations, redshift space distortions, gravitational lensing, and cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies. We focus on two tasks: (i) constraining deviations from the standard model, captured by the parameters $ΔΩ_M \equiv Ω_M^{\rm grow}-Ω_M^{\rm geom}$ and $Δw \equiv w^{\rm grow}-w^{\rm geom}$, and (ii) investigating whether the $S_8$ tension between the CMB and weak lensing can be translated into a tension between geometry and growth, i.e. $ΔΩ_M \neq 0$, $Δw \neq 0$. In both the split $Λ{\rm CDM}$ and $w {\rm CDM}$ cases, our results from combining all data are consistent with $ΔΩ_M = 0$ and $Δw = 0$. If we omit BAO/RSD data and constrain the split $w {\rm CDM}$ cosmology, we find the data prefers $Δw<0$ at $3.6σ$ significance and $ΔΩ_M>0$ at $4.2σ$ evidence. We also find that for both CMB and weak lensing, $ΔΩ_M$ and $S_8$ are correlated, with CMB showing a slightly stronger correlation. The general broadening of the contours in our extended model does alleviate the $S_8$ tension, but the allowed nonzero values of $ΔΩ_M$ do not encompass the $S_8$ values that would point toward a mismatch between geometry and growth as the origin of the tension.

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arXiv2021

Misinterpreting Modified Gravity as Dark Energy: a Quantitative Study

Standard cosmological data analyses typically constrain simple phenomenological dark-energy parameters, for example the present-day value of the equation of state parameter, $w_0$, and its variation with scale factor, $w_a$. However, results from such an analysis cannot easily indicate the presence of modified gravity. Even if general relativity does not hold, experimental data could still be fit sufficiently well by a phenomenological $w_0w_a$CDM, unmodified-gravity model. Hence, it would be very useful to know if there are generic signatures of modified gravity in standard analyses. Here we present, for the first time to our knowledge, a quantitative mapping showing how modified gravity models look when (mis)interpreted within the standard unmodified-gravity analysis. Scanning through a broad space of modified-gravity (Horndeski) models, and assuming a near-future survey consisting of CMB, BAO, and SNIa observations, we report values of the best-fit set of cosmological parameters including $(w_0, w_a)$ that would be inferred if modified gravity were at work. We find that modified gravity models that can masquerade as standard gravity lead to very specific biases in standard-parameter spaces. We also comment on implications for measurements of the amplitude of mass fluctuations described by the parameter $S_8$.

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arXiv2021

Dark Energy Survey Year 1 Results: Constraining Baryonic Physics in the Universe

Measurements of large-scale structure are interpreted using theoretical predictions for the matter distribution, including potential impacts of baryonic physics. We constrain the feedback strength of baryons jointly with cosmology using weak lensing and galaxy clustering observables (3$\times$2pt) of Dark Energy Survey (DES) Year 1 data in combination with external information from baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) and Planck cosmic microwave background polarization. Our baryon modeling is informed by a set of hydrodynamical simulations that span a variety of baryon scenarios; we span this space via a Principal Component (PC) analysis of the summary statistics extracted from these simulations. We show that at the level of DES Y1 constraining power, one PC is sufficient to describe the variation of baryonic effects in the observables, and the first PC amplitude ($Q_1$) generally reflects the strength of baryon feedback. With the upper limit of $Q_1$ prior being bound by the Illustris feedback scenarios, we reach $\sim 20\%$ improvement in the constraint of $S_8=σ_8(Ω_{\rm m}/0.3)^{0.5}=0.788^{+0.018}_{-0.021}$ compared to the original DES 3$\times$2pt analysis. This gain is driven by the inclusion of small-scale cosmic shear information down to 2.5 arcmin, which was excluded in previous DES analyses that did not model baryonic physics. We obtain $S_8=0.781^{+0.014}_{-0.015}$ for the combined DES Y1+Planck EE+BAO analysis with a non-informative $Q_1$ prior. In terms of the baryon constraints, we measure $Q_1=1.14^{+2.20}_{-2.80}$ for DES Y1 only and $Q_1=1.42^{+1.63}_{-1.48}$ for DESY1+Planck EE+BAO, allowing us to exclude one of the most extreme AGN feedback hydrodynamical scenario at more than $2 σ$.

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arXiv2021

The HST See Change Program: I. Survey Design, Pipeline, and Supernova Discoveries

The See Change survey was designed to make $z>1$ cosmological measurements by efficiently discovering high-redshift Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) and improving cluster mass measurements through weak lensing. This survey observed twelve galaxy clusters with the Hubble Space Telescope spanning the redshift range $z=1.13$ to $1.75$, discovering 57 likely transients and 27 likely SNe Ia at $z\sim 0.8-2.3$. As in similar previous surveys (Dawson et al. 2009), this proved to be a highly efficient use of HST for SN observations; the See Change survey additionally tested the feasibility of maintaining, or further increasing, the efficiency at yet higher redshifts, where we have less detailed information on the expected cluster masses and star-formation rates. We find that the resulting number of SNe Ia per orbit is a factor of $\sim 8$ higher than for a field search, and 45% of our orbits contained an active SN Ia within 22 rest-frame days of peak, with one of the clusters by itself yielding 6 of the SNe Ia. We present the survey design, pipeline, and SN discoveries. Novel features include fully blinded SN searches, the first random forest candidate classifier for undersampled IR data (with a 50% detection threshold within 0.05 magnitudes of human searchers), real-time forward-modeling photometry of candidates, and semi-automated photometric classifications and follow-up forecasts. We also describe the spectroscopic follow-up, instrumental in measuring host-galaxy redshifts. The cosmology analysis of our sample will be presented in a companion paper.

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arXiv2020

Specific Effect of Peculiar Velocities on Dark-Energy Constraints from Type Ia Supernovae

Peculiar velocities of type Ia supernova (SNIa) host galaxies affect the dark-energy parameter constraints in a small but very specific way: the parameters are biased in a single direction in parameter space that is a-priori knowable for a given SNIa dataset. We demonstrate the latter fact with a combination of inference from a cosmological N-body simulation with overwhelming statistics applied to the Pantheon SNIa data set, then confirm it by simple quantitative arguments. We quantify small modifications to the current analyses that would ensure that the effect of cosmological parameters is essentially guaranteed to be negligible.

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arXiv2020

Cosmology Intertwined III: $f σ_8$ and $S_8$

The standard $Λ$ Cold Dark Matter cosmological model provides a wonderful fit to current cosmological data, but a few tensions and anomalies became statistically significant with the latest data analyses. While these anomalies could be due to the presence of systematic errors in the experiments, they could also indicate the need for new physics beyond the standard model. In this Letter of Interest we focus on the tension of the Planck data with weak lensing measurements and redshift surveys, about the value of the matter energy density $Ω_m$, and the amplitude or rate of the growth of structure ($σ_8,fσ_8$). We list a few interesting models for solving this tension, and we discuss the importance of trying to fit with a single model a full array of data and not just one parameter at a time.

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