arXiv subjects

Matteo Viel

Publications and source records attributed to Matteo Viel.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

arXiv2017

The effect of stellar and AGN feedback on the low redshift Lyman-$α$ forest in the Sherwood simulation suite

We study the effect of different feedback prescriptions on the properties of the low redshift ($z\leq1.6$) Ly$α$ forest using a selection of hydrodynamical simulations drawn from the Sherwood simulation suite. The simulations incorporate stellar feedback, AGN feedback and a simplified scheme for efficiently modelling the low column density Ly$α$ forest. We confirm a discrepancy remains between Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) observations of the Ly$α$ forest column density distribution function (CDDF) at $z \simeq 0.1$ for high column density systems ($N_{\rm HI}>10^{14}\rm\,cm^{-2}$), as well as Ly$α$ velocity widths that are too narrow compared to the COS data. Stellar or AGN feedback -- as currently implemented in our simulations -- have only a small effect on the CDDF and velocity width distribution. We conclude that resolving the discrepancy between the COS data and simulations requires an increase in the temperature of overdense gas with $Δ=4$--$40$, either through additional He$\,\rm \scriptstyle II\ $ photo-heating at $z>2$ or fine-tuned feedback that ejects overdense gas into the IGM at just the right temperature for it to still contribute significantly to the Ly$α$ forest. Alternatively a larger, currently unresolved turbulent component to the line width could resolve the discrepancy.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2017

The cross-correlation between 21cm intensity mapping maps and the Lyman-alpha forest in the post-reionization era

We investigate the cross-correlation signal between 21cm intensity mapping maps and the Lyman-alpha forest in the fully non-linear regime using state-of-the-art hydrodynamic simulations. The cross-correlation signal between these fields can provide a coherent and comprehensive picture of the neutral hydrogen (HI) content of our Universe in the post-reionization era, probing both its mass content and volume distribution. We compute the auto-power spectra of both fields together with their cross-power spectrum at z = 2.4 and find that on large scales the fields are completely anti-correlated. This anti-correlation arises because regions with high (low) 21cm emission, such as those with a large (low) concentration of damped Lyman-alpha systems, will show up as regions with low (high) transmitted flux. We find that on scales smaller than k = 0.2 h/Mpc the cross-correlation coefficient departs from -1, at a scale where non-linearities show up. We use the anisotropy of the power spectra in redshift-space to determine the values of the bias and of the redshift-space distortion parameters of both fields; we find that the errors on the value of these parameters could decrease by 30% when adding data from the cross-power spectrum in a conservative analysis. Our results point out that linear theory is capable of reproducing the shape and amplitude of the cross-power up to rather non-linear scales. Finally, we find that the 21cm-Lya cross-power spectrum can be detected by combining data from a BOSS-like survey together with 21cm intensity mapping observations by SKA1-MID with a S/N ratio higher than 3 in the range 0.06< k <1 h/Mpc. We emphasize that while the shape and amplitude of the 21cm auto-power spectrum can be severely affected by residual foreground contamination, cross-power spectra will be less sensitive to that and therefore can be used to identify systematics in the 21cm maps.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2017

The Alcock Paczynski test with Baryon Acoustic Oscillations: systematic effects for future surveys

We investigate the Alcock Paczynski (AP) test applied to the Baryon Acoustic Oscillation (BAO) feature in the galaxy correlation function. By using a general formalism that includes relativistic effects, we quantify the importance of the linear redshift space distortions and gravitational lensing corrections to the galaxy number density fluctuation. We show that redshift space distortions significantly affect the shape of the correlation function, both in radial and transverse directions, causing different values of galaxy bias to induce offsets up to 1% in the AP test. On the other hand, we find that the lensing correction around the BAO scale modifies the amplitude but not the shape of the correlation function and therefore does not introduce any systematic effect. Furthermore, we investigate in details how the AP test is sensitive to redshift binning: a window function in transverse direction suppresses correlations and shifts the peak position toward smaller angular scales. We determine the correction that should be applied in order to account for this effect, when performing the test with data from three future planned galaxy redshift surveys: Euclid, the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) and the Square Kilometer Array (SKA).

