arXiv subjects

Eiichiro Komatsu

Publications and source records attributed to Eiichiro Komatsu.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

arXiv2009

CMB anisotropies at second order III: bispectrum from products of the first-order perturbations

We calculate the bispectrum of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) temperature anisotropies induced by the second-order fluctuations in the Boltzmann equation. In this paper, which is one of a series of papers on the numerical calculation of the bispectrum from the second-order fluctuations, we consider the terms that are products of the first-order perturbations, and leave intrinsically second-order terms and perturbations in the recombination history to the subsequent papers. We show that the bispectrum has the maximum signal in the squeezed triangles, similar to the local-type primordial bispectrum, as both types generate non-linearities via products of the first-order terms in position space. However, detailed calculations show that their shapes are sufficiently different: the cross-correlation coefficient reaches 0.5 at the maximum multipole of l_{max}~ 200, and then weakens to 0.3 at l_{max}~ 2000. The differences in shape arise from (i) the way the acoustic oscillations affect the bispectrum, and (ii) the second-order effects not being scale-invariant. This implies that the contamination of the primordial bispectrum due to the second-order effects (from the products of the first-order terms) is small. The expected signal-to-noise ratio of the products of the first-order terms is ~ 0.4 at l_{max}~ 2000 for a full-sky, cosmic variance limited experiment. We therefore conclude that the products of the first-order terms may be safely ignored in the analysis of the future CMB experiments. The expected contamination of the local-form f_{NL} is f^{local}_{NL}~ 0.9 at l_{max}~ 200, and f^{local}_{NL}~ 0.5 at l_{max}~ 2000.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2009

Third-order Perturbation Theory With Non-linear Pressure

We calculate the non-linear matter power spectrum using the 3rd-order perturbation theory without ignoring the pressure gradient term. We consider a semi-realistic system consisting of two matter components with and without pressure, and both are expanded into the 3rd order in perturbations in a self-consistent manner, for the first time. While the pressured component may be identified with baryons or neutrinos, in this paper we mainly explore the physics of the non-linear pressure effect using a toy model in which the Jeans length does not depend on time, i.e., the sound speed decreases as 1/a^{1/2}, where a is the scale factor. The linear analysis shows that the power spectrum below the so-called filtering scale is suppressed relative to the power spectrum of the cold dark matter. Our non-linear calculation shows that the actual filtering scale for a given sound speed is smaller than the linear filtering scale by a factor depending on the redshift and the Jeans length. A ~40% change is common, and our results suggest that, when applied to baryons, the temperature of the Inter-galactic Medium inferred from the filtering scale observed in the flux power spectrum of Lyman-alpha forests would be underestimated by a factor of two, if one used the linear filtering scale to interpret the data. The filtering mass, which is proportional to the filtering scale cubed, can also be significantly smaller than the linear theory prediction especially at low redshift, where the actual filtering mass can be smaller than the linear prediction by a factor of three. Finally, when applied to neutrinos, we find that neutrino perturbations deviate significantly from linear perturbations even below the free-streaming scales, and thus neutrinos cannot be treated as linear perturbations.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2009

CMBPol Mission Concept Study: Probing Inflation with CMB Polarization

We summarize the utility of precise cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization measurements as probes of the physics of inflation. We focus on the prospects for using CMB measurements to differentiate various inflationary mechanisms. In particular, a detection of primordial B-mode polarization would demonstrate that inflation occurred at a very high energy scale, and that the inflaton traversed a super-Planckian distance in field space. We explain how such a detection or constraint would illuminate aspects of physics at the Planck scale. Moreover, CMB measurements can constrain the scale-dependence and non-Gaussianity of the primordial fluctuations and limit the possibility of a significant isocurvature contribution. Each such limit provides crucial information on the underlying inflationary dynamics. Finally, we quantify these considerations by presenting forecasts for the sensitivities of a future satellite experiment to the inflationary parameters.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2009

Observing the Evolution of the Universe

How did the universe evolve? The fine angular scale (l>1000) temperature and polarization anisotropies in the CMB are a Rosetta stone for understanding the evolution of the universe. Through detailed measurements one may address everything from the physics of the birth of the universe to the history of star formation and the process by which galaxies formed. One may in addition track the evolution of the dark energy and discover the net neutrino mass. We are at the dawn of a new era in which hundreds of square degrees of sky can be mapped with arcminute resolution and sensitivities measured in microKelvin. Acquiring these data requires the use of special purpose telescopes such as the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT), located in Chile, and the South Pole Telescope (SPT). These new telescopes are outfitted with a new generation of custom mm-wave kilo-pixel arrays. Additional instruments are in the planning stages.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2009

