arXiv subjects

J. L. Sanz

Publications and source records attributed to J. L. Sanz.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2012

Extragalactic point source detection in WMAP 7-year data at 61 and 94 GHz

The detection of point sources in Cosmic Microwave Background maps is usually based on a single-frequency approach, whereby maps at each frequency are filtered separately and the spectral information on the sources is derived combining the results at the different frequencies. On the contrary, in the case of multi-frequency detection methods, source detection and spectral information are tightly interconnected in order to increase the source detection efficiency. In this work we apply the \emph{matched multifilter} method to the detection of point sources in the WMAP 7yr data at 61 and 94 GHz. This linear filtering technique takes into account the spatial and the cross-power spectrum information at the same time using the spectral behaviour of the sources without making any a priori assumption about it. We follow a two-step approach. First, we do a blind detection of the sources over the whole sky. Second, we do a refined local analysis at their positions to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the detections. At 94 GHz we detect 129 5σ objects at |b|>5° (excluding the Large Magellanic Cloud region); 119 of them are reliable extragalactic sources and 104 of these 119 lie outside the WMAP Point Source Catalog mask. Nine of the total 129 detections are known Galactic sources or lie in regions of intense Galactic emission and one additional (weak) high-Galactic latitude source has no counterpart in low-frequency radio catalogues. Our results constitute a substantial improvement over the NEWPS-3year catalogue.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2011

Adaptive Langevin Sampler for Separation of t-Distribution Modelled Astrophysical Maps

We propose to model the image differentials of astrophysical source maps by Student's t-distribution and to use them in the Bayesian source separation method as priors. We introduce an efficient Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling scheme to unmix the astrophysical sources and describe the derivation details. In this scheme, we use the Langevin stochastic equation for transitions, which enables parallel drawing of random samples from the posterior, and reduces the computation time significantly (by two orders of magnitude). In addition, Student's t-distribution parameters are updated throughout the iterations. The results on astrophysical source separation are assessed with two performance criteria defined in the pixel and the frequency domains.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2011

A Bayesian technique for the detection of point sources in CMB maps

The detection and flux estimation of point sources in cosmic microwave background (CMB) maps is a very important task in order to clean the maps and also to obtain relevant astrophysical information. In this paper we propose a maximum a posteriori (MAP) approach detection method in a Bayesian scheme which incorporates prior information about the source flux distribution, the locations and the number of sources. We apply this method to CMB simulations with the characteristics of the Planck satellite channels at 30, 44, 70 and 100 GHz. With a similar level of spurious sources, our method yields more complete catalogues than the matched filter with a 5 sigma threshold. Besides, the new technique allows us to fix the number of detected sources in a non-arbitrary way.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2011

Joint Bayesian separation and restoration of CMB from convolutional mixtures

We propose a Bayesian approach to joint source separation and restoration for astrophysical diffuse sources. We constitute a prior statistical model for the source images by using their gradient maps. We assume a t-distribution for the gradient maps in different directions, because it is able to fit both smooth and sparse data. A Monte Carlo technique, called Langevin sampler, is used to estimate the source images and all the model parameters are estimated by using deterministic techniques.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2011

Filter Design for the Detection/Estimation of the Modulus of a Vector. Application to Polarization Data

We consider a set of M images, whose pixel intensities at a common point can be treated as the components of a M-dimensional vector. We are interested in the estimation of the modulus of such a vector associated to a compact source. For instance, the detection/estimation of the polarized signal of compact sources immersed in a noisy background is relevant in some fields like Astrophysics. We develop two different techniques, one based on the Maximum Likelihood Estimator (MLE) applied to the modulus distribution, the modulus filter (ModF) and other based on prefiltering the components before fusion, the filtered fusion (FF), to deal with this problem. We present both methods in the general case of M images and apply them to the particular case of three images (linear plus circular polarization). Numerical simulations have been performed to test these filters considering polarized compact sources immersed in stationary noise. The FF performs better than the ModF in terms of errors in the estimated amplitude and position of the source, especially in the low signal-to-noise case. We also compare both methods with the direct application of a matched filter (MF) on the polarization data. This last technique is clearly outperformed by the new methods.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2010

