arXiv subjects

J. L. Sanz

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

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2002

The performance of spherical wavelets to detect non-Gaussianity in the CMB sky

We investigate the performance of spherical wavelets in discriminating between standard inflationary models (Gaussian) and non-Gaussian models. For the later we consider small perturbations of the Gaussian model in which an artificially specified skewness or kurtosis is introduced through the Edgeworth expansion. By combining all the information present in all the wavelet scales with the Fisher discriminant, we find that the spherical Mexican Hat wavelets are clearly superior to the spherical Haar wavelets. The former can detect levels of the skewness and kurtosis of ~1% for 33' resolution, an order of magnitude smaller than the later. Also, as expected, both wavelets are better for discriminating between the models than the direct consideration of moments of the temperature maps. The introduction of instrumental white noise in the maps, S/N=1, does not change the main results of this paper.

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arXiv2002

Cosmology with GTC. A combined mm-optical galaxy cluster survey

The CMB Planck satellite (ESA) will provide a catalogue of nearly 30000 galaxy clusters (Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect) between redshift 0 and approx. 2-3 (depending on the cosmological model). This hughe catalogue of clusters will allow detailed studies of the evolution of the cluster population with redshift which will constrain the cosmological model. The identification of the high redshift clusters should be done with a large telescope (like GTC) since Planck data alone will not provide any clue about the redshift of the clusters. In this work we show that an optical follow up of only 300 clusters (randomly selected from the Planck catalogue) is needed in order to distinguish models with or without a cosmological constant.

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arXiv2002

Filtering techniques for the detection of Sunyaev-Zel'dovich clusters in multifrequency CMB maps

The problem of detecting Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) clusters in multifrequency CMB observations is investigated using a number of filtering techniques. A multifilter approach is introduced, which optimizes the detection of SZ clusters on microwave maps. An alternative method is also investigated, in which maps at different frequencies are combined in an optimal manner so that existing filtering techniques can be applied to the single combined map. The SZ profiles are approximated by the circularly-symmetric template $τ(x) = [1 +(x/r_c)^2]^{-λ}$, with $λ\simeq \tfrac{1}{2}$ and $x\equiv |\vec{x}|$, where the core radius $r_c$ and the overall amplitude of the effect are not fixed a priori, but are determined from the data. The background emission is modelled by a homogeneous and isotropic random field, characterized by a cross-power spectrum $P_{ν_1 ν_2}(q)$ with $q\equiv |\vec{q}|$. The filtering methods are illustrated by application to simulated Planck observations of a $12.8^\circ \times 12.8^\circ$ patch of sky in 10 frequency channels. Our simulations suggest that the Planck instrument should detect $\approx 10000$ SZ clusters in 2/3 of the sky. Moreover, we find the catalogue to be complete for fluxes $S > 170$ mJy at 300 GHz.

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arXiv2002

Scale-Adaptive filters for the detection/separation of compact sources

This paper presents scale-adaptive filters that optimize the detection/separation of compact sources on a background. We assume that the sources have a multiquadric profile, i. e. $τ(x) = {[1 + {(x/r_c)}^2]}^{-λ}, λ\geq {1/2}, x\equiv |\vec{x}|$, and a background modeled by a homogeneous and isotropic random field, characterized by a power spectrum $P(q)\propto q^{-γ}, γ\geq 0, q\equiv |\vec{q}|$. We make an n-dimensional treatment but consider two interesting astrophysical applications related to clusters of galaxies (Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect and X-ray emission).

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arXiv2002

Point source detection and extraction from simulated Planck TOD using optimal adaptive filters

Wavelet-related techniques have proven useful in the processing and analysis of one and two dimensional data sets (spectra in the former case, images in the latter). In this work we apply adaptive filters, introduced in a previous work (Sanz et al. 2001), to optimize the detection and extraction of point sources from a one-dimensional array of time-ordered data such as the one that will be produced by the future 30 GHz LFI28 channel of the ESA Planck mission. At a $4σ$ detection level 224 sources over a flux of 0.88 Jy are detected with a mean relative error (in absolute value) of 21% and a systematic bias of -7.7%. The position of the sources in the sky is determined with errors inferior to the size of the pixel. The catalogue of detected sources is complete at fluxes $\geq$ 4.3 Jy. The number of spurious detections is less than a 10% of the true detections. We compared the results with the ones obtained by filtering with a Gaussian filter and a Mexican Hat Wavelet of width equal to the scale of the sources. The adaptive filter outperforms the other filters in all considered cases. We conclude that optimal adaptive filters are well suited to detect and extract sources with a given profile embedded in a background of known statistical properties. In the Planck case, they could be useful to obtain a real-time preliminary catalogue of extragalactic sources, which would have a great scientific interest, e. g. for follow-up observations.