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2017

The Lyman-alpha forest power spectrum from the XQ-100 Legacy Survey

We present the Lyman-$α$ flux power spectrum measurements of the XQ-100 sample of quasar spectra obtained in the context of the European Southern Observatory Large Programme "Quasars and their absorption lines: a legacy survey of the high redshift universe with VLT/XSHOOTER". Using $100$ quasar spectra with medium resolution and signal-to-noise ratio we measure the power spectrum over a range of redshifts $z = 3 - 4.2$ and over a range of scales $k = 0.003 - 0.06\,\mathrm{s\,km^{-1}}$. The results agree well with the measurements of the one-dimensional power spectrum found in the literature. The data analysis used in this paper is based on the Fourier transform and has been tested on synthetic data. Systematic and statistical uncertainties of our measurements are estimated, with a total error (statistical and systematic) comparable to the one of the BOSS data in the overlapping range of scales, and smaller by more than $50\%$ for higher redshift bins ($z>3.6$) and small scales ($k > 0.01\,\mathrm{s\,km^{-1}}$). The XQ-100 data set has the unique feature of having signal-to-noise ratios and resolution intermediate between the two data sets that are typically used to perform cosmological studies, i.e. BOSS and high-resolution spectra (e.g. UVES/VLT or HIRES). More importantly, the measured flux power spectra span the high redshift regime which is usually more constraining for structure formation models.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2016

Cross-correlating the gamma-ray sky with catalogs of galaxy clusters

We report the detection of a cross-correlation signal between {\it Fermi} Large Area Telescope diffuse gamma-ray maps and catalogs of clusters. In our analysis, we considered three different catalogs: WHL12, redMaPPer and PlanckSZ. They all show a positive correlation with different amplitudes, related to the average mass of the objects in each catalog, which also sets the catalog bias. The signal detection is confirmed by the results of a stacking analysis. The cross-correlation signal extends to rather large angular scales, around 1 degree, that correspond, at the typical redshift of the clusters in these catalogs, to a few to tens of Mpc, i.e. the typical scale-length of the large scale structures in the Universe. Most likely this signal is contributed by the cumulative emission from AGNs associated to the filamentary structures that converge toward the high peaks of the matter density field in which galaxy clusters reside. In addition, our analysis reveals the presence of a second component, more compact in size and compatible with a point-like emission from within individual clusters. At present, we cannot distinguish between the two most likely interpretations for such a signal, i.e. whether it is produced by AGNs inside clusters or if it is a diffuse gamma-ray emission from the intra-cluster medium. We argue that this latter, intriguing, hypothesis might be tested by applying this technique to a low redshift large mass cluster sample.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2016

Lensing is Low: Cosmology, Galaxy Formation, or New Physics?

We present high signal-to-noise galaxy-galaxy lensing measurements of the BOSS CMASS sample using 250 square degrees of weak lensing data from CFHTLenS and CS82. We compare this signal with predictions from mock catalogs trained to match observables including the stellar mass function and the projected and two dimensional clustering of CMASS. We show that the clustering of CMASS, together with standard models of the galaxy-halo connection, robustly predicts a lensing signal that is 20-40% larger than observed. Detailed tests show that our results are robust to a variety of systematic effects. Lowering the value of $S_{\rm 8}=σ_{\rm 8} \sqrt{Ω_{\rm m}/0.3}$ compared to Planck2015 reconciles the lensing with clustering. However, given the scale of our measurement ($r<10$ $h^{-1}$ Mpc), other effects may also be at play and need to be taken into consideration. We explore the impact of baryon physics, assembly bias, massive neutrinos, and modifications to general relativity on $ΔΣ$ and show that several of these effects may be non-negligible given the precision of our measurement. Disentangling cosmological effects from the details of the galaxy-halo connection, the effects of baryons, and massive neutrinos, is the next challenge facing joint lensing and clustering analyses. This is especially true in the context of large galaxy samples from Baryon Acoustic Oscillation surveys with precise measurements but complex selection functions.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2016

Dark matter searches in the gamma-ray extragalactic background via cross-correlations with galaxy catalogues