Constraints on f_nl and g_nl from the analysis of the N-pdf of the CMB large scale anisotropies

[Abridged] In this paper we explore a local non-linear perturbative model up to third order as a general characterization of the CMB anisotropies. We focus our analysis in large scale anisotropies. At these angular scales, the non-Gaussian description proposed in this work defaults (under certain conditions) to an approximated local form of the weak non-linear coupling inflationary model. In particular, quadratic and cubic terms are governed by the non-linear coupling parameters f_nl and g_nl, respectively. The extension proposed in this paper allows us to directly constrain these non-linear parameters. Applying the proposed methodology to WMAP 5-yr data, we obtain -5.6 x 10^5 < g_nl < 6.4 x 10^5, at 95% CL. This result is in agreement with previous findings obtained for equivalent non-Gaussian models and with different non-Gaussian estimators. A model selection test is performed, indicating that a Gaussian model is preferred to the non-Gaussian scenario. When comparing different non-Gaussian models, we observe that a pure f_nl model is the most favoured case, and that a pure g_nl model is more likely than a general non-Gaussian scenario. Finally, we have analyzed the WMAP data in two independent hemispheres, in particular the ones defined by the dipolar pattern found by Hoftuft et al. 2009. We show that, whereas g_nl is still compatible with zero for both hemispheres, it is not the case for f_nl (with a p-value 0.04). However, if anisotropy of the data is assumed, the distance between the likelihood distributions for each hemisphere is larger than expected from Gaussian and anisotropic simulations, also for g_nl (with a p-value of 0.001 in the case of this parameter). This result is an extra evidence for the CMB asymmetries previously reported in WMAP data.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2009

Polarization of the WMAP Point Sources

The detection of polarized sources in the WMAP 5-year data is a very difficult task. The maps are dominated by instrumental noise and only a handful of sources show up as clear peaks in the Q and U maps. Optimal linear filters applied at the position of known bright sources detect with a high level of significance a polarized flux P from many more sources, but estimates of P are liable to biases. Using a new technique, named the "filtered fusion technique", we have detected in polarization, with a significance level greater than 99.99% in at least one WMAP channel, 22 objects, 5 of which, however, do not have a plausible low radio frequency counterpart and are therefore doubtful. Estimated polarized fluxes P < 400 mJy at 23 GHz were found to be severely affected by the Eddington bias. The corresponding polarized flux limit for Planck/LFI at 30 GHz, obtained via realistic simulations, is 300 mJy. We have also obtained statistical estimates of, or upper limits to the mean polarization degrees of bright WMAP sources at 23, 33, 41, and 61 GHz, finding that they are of a few percent.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2009

A multifrequency method based on the Matched Multifilter for the detection of point sources in CMB maps

In this work we deal with the problem of simultaneous multifrequency detection of extragalactic point sources in maps of the Cosmic Microwave Background. We apply a linear filtering technique that uses spatial information and the cross-power spectrum. To make this, we simulate realistic and non-realistic flat patches of the sky at two frequencies of Planck: 44 and 100 GHz. We filter to detect and estimate the point sources and compare this technique with the monofrequency matched filter in terms of completeness, reliability, flux and spectral index accuracy. The multifrequency method outperforms the matched filter at the two frequencies and in all the studied cases in the work.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2009

Detection/estimation of the modulus of a vector. Application to point source detection in polarization data