A New Era in Extragalactic Background Light Measurements: The Cosmic History of Accretion, Nucleosynthesis and Reionization

(Brief Summary) What is the total radiative content of the Universe since the epoch of recombination? The extragalactic background light (EBL) spectrum captures the redshifted energy released from the first stellar objects, protogalaxies, and galaxies throughout cosmic history. Yet, we have not determined the brightness of the extragalactic sky from UV/optical to far-infrared wavelengths with sufficient accuracy to establish the radiative content of the Universe to better than an order of magnitude. Among many science topics, an accurate measurement of the EBL spectrum from optical to far-IR wavelengths, will address: What is the total energy released by stellar nucleosynthesis over cosmic history? Was significant energy released by non-stellar processes? Is there a diffuse component to the EBL anywhere from optical to sub-millimeter? When did first stars appear and how luminous was the reionization epoch? Absolute optical to mid-IR EBL spectrum to an astrophysically interesting accuracy can be established by wide field imagingat a distance of 5 AU or above the ecliptic plane where the zodiacal foreground is reduced by more than two orders of magnitude.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2009

Gravitational Dark Matter Decay and the ATIC/PPB-BETS Excess

The hidden scalar field, which couples to the visible sector only through Planck-suppressed interactions, is a candidate for dark matter owing to its long lifetime. Decay of such a scalar field offers observational tests of this scenario. We show that decay of the hidden scalar field can explain the observed excess of high-energy positrons/electrons observed by ATIC/PPB-BETS, for a suitable choice of the mass and the vacuum expectation value of the field. We also show that the same choice of the parameters gives the observed dark matter abundance. Such a remarkable coincidence suggests that the Planck-suppressed interactions may be responsible for the observed excess in the cosmic-ray positrons/electrons.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2008

CMBPol Mission Concept Study: Reionization Science with the Cosmic Microwave Background

We summarize existing constraints on the epoch of reionization and discuss the observational probes that are sensitive to the process. We focus on the role large scale polarization can play. Polarization probes the integrated optical depth across the entire epoch of reionization. Future missions such as Planck and CMBPol will greatly enhance our knowledge of the reionization history, allowing us to measure the time evolution of the ionization fraction. As large scale polarization probes high redshift activity, it can best constrain models where the Universe was fully or partially ionized at early times. In fact, large scale polarization could be our only probe of the highest redshifts.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

Extracting Angular Diameter Distance and Expansion Rate of the Universe from Two-dimensional Galaxy Power Spectrum at High Redshifts: Baryon Acoustic Oscillation Fitting versus Full Modeling

We present a method for extracting the angular diameter distances, $D_A$, and the expansion rates, $H$, of the universe from the {\it two-dimensional} Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO) in the galaxy power spectrum. Our method builds upon the existing algorithm called the "fit-and-extract" (FITEX) method, which allows one to extract only $D_A^2/H$ from a spherically averaged one-dimensional power spectrum. We develop the FITEX-2d method, an extension of the FITEX method, to include the two-dimensional information, which allows us to extract $D_A$ and $H$ simultaneously. We test the FITEX-2d method using the Millennium Simulation as well as simplified Monte Carlo simulations with a bigger volume. The BAOs, however, contain only a limited amount of information. We show that the full modeling, including the overall shape of the power spectrum, yields much better determinations of $D_A$ and $H$, hence the dark energy equation of state parameters such as $w_0$ and $w_a$, than the BAO-only analysis by more than a factor of two, provided that non-linear effects are under control.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

Perturbation Theory Reloaded II: Non-linear Bias, Baryon Acoustic Oscillations and Millennium Simulation In Real Space

We calculate the non-linear galaxy power spectrum in real space, including non-linear distortion of the Baryon Acoustic Oscillations, using the standard 3rd-order perturbation theory (PT). The calculation is based upon the assumption that the number density of galaxies is a local function of the underlying, non-linear density field. The galaxy bias is allowed to be both non-linear and stochastic. We show that the PT calculation agrees with the galaxy power spectrum estimated from the Millennium Simulation, in the weakly non-linear regime (defined by the matter power spectrum) at high redshifts, $1\le z\le6$. We also show that, once 3 free parameters characterizing galaxy bias are marginalized over, the PT power spectrum fit to the Millennium Simulation data yields unbiased estimates of the distance scale, $D$, to within the statistical error. This distance scale corresponds to the angular diameter distance, $D_A(z)$, and the expansion rate, $H(z)$, in real galaxy surveys. Our results presented in this paper are still restricted to real space. The future work should include the effects of non-linear redshift space distortion. Nevertheless, our results indicate that non-linear galaxy bias in the weakly non-linear regime at high redshifts is reasonably under control.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