We compare the measured angular cross-correlation between the Fermi-LAT gamma-ray sky and catalogues of extra-galactic objects with the expected signal induced by weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark matter (DM). We include a detailed description of the contribution of astrophysical gamma-ray emitters such as blazars, misaligned AGN and star forming galaxies, and perform a global fit to the measured cross-correlation. Five catalogues are considered: SDSS-DR6 quasars, 2MASS galaxies, NVSS radio galaxies, SDSS-DR8 Luminous Red Galaxies and SDSS-DR8 main galaxy sample. To model the cross-correlation signal we use the halo occupation distribution formalism to estimate the number of galaxies of a given catalogue in DM halos and their spatial correlation properties. We discuss uncertainties in the predicted cross-correlation signal arising from the DM clustering and WIMP microscopic properties, which set the DM gamma-ray emission. The use of different catalogues probing objects at different redshifts reduces significantly, though not completely, the degeneracy among the different gamma-ray components. We find that the presence of a significant WIMP DM signal is allowed by the data but not significantly preferred by the fit, although this is mainly due to a degeneracy with the misaligned AGN component. With modest substructure boost, the sensitivity of this method excludes thermal annihilation cross sections at 95% C.L. for WIMP masses up to few tens of GeV. Constraining the low-redshift properties of astrophysical populations with future data will further improve the sensitivity to DM.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2016

The Sherwood simulation suite: overview and data comparisons with the Lyman-alpha forest at redshifts 2 < z < 5

We introduce a new set of large scale, high resolution hydrodynamical simulations of the intergalactic medium: the Sherwood simulation suite. These are performed in volumes 10^3-160^3 h^-3 comoving Mpc^{3}, span almost four orders of magnitude in mass resolution with up to 17.2 billion particles, and employ a variety of physics variations including warm dark matter and galactic outflows. We undertake a detailed comparison of the simulations to high resolution, high signal-to-noise observations of the Lyman-alpha forest over the redshift range 2 < z < 5. The simulations are in very good agreement with the observational data, lending further support to the paradigm that the Lyman-alpha forest is a natural consequence of the web-like distribution of matter arising in LCDM cosmological models. Only a small number of minor discrepancies remain with respect to the observational data. Saturated Lyman-alpha absorption lines with column densities N_HI > 10^14.5 cm^-2 at 2 < z < 2.5 are underpredicted in the models. An uncertain correction for continuum placement bias is required to match the distribution and power spectrum of the transmitted flux, particularly at z > 4. Finally, the temperature of intergalactic gas in the simulations may be slightly too low at z=2.7 and a flatter temperature-density relation is required at z=2.4, consistent with the expected effects of non-equilibrium ionisation during He-II reionisation.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2016

Baryonic acoustic oscillations from 21cm intensity mapping: the Square Kilometre Array case

We quantitatively investigate the possibility of detecting baryonic acoustic oscillations (BAO) using single-dish 21cm intensity mapping observations in the post-reionization era. We show that the telescope beam smears out the isotropic BAO signature and, in the case of the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) instrument, makes it undetectable at redshifts $z\gtrsim1$. We however demonstrate that the BAO peak can still be detected in the radial 21cm power spectrum and describe a method to make this type of measurements. By means of numerical simulations, containing the 21cm cosmological signal as well as the most relevant Galactic and extra-Galactic foregrounds and basic instrumental effect, we quantify the precision with which the radial BAO scale can be measured in the 21cm power spectrum. We systematically investigate the signal-to-noise and the precision of the recovered BAO signal as a function of cosmic variance, instrumental noise, angular resolution and foreground contamination. We find that the expected noise levels of SKA would degrade the final BAO errors by $\sim5\%$ with respect to the cosmic-variance limited case at low redshifts, but that the effect grows up to $\sim65\%$ at $z\sim2-3$. Furthermore, we find that the radial BAO signature is robust against foreground systematics, and that the main effect is an increase of $\sim20\%$ in the final uncertainty on the standard ruler caused by the contribution of foreground residuals as well as the reduction in sky area needed to avoid high-foreground regions. We also find that it should be possible to detect the radial BAO signature with high significance in the full redshift range. We conclude that a 21cm experiment carried out by the SKA should be able to make direct measurements of the expansion rate $H(z)$ with competitive per-cent level precision on redshifts $z\lesssim2.5$.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2016

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Quasar Catalog: twelfth data release