Given a set of images, whose pixel values can be considered as the components of a vector, it is interesting to estimate the modulus of such a vector in some localised areas corresponding to a compact signal. For instance, the detection/estimation of a polarized signal in compact sources immersed in a background is relevant in some fields like astrophysics. We develop two different techniques, one based on the Neyman-Pearson lemma, the Neyman-Pearson filter (NPF), and another based on prefiltering-before-fusion, the filtered fusion (FF), to deal with the problem of detection of the source and estimation of the polarization given two or three images corresponding to the different components of polarization (two for linear polarization, three including circular polarization). For the case of linear polarization, we have performed numerical simulations on two-dimensional patches to test these filters following two different approaches (a blind and a non-blind detection), considering extragalactic point sources immersed in cosmic microwave background (CMB) and non-stationary noise with the conditions of the 70 GHz \emph{Planck} channel. The FF outperforms the NPF, especially for low fluxes. We can detect with the FF extragalactic sources in a high noise zone with fluxes >= (0.42,0.36) Jy for (blind/non-blind) detection and in a low noise zone with fluxes >= (0.22,0.18) Jy for (blind/non-blind) detection with low errors in the estimated flux and position.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2009

Analysis of non-Gaussian CMB maps based on the N-pdf. Application to WMAP data

We present a new method based on the N-point probability distribution (pdf) to study non-Gaussianity in cosmic microwave background (CMB) maps. Likelihood and Bayesian estimation are applied to a local non-linear perturbed model up to third order, characterized by a linear term which is described by a Gaussian N-pdf, and a second and third order terms which are proportional to the square and the cube of the linear one. We also explore a set of model selection techniques (the Akaike and the Bayesian Information Criteria, the minimum description length, the Bayesian Evidence and the Generalized Likelihood Ratio Test) and their application to decide whether a given data set is better described by the proposed local non-Gaussian model, rather than by the standard Gaussian temperature distribution. As an application, we consider the analysis of the WMAP 5-year data at a resolution of around 2 degrees. At this angular scale (the Sachs-Wolfe regime), the non-Gaussian description proposed in this work defaults (under certain conditions) to an approximative local form of the weak non-linear coupling inflationary model (e.g. Komatsu & Spergel 2001) previously addressed in the literature. For this particular case, we obtain an estimation for the non-linear coupling parameter of -94 < F_nl < 154 at 95% CL. Equally, model selection criteria also indicate that the Gaussian hypothesis is favored against the particular local non-Gaussian model proposed in this work. This result is in agreement with previous findings obtained for equivalent non-Gaussian models and with different non-Gaussian estimators. However, our estimator based on the N-pdf is more efficient than previous estimators and, therefore, provides tighter constraints on the coupling parameter at degree angular resolution.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

Component separation methods for the Planck mission

The Planck satellite will map the full sky at nine frequencies from 30 to 857 GHz. The CMB intensity and polarization that are its prime targets are contaminated by foreground emission. The goal of this paper is to compare proposed methods for separating CMB from foregrounds based on their different spectral and spatial characteristics, and to separate the foregrounds into components of different physical origin. A component separation challenge has been organized, based on a set of realistically complex simulations of sky emission. Several methods including those based on internal template subtraction, maximum entropy method, parametric method, spatial and harmonic cross correlation methods, and independent component analysis have been tested. Different methods proved to be effective in cleaning the CMB maps from foreground contamination, in reconstructing maps of diffuse Galactic emissions, and in detecting point sources and thermal Sunyaev-Zeldovich signals. The power spectrum of the residuals is, on the largest scales, four orders of magnitude lower than that of the input Galaxy power spectrum at the foreground minimum. The CMB power spectrum was accurately recovered up to the sixth acoustic peak. The point source detection limit reaches 100 mJy, and about 2300 clusters are detected via the thermal SZ effect on two thirds of the sky. We have found that no single method performs best for all scientific objectives. We foresee that the final component separation pipeline for Planck will involve a combination of methods and iterations between processing steps targeted at different objectives such as diffuse component separation, spectral estimation and compact source extraction.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