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arXiv2001

Optimal detection of sources on a homogeneous and isotropic background

This paper introduces the use of pseudo-filters that optimize the detection/extraction of sources on a background. We assume as a first approach that such sources are described by a spherical (central) profile and that the background is represented by a homogeneous and isotropic random field. We make an n-dimensional treatment making emphasis in astrophysical applications for spectra, images and volumes, for the cases of exponential and Gaussian source profiles and scale-free power spectra to represent the background.

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arXiv2001

Combining maximum-entropy and the mexican hat wavelet to reconstruct the microwave sky

We present a maximum-entropy method (MEM) and `Mexican Hat' wavelet (MHW) joint analysis to recover the different components of the microwave sky from simulated observations by the ESA Planck satellite in a small patch of the sky. This combined method allows one to improve the CMB, Sunyaev-Zel'dovich and Galactic foregrounds separation achieved by the MEM technique alone. In particular, the reconstructed CMB map is free from any bright point source contamination. The joint analysis also produces point source catalogues at each Planck frequency which are more complete and accurate than those obtained by each method on its own. The results are especially improved at high frequencies where infrared galaxies dominate the point source contribution. Although this joint technique has been performed on simulated Planck data, it could be easily applied to other multifrequency CMB experiments, such as the forthcoming NASA MAP satellite or the recently performed Boomerang and MAXIMA experiments.

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arXiv2001

Spherical Mexican Hat wavelet: an application to detect non-Gaussianity in the COBE-DMR maps

The spherical Mexican Hat wavelet is introduced in this paper, with the aim of testing the Gaussianity of the Cosmic Microwave Background temperature fluctuations. Using the information given by the wavelet coefficients at several scales, we have performed several statistical tests on the COBE-DMR maps to search for evidence of non-Gaussianity. Skewness, kurtosis, scale-scale correlations (for two and three scales) and Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests indicate that the COBE-DMR data are consistent with a Gaussian distribution. We have extended the analysis to compare temperature values provided by COBE-DMR data with distributions (obtained from Gaussian simulations) at each pixel and at each scale. The number of pixels with temperature values outside the 95% and the 99% is consistent with that obtained from Gaussian simulations, at all scales. Moreover, the extrema values for COBE-DMR data (maximum and minimum temperatures in the map) are also consistent with those obtained from Gaussian simulations.

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arXiv2001

A joint fit to the cosmological Model and the T-M and L_x-T relations using cluster data

In this work we show how well can the cosmological parameters be constrained using galaxy cluster data. We also show how in the process of fitting the model which attempts to describe the data it is possible to get some information about the cluster scaling relations T-M and L_x-T. Among other conclusions we found that only low density universes (Omega approx. 0.3 with or without cosmological constant) are compatible with recent data sets. These constraints will be improved with future SZ data.

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arXiv2001

Constraining our Universe with X-ray & Optical Cluster Data

We have used recent X-ray and optical data in order to impose some constraints on the cosmology and cluster scaling relations. Generically two kind of hypotheses define our model. First we consider that the cluster population is well described by the standard Press-Schechter (PS) formalism, and second, these clusters are supposed to follow scaling relations with mass: Temperature-Mass (T-M) and X-ray Luminosity-Mass (L_x - M). As a difference with many other authors we do not assume specific scaling relations to model cluster properties such as the usual $T-M$ virial relation or one observational determination of the $L_x-T$ relation. Instead we consider general free parameter scaling relations. With the previous model (PS plus scalings) we fit our free parameters to several X-ray and optical data with the advantage over many other works that we consider all the data sets at the same time. This prevents us from being inconsistent with some of the available observations. Among other interesting conclusions, we find that only low-density universes are compatible with all the data considered and that the degeneracy between $Ω_m$ and $σ_8$ is broken. Also we obtain interesting limits on the parameters characterizing the scaling relations.

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arXiv2001

Predicted Planck Extragalactic Point Source Catalogue

An estimation of the number and amplitude (in flux) of the extragalactic point sources that will be observed by the Planck Mission is presented in this paper. The study is based on the Mexican Hat wavelet formalism introduced by Cayon et al. 2000. Simulations at Planck observing frequencies are analysed, taking into account all the possible cosmological, Galactic and Extragalactic emissions together with noise. With the technique used in this work the Planck Mission will produce a catalogue of extragalactic point sources above fluxes: 1.03 Jy (857 GHz), 0.53 Jy (545 GHz), 0.28 Jy (353 GHz), 0.24 Jy (217 GHz), 0.32 Jy (143 GHz), 0.41 Jy (100 GHz HFI), 0.34 Jy (100 GHz LFI), 0.57 Jy (70 GHz), 0.54 Jy (44 GHz) and 0.54 Jy (30 GHz), which are only slightly model dependent (see text). Amplitudes of these sources are estimated with errors below 15%. Moreover, we also provide a complete catalogue (for the point sources simulation analysed) with errors in the estimation of the amplitude below 10%. In addition we discuss the possibility of identifying different point source populations in the Planck catalogue by estimating their spectral indices.