We present the Data Release 12 Quasar catalog (DR12Q) from the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) of the SDSS-III. This catalog includes all SDSS-III/BOSS objects that were spectroscopically targeted as quasar candidates during the full survey and that are confirmed as quasars via visual inspection of the spectra, have luminosities Mi[z=2]<-20.5 (in a LCDM cosmology with H_0 = 70 km/s/Mpc, Omega_M = 0.3, and Omega _L=0.7), and either display at least one emission line with a full width at half maximum (FWHM)larger than 500 km/s or, if not, have interesting/complex absorption features. The catalog also includes previously known quasars (mostly from SDSS-I and II) that were reobserved by BOSS. The catalog contains 297,301 quasars detected over 9,376 square degrees with robust identification and redshift measured by a combination of principal component eigenspectra. The number of quasars with z>2.15 is about an order of magnitude greater than the number of z>2.15 quasars known prior to BOSS. Redshifts and FWHMs are provided for the strongest emission lines (CIV, CIII], MgII). The catalog identifies 29,580 broad absorption line quasars and lists their characteristics. For each object, the catalog presents five-band (u, g, r, i, z) CCD-based photometry together with some information on the optical morphology and the selection criteria. When available, the catalog also provides information on the optical variability of quasars using SDSS and PTF multi-epoch photometry. The catalog also contains X-ray, ultraviolet, near-infrared, and radio emission properties of the quasars, when available, from other large-area surveys. The calibrated digital spectra, covering the wavelength region 3,600-10,500A at a spectral resolution in the range 1,300<R<2,500, can be retrieved from the SDSS Catalog Archive Server.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

Constraining f(R) Gravity with Planck Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Clusters

Clusters of galaxies have the potential of providing powerful constraints on possible deviations from General Relativity. We use the catalogue of Sunyaev-Zel'dovich sources detected by Planck and consider a correction to the halo mass function for a f(R) class of modified gravity models, which has been recently found to reproduce well results from N-body simulations, to place constraints on the scalaron field amplitude at the present time, $f_{R}^0$. We find that applying this correction to different calibrations of the halo mass function produces upper bounds on $f_{R}^0$ tighter by more than an order of magnitude, ranging from $\log_{10}(-f_{R}^0) < -5.81$ to $\log_{10}(-f_{R}^0) < -4.40$ (95 % confidence level). This sensitivity is due to the different shape of the halo mass function, which is degenerate with the parameters used to calibrate the scaling relations between SZ observables and cluster masses. Any claim of constraints more stringent that the weaker limit above, based on cluster number counts, appear to be premature and must be supported by a careful calibration of the halo mass function and by a robust calibration of the mass scaling relations.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2016

Lyman-alpha Forests cool Warm Dark Matter

The free-streaming of keV-scale particles impacts structure growth on scales that are probed by the Lyman-alpha forest of distant quasars. Using an unprecedentedly large sample of medium-resolution QSO spectra from the ninth data release of SDSS, along with a state-of-the-art set of hydrodynamical simulations to model the Lyman-alpha forest in the non-linear regime, we issue one of the tightest bounds to date, from Ly-$α$ data alone, on pure dark matter particles : $m_X > 4.09 \: \rm{keV}$ (95% CL) for early decoupled thermal relics such as a hypothetical gravitino, and correspondingly $m_s > 24.4 \: \rm{keV}$ (95% CL) for a non-resonantly produced right-handed neutrino. This limit depends on the value on $n_s$, and Planck measures a higher value of $n_s$ than SDSS-III/BOSS. Our bounds thus change slightly when Ly-$α$ data are combined with CMB data from Planck 2016. The limits shift to $m_X > 2.96 \: \rm{keV}$ (95% CL) and $m_s > 16.0 \: \rm{keV}$ (95% CL). Thanks to SDSS-III data featuring smaller uncertainties and covering a larger redshift range than SDSS-I data, our bounds confirm the most stringent results established by previous works and are further at odds with a purely non-resonantly produced sterile neutrino as dark matter.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2016