Blind and non-blind source detection in WMAP 5-year maps

We have analyzed the efficiency in source detection and flux density estimation of blind and non-blind detection techniques exploiting the MHW2 filter applied to the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) 5-year maps. A comparison with the AT20G Bright Source Sample (Massardi et al. 2008), with a completeness limit of 0.5 Jy and accurate flux measurements at 20 GHz, close to the lowest frequency of WMAP maps, has allowed us to assess the completeness and the reliability of the samples detected with the two approaches, as well as the accuracy of flux and error estimates, and their variations across the sky. The uncertainties on flux estimates given by our procedure turned out to be about a factor of 2 lower than the rms differences with AT20G measurements, consistent with the smoothing of the fluctuation field yielded by map filtering. Flux estimates were found to be essentially unbiased except that, close to the detection limit, a substantial fraction of fluxes are found to be inflated by the contribution of underlying positive fluctuations. This is consistent with expectations for the Eddington bias associated to the true errors on flux density estimates. The blind and non-blind approaches are found to be complementary: each of them allows the detection of sources missed by the other. Combining results of the two methods on the WMAP 5-year maps we have expanded the non-blindly generated New Extragalactic WMAP Point Source (NEWPS) catalogue (Lopez-Caniego et al. 2007) that was based on WMAP 3-year maps. After having removed the probably spurious objects not identified with known radio sources, the new version of the NEWPS catalogue, NEWPS_5yr comprises 484 sources detected with a signal-to-noise ratio SNR>5.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

A novel multi-frequency technique for the detection of point sources in Cosmic Microwave Background maps

In this work we address the problem of simultaneous multi-frequency detection of extragalactic point sources in maps of the Cosmic Microwave Background. We apply a new linear filtering technique, the so called `matched matrix filters', that incorporates full spatial information, including the cross-correlation among channels, without making any a priori assumption about the spectral behaviour of the sources. A substantial reduction of the background is achieved thanks to the optimal combination of filtered maps. We describe in detail the new technique and we apply it to the detection/estimation of radio sources in realistic all-sky Planck simulations at 30, 44, 70 and 100 GHz. Then we compare the results with the mono-frequential approach based on the standard matched filter, in terms of reliability, completeness and flux accuracy of the resulting point source catalogs. The new filters outperform the standard matched filters for all these indexes at 30, 44 and 70 GHz, whereas at 100 GHz both kind of filters have a similar performance. We find a noticeable increment of the number of true detections for a fixed reliability level. In particular, for a 95% reliability we practically double the number of detections at 30, 44 and 70 GHz.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

Matrix Filters for the Detection of Extragalactic Point Sources in Cosmic Microwave Background Images

In this paper we introduce a new linear filtering technique, the so-called matrix filters, that maximizes the signal-to-interference ratio of compact sources of unknown intensity embedded in a set of images by taking into account the cross-correlations between the different channels. By construction, the new filtering technique outperforms (or at least equals) the standard matched filter applied on individual images. An immediate application is the detection of extragalactic point sources in Cosmic Microwave Background images obtained at different wavelengths. We test the new technique in two simulated cases: a simple two-channel case with ideal correlated color noise and more realistic simulations of the sky as it will be observed by the LFI instrument of the upcoming ESA's Planck mission. In both cases we observe an improvement with respect to the standard matched filter in terms of signal-to-noise interference, number of detections and number of false alarms.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

Statistical properties of extragalactic sources in the New Extragalactic WMAP Point Source (NEWPS) catalogue