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arXiv2001

The SZ effect as a cosmological discriminator

We show how future measurements of the SZ effect (SZE) can be used to constrain the cosmological parameters. We combine the SZ information expected from the Planck full-sky survey, N(S), where no redshift information is included, with the N(z) obtained from an optically-identified SZ-selected survey covering less than 1% of the sky. We demonstrate how with a small subsample (approx. 300 clusters) of the whole SZ catalogue observed optically it is possible to drastically reduce the degeneracy among the cosmological parameters. We have studied the requirements for performing the optical follow-up and we show the feasibility of such a project. Finally we have compared the cluster expectations for Planck with those expected for Newton-XMM during their lifetimes. It is shown that, due to its larger sky coverage, Planck will detect a factor approx. 5 times more clusters than Newton-XMM and also with a larger redshift coverage.

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arXiv2000

Combined MEM and MHW analysis of CMB observations

We present a combined maximum-entropy method (MEM) and Mexican Hat wavelet (MHW) analysis in order to recover the different components of the microwave sky. We apply this technique to simulated observations by the ESA Planck satellite in small patches of the sky. In particular, the introduction of the MHW allows one to detect and subtract the brightest point sources present in the input data and therefore to improve the reconstructions of the CMB and foreground components achieved by MEM on its own. In addition, a point source catalogue at each Planck frequency is produced, which is more complete and accurate than those obtained by each technique independently.

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arXiv2000

Tests of Gaussianity of CMB maps

We study two different methods to test Gaussianity in CMB maps. One of them is based on the partition function and the other on the morphology of hot and cold spots. The partition function contains information on all the moments and scales, being a useful quantity to compress the large data sets expected from future space missions like Planck. In particular, it contains much richer information than the one available through the radiation power spectrum. The second method utilizes morphological properties of hot and cold spots such as the eccentricity and number of spots in CMB maps. We study the performance of both methods in detecting non-Gaussian features in small scale CMB simulated maps as those which will be provided by the Planck mission.

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arXiv2000

Strong constraints on cosmology from galaxy clusters

In this work we show how galaxy clusters can be used to discriminate among different cosmological models. We have used available X-ray & optical cluster data to constrain the cosmological parameters as well as the cluster scaling relations, T-M and L-T. We also show the power of future SZE data to constrain even more these parameters.

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arXiv2000

Geometrical estimators as a test of Gaussianity in the CMB

We investigate the power of geometrical estimators on detecting non-Gaussianity in the cosmic microwave background. In particular the number, eccentricity and Gaussian curvature of excursion sets above (and below) a threshold are studied. We compare their different performance when applied to non-Gaussian simulated maps of small patches of the sky, which take into account the angular resolution and instrumental noise of the Planck satellite. These non-Gaussian simulations are obtained as perturbations of a Gaussian field in two different ways which introduce a small level of skewness or kurtosis in the distribution. A comparison with a classical estimator, the genus, is also shown. We find that the Gaussian curvature is the best of our estimators in all the considered cases. Therefore we propose the use of this quantity as a particularly useful test to look for non-Gaussianity in the CMB.

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arXiv2000

Quasar-galaxy associations revisited

Gravitational lensing predicts an enhancement of the density of bright, distant QSOs around foreground galaxies. We measure this QSO-galaxy correlation w_qg for two complete samples of radio-loud quasars, the southern 1Jy and Half-Jansky samples. The existence of a positive correlation between z~1 quasars and z~0.15 galaxies is confirmed at a p=99.0% significance level (>99.9%) if previous measurements on the northern hemisphere are included). A comparison with the results obtained for incomplete quasar catalogs (e.g. the Veron-Cetty and Veron compilation) suggests the existence of an `identification bias', which spuriously increases the estimated amplitude of the quasar-galaxy correlation for incomplete samples. This effect may explain many of the surprisingly strong quasar-galaxy associations found in the literature. Nevertheless, the value of w_qg that we measure in our complete catalogs is still considerably higher than the predictions from weak lensing. We consider two effects which could help to explain this discrepancy: galactic dust extinction and strong lensing.

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arXiv2000

Constraints on Cluster Properties Using X-ray and Optical Data

In this work we show that combining different cluster data sets is a powerful tool to constrain both, the cosmology and cluster properties. We assume a model with 9 parameters and fit them to 5 cluster data sets. From that fit, we conclude that only low density universes are compatible with the previous data and we also get some interesting conclusions on the rest of parameters.

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