Harmonic Inpainting of the Cosmic Microwave Background Sky: Formulation and Error Estimate

We develop a new interpolation scheme, based on harmonic inpainting, for reconstructing the cosmic microwave background temperature data within the Galaxy mask from the data outside the mask. We find that, for scale-invariant isotropic random Gaussian fluctuations, the developed algorithm reduces the errors in the reconstructed map for the odd-parity modes significantly for azimuthally symmetric masks with constant galactic latitudes. For a more realistic Galaxy mask, we find a modest improvement in the even-parity modes as well.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

Reheating of the universe after inflation with f(phi)R gravity

We show that reheating of the universe occurs spontaneously in a broad class of inflation models with f(phi)R gravity (phi is inflaton). The model does not require explicit couplings between phi and bosonic or fermionic matter fields. The couplings arise spontaneously when phi settles in the vacuum expectation value (vev) and oscillates, with coupling constants given by derivatives of f(phi) at the vev and the mass of resulting bosonic or fermionic fields. This mechanism allows inflaton quanta to decay into any fields which are not conformally invariant in f(phi)R gravity theories.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2008

Gravitational inflaton decay and the hierarchy problem

We study implications of the large-N species solution to the hierarchy problem, proposed by G. Dvali, for reheating of the universe after inflation. Dvali's proposal contains additional N~10^{32} Z_2-conserved quantum fields beyond the Standard Model particles with mass ~1 TeV, which weaken gravity by a factor of 1/N, and thus explain the hierarchy between the Plank scale and the electroweak scale. We show that, in this scenario, the decay rates of inflaton fields through gravitational decay channels are enhanced by a factor of N, and thus they decay into N species of the quantum fields very efficiently, in the limit that quantum gravity effects are unimportant for the gravitational decay rate. In order not to over-reheat the universe, inflaton mass, vacuum expectation value of inflaton, or non-minimal gravitational coupling should be tightly fine-tuned. Our conclusion holds even when the gravitational decay is prohibited by some symmetry of the theory; the universe may still be over-reheated via annihilation of inflatons, if the number density of inflaton quanta is greater than the critical value.

hep-th↗

arXiv2007

Fast Estimator of Primordial Non-Gaussianity from Temperature and Polarization Anisotropies in the Cosmic Microwave Background II: Partial Sky Coverage and Inhomogeneous Noise

In our recent paper (Yadav et al. 2007) we described a fast cubic (bispectrum) estimator of the amplitude of primordial non-Gaussianity of local type, f_{NL}, from a combined analysis of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) temperature and E-polarization observations. In this paper we generalize the estimator to deal with a partial sky coverage as well as inhomogeneous noise. Our generalized estimator is still computationally efficient, scaling as O(N^3/2) compared to the O(N^5/2) scaling of the brute force bispectrum calculation for sky maps with N pixels. Upcoming CMB experiments are expected to yield high-sensitivity temperature and E-polarization data. Our generalized estimator will allow us to optimally utilize the combined CMB temperature and E-polarization information from these realistic experiments, and to constrain primordial non-Gaussianity.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

Cosmic Microwave Background--Weak Lensing Correlation: Analytical and Numerical Study of Non-linearity and Implications for Dark Energy

Non-linear evolution of density fluctuations yields secondary anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background (CMB), which are correlated with the same density fluctuations that can be measured by weak lensing (WL) surveys. We study the CMB-WL correlation using analytical models as well as $N$-body simulations. We show that an analytical model based upon the time derivative of non-linear matter power spectrum agrees with simulations. All-sky cosmic-variance limited CMB and WL surveys allow us to measure the correlation from non-linearity with high significance ($50σ$) for $l_{\rm max}=10^4$, whereas the forthcoming missions such as Planck and LSST are expected to yield only marginal detections. The CMB-WL correlation is sensitive to the time derivative of structure growth. We study how this property may be used to constrain the nature of dark energy. While the expected constraints are not very strong, they may provide a cross check of results from other observations.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

Mass-to-light Ratio of Ly-alpha Emitters: Implications of Ly-alpha Surveys at Redshifts z=5.7, 6.5, 7, and 8.8

