Measuring BAO and non-Gaussianity via QSO clustering
Our goals are (i) to search for BAO and large-scale structure in current QSO survey data and (ii) to use these and simulation/forecast results to assess the science case for a new, >10x larger, QSO survey. We first combine the SDSS, 2QZ and 2SLAQ surveys to form a survey of ~60000 QSOs. We find a hint of a peak in the QSO 2-point correlation function, xi(s), at the same scale (~105h^-1 Mpc) as detected by Eisenstein et al (2005) in their sample of DR5 LRGs but only at low statistical significance. We then compare these data with QSO mock catalogues from the Hubble Volume simulation used by Hoyle et al (2002) and find that both routes give statistical error estimates that are consistent at ~100h^-1 Mpc scales. Mock catalogues are then used to estimate the nominal survey size needed for a 3-4 sigma detection of the BAO peak. We find that a redshift survey of ~250000 z<2.2 QSOs is required over ~3000 deg^2. This is further confirmed by static log-normal simulations where the BAO are clearly detectable in the QSO power spectrum and correlation function. The nominal survey would on its own produce the first detection of, for example, discontinuous dark energy evolution in the so far uncharted 1<z<2.2 redshift range. A survey with ~50% higher QSO sky densities and 50% bigger area will give an ~6sigma BAO detection, leading to an error ~60% of the size of the BOSS error on the dark energy evolution parameter, w_a. Another important aim for a QSO survey is to place new limits on primordial non-Gaussianity at large scales, testing tentative evidence we have found for the evolution of the linear form of the combined QSO xi(s) at z~1.6. Such a QSO survey will also determine the gravitational growth rate at z~1.6 via z-space distortions, allow lensing tomography via QSO magnification bias while also measuring the exact luminosity dependence of small-scale QSO clustering.