We present results on spectral index distributions, number counts, redshift distribution and other general statistical properties of extragalactic point sources in the NEWPS5 sample López-Caniego et al. (2007). The flux calibrations at all the WMAP channels have been reassessed both by comparison with ground based observations and through estimates of the effective beam areas. The two methods yield consistent statistical correction factors. A search of the NED has yielded optical identifications for 89% of sources in the complete sub-sample of 252 sources with S/N>5 and S>1.1 Jy at 23 GHz; 5 sources turned out to be Galactic and were removed. The NED also yielded redshifts for 92% of the extragalactic sources at |b|>10deg. Their distribution was compared with model predictions; the agreement is generally good but a possible discrepancy is noted. Using the 5 GHz fluxes from the GB6 or PMN surveys, we find that 76% of the 191 extragalactic sources with S_23GHz>1.3,Jy can be classified as flat-spectrum sources between 5 and 23 GHz. A spectral steepening is observed at higher frequencies: only 59% of our sources are still flat-spectrum sources between 23 and 61 GHz and the average spectral indexes steepen from = 0.01\pm 0.03 to = 0.37\pm 0.03. We think, however, that the difference may be due to a selection effect. The source number counts have a close to Euclidean slope and are in good agreement with the predictions of the cosmological evolution model by De Zotti et al. (2005). The observed spectral index distributions were exploited to get model-independent extrapolations of counts to higher frequencies. The risks of such operations are discussed and reasons of discrepancies with other recent estimates are clarified.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

Cosmological applications of a wavelet analysis on the sphere

The cosmic microwave background (CMB) is a relic radiation of the Big Bang and as such it contains a wealth of cosmological information. Statistical analyses of the CMB, in conjunction with other cosmological observables, represent some of the most powerful techniques available to cosmologists for placing strong constraints on the cosmological parameters that describe the origin, content and evolution of the Universe. The last decade has witnessed the introduction of wavelet analyses in cosmology and, in particular, their application to the CMB. We review here spherical wavelet analyses of the CMB that test the standard cosmological concordance model. The assumption that the temperature anisotropies of the CMB are a realisation of a statistically isotropic Gaussian random field on the sphere is questioned. Deviations from both statistical isotropy and Gaussianity are detected in the reviewed works, suggesting more exotic cosmological models may be required to explain our Universe. We also review spherical wavelet analyses that independently provide evidence for dark energy, an exotic component of our Universe of which we know very little currently. The effectiveness of accounting correctly for the geometry of the sphere in the wavelet analysis of full-sky CMB data is demonstrated by the highly significant detections of physical processes and effects that are made in these reviewed works.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

Non-blind catalogue of extragalactic point sources from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) first 3--year survey data

We have used the MHW2 filter to obtain estimates of the flux densities at the WMAP frequencies of a complete sample of 2491 sources, mostly brighter than 500 mJy at 5 GHz, distributed over the whole sky excluding a strip around the Galactic equator (b < 5 degrees). After having detected 933 sources above the 3 sigma level in the MHW2 filtered maps - our New Extragalactic WMAP Point Source (NEWPS_3sigma) Catalogue - we are left with 381 sources above 5 sigma in at least one WMAP channel, 369 of which constitute our NEWPS_5sigma catalogue. It is remarkable to note that 98 (i.e. 26%) sources detected above 5 sigma are `new', they are not present in the WMAP catalogue. Source fluxes have been corrected for the Eddington bias. Our flux density estimates before such correction are generally in good agreement with the WMAP ones at 23 GHz. At higher frequencies WMAP fluxes tend to be slightly higher than ours, probably because WMAP estimates neglect the deviations of the point spread function from a Gaussian shape. On the whole, above the estimated completeness limit of 1.1 Jy at 23 GHz we detected 43 sources missed by the blind method adopted by the WMAP team. On the other hand, our low-frequency selection threshold left out 25 WMAP sources, only 12 of which, however, are 5 sigma detections and only 3 have fluxes S at 23 GHz > 1.1 Jy. Thus, our approach proved to be competitive with, and complementary to the WMAP one.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

Wavelets on the sphere. Application to the detection problem

A new method is presented for the construction of a natural continuous wavelet transform on the sphere. It incorporates the analysis and synthesis with the same wavelet and the definition of translations and dilations on the sphere through the spherical harmonic coefficients. We construct a couple of wavelets as an extension of the flat Mexican Hat Wavelet to the sphere and we apply them to the detection of sources on the sphere. We remark that no projections are used with this methodology.

astro-ph↗