Using a simple method to interpret the luminosity function of Ly-alpha emitters, we explore properties of Ly-alpha emitters from 5.7 < z < 8.8 with various assumptions about metallicity and stellar mass spectra. We constrain a mass-to-'observed' light ratio, M_h/L_band. For narrow-band surveys, L_band is simply related to the intrinsic Ly-alpha luminosity with a survival fraction of Ly-alpha photons, alpha_esc. The mass-to-'bolometric light', M_h/L_bol, can also be deduced, once the metallicity and stellar mass spectrum are given. The inferred M_h/L_bol is more sensitive to metallicity than to the mass spectrum. We find the following constraints on a mass-to-light ratio of Ly-alpha emitters from 5.7 < z < 7: (M_h/L_bol)(alpha_{esc}epsilon^{1/gamma})^{-1}=21-38, 14-26, and 9-17 for Z=0, 1/50, and 1 Z_sun, respectively, where epsilon is the 'duty cycle' of Ly-alpha emitters, and gamma ~ 2 is a local slope of the cumulative luminosity function. Only weak lower limits are obtained for z=8.8. Therefore, Ly-alpha emitters are consistent with either starburst galaxies M_h/L_bol ~ 0.1-1 with a smaller Ly-alpha survival fraction, alpha_{esc}epsilon^{1/gamma} ~0.01-0.05, or normal populations (M_h/L_bol ~ 10) if a good fraction of Ly-alpha photons survived, alpha_{esc}epsilon^{1/gamma} ~ 0.5-1. We find no evidence for the end of reionization in the luminosity functions of Ly-alpha emitters discovered in the current Ly-alpha surveys, including recent discovery of one Ly-alpha emitter at z=7. The data are consistent with no evolution of intrinsic properties of Ly-alpha emitters or neutral fraction in the intergalactic medium up to z=7. No detection of sources at z=8.8 does not yield a significant constraint yet. We also show that the lack of detection at z=8.8 does not rule out the high-z galaxies being the origin of the excess NIRB.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

Temperature and Polarization CMB Maps from Primordial non-Gaussianities of the Local Type

The forthcoming Planck experiment will provide high sensitivity polarization measurements that will allow us to further tighten the f_NL bounds from the temperature data. Monte Carlo simulations of non-Gaussian CMB maps have been used as a fundamental tool to characterize non-Gaussian signatures in the data, as they allow us to calibrate any statistical estimators and understand the effect of systematics, foregrounds and other contaminants. We describe an algorithm to generate high-angular resolution simulations of non-Gaussian CMB maps in temperature and polarization. We consider non-Gaussianities of the local type, for which the level of non-Gaussianity is defined by the dimensionless parameter, f_NL. We then apply the temperature and polarization fast cubic statistics recently developed by Yadav et al. to a set of non-Gaussian temperature and polarization simulations. We compare our results to theoretical expectations based on a Fisher matrix analysis, test the unbiasedness of the estimator, and study the dependence of the error bars on f_NL. All our results are in very good agreement with theoretical predictions, thus confirming the reliability of both the simulation algorithm and the fast cubic temperature and polarization estimator.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

The bispectrum of galaxies from high-redshift galaxy surveys: primordial non-Gaussianity and non-linear galaxy bias

The greatest challenge in the interpretation of galaxy clustering data from any surveys is galaxy bias. Using a simple Fisher matrix analysis, we show that the bispectrum provides an excellent determination of linear and non-linear bias parameters of intermediate and high-z galaxies, when all measurable triangle configurations down to mildly non-linear scales, where perturbation theory is still valid, are included. The bispectrum is also a powerful probe of primordial non-Gaussianity. The planned galaxy surveys at z>2 should yield constraints on non-Gaussian parameters, f_{NL}^{loc.} and f_{NL}^{eq.}, that are comparable to, or even better than, those from CMB experiments. We study how these constraints improve with volume, redshift range, as well as the number density of galaxies. Finally, we show that a halo occupation distribution may be used to improve these constraints further by lifting degeneracies between gravity, bias, and primordial non-Gaussianity.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

Dark matter annihilation or unresolved astrophysical sources? Anisotropy probe of the origin of cosmic gamma-ray background

The origin of the cosmic gamma-ray background (CGB) is a longstanding mystery in high-energy astrophysics. Possible candidates include ordinary astrophysical objects such as unresolved blazars, as well as more exotic processes such as dark matter annihilation. While it would be difficult to distinguish them from the mean intensity data alone, one can use anisotropy data instead. We investigate the CGB anisotropy both from unresolved blazars and dark matter annihilation (including contributions from dark matter substructures), and find that the angular power spectra from these sources are very different. We then focus on detectability of dark matter annihilation signals using the anisotropy data, by treating the unresolved blazar component as a known background. We find that the dark matter signature should be detectable in the angular power spectrum of the CGB from two-year all-sky observations with the Gamma Ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST), as long as the dark matter annihilation contributes to a reasonable fraction, e.g., >~ 0.3, of the CGB at around 10 GeV. We conclude that the anisotropy measurement of the CGB with GLAST should be a powerful tool for revealing the CGB origin, and potentially for the first detection of dark matter annihilation.

astro-ph↗