Relativistic effects in Lyman-alpha forest

We present the calculation of the Lyman-alpha (Lyman-$α$) transmitted flux fluctuations with full relativistic corrections to the first order. Even though several studies exist on relativistic effects in galaxy clustering, this is the first study to extend the formalism to a different tracer of underlying matter at unique redshift range ($z=2-5$). Furthermore, we show a comprehensive application of our calculations of the Quasar-Lyman-$α$ cross-correlation function. Our results indicate that the signal of relativistic effects is sizeable at Baryonic Acoustic Oscillation (BAO) scale mainly due to the large difference in density bias factors of our tracers. We construct an observable, the anti-symmetric part of the cross-correlation function, that is dominated by the relativistic signal and offers a new way to measure the relativistic terms at relatively small scales. The analysis shows that relativistic effects are important when considering cross-correlations between tracers with very different biases, and should be included in the data analysis of the current and future surveys. Moreover, the idea presented in this paper is highly complementary to other techniques and observable trying to isolate the effect of the relativistic corrections and thus test the validity of the theory of gravity beyond the Newtonian regime.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2015

The contribution of light Majorana neutrinos to neutrinoless double beta decay and cosmology

Cosmology is making impressive progress and it is producing stringent bounds on the sum of the neutrino masses Σ, a parameter of great importance for the current laboratory experiments. In this letter, we exploit the potential relevance of the analysis of Palanque-Delabrouille et al. [JCAP 1502, 045 (2015)] to the neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) search. This analysis indicates small values for the lightest neutrino mass, since the authors find Σ < 84 meV at 1σ C. L., and provides a 1σ preference for the normal hierarchy. The allowed values for the Majorana effective mass, probed by 0νββ, turn out to be < 75meV at 3σC.L. and lower down to less than 20meV at 1σC.L.. If this indication is confirmed, the impact on the 0νββ experiments will be tremendous since the possibility of detecting a signal will be out of the reach of the next generation of experiments.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2015

Cross-correlating 21cm intensity maps with Lyman Break Galaxies in the post-reionization era

We investigate the cross-correlation between the spatial distribution of Lyman Break Galaxies (LBGs) and the 21cm intensity mapping signal at $z\sim[3-5]$. At these redshifts, galactic feedback is supposed to only marginally affect the matter power spectrum, and the neutral hydrogen distribution is independently constrained by quasar spectra. Using a high resolution N-body simulation, populated with neutral hydrogen a posteriori, we forecast for the expected LBG-21cm cross-spectrum and its error for a 21cm field observed by the Square Kilometre Array (SKA1-LOW and SKA1-MID), combined with a spectroscopic LBG survey with the same volume. The cross power can be detected with a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) up to ~10 times higher (and down to ~4 times smaller scales) than the 21cm auto-spectrum for this set-up, with the SNR depending only very weakly on redshift and the LBG population. We also show that while both the 21cm auto- and LBG-21cm cross-spectra can be reliably recovered after the cleaning of smooth-spectrum foreground contamination, only the cross-power is robust to problematic non-smooth foregrounds like polarized synchrotron emission.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2015

Weighing neutrinos with cosmic neutral hydrogen

We investigate the signatures left by massive neutrinos on the spatial distribution of neutral hydrogen (HI) in the post-reionization era by running hydrodynamic simulations that include massive neutrinos as additional collisionless particles. We find that halos in massive/massless neutrino cosmologies host a similar amount of neutral hydrogen, although for a fixed halo mass, on average, the HI mass increases with the sum of the neutrino masses. Our results show that HI is more strongly clustered in cosmologies with massive neutrinos, while its abundance, $Ω_{\rm HI}(z)$, is lower. These effects arise mainly from the impact of massive neutrinos on cosmology: they suppress both the amplitude of the matter power spectrum on small scales and the abundance of dark matter halos. Modelling the HI distribution with hydrodynamic simulations at $z > 3$, and a simple analytic model at $z<3$, we use the Fisher matrix formalism to conservatively forecast the constraints that Phase 1 of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) will place on the sum of neutrino masses, $M_ν\equiv Σm_ν$. We find that with 10,000 hours of interferometric observations at $3 \lesssim z \lesssim 6$ from a deep and narrow survey with SKA1-LOW, the sum of the neutrino masses can be measured with an error $σ(M_ν)\lesssim0.3$ eV (95% CL). Similar constraints can be obtained with a wide and deep SKA1-MID survey at $z \lesssim 3$, using the single-dish mode. By combining data from MID, LOW, and Planck, plus priors on cosmological parameters from a Stage IV spectroscopic galaxy survey, the sum of the neutrino masses can be determined with an error $σ(M_ν)\simeq0.06$ eV (95% CL).

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2015

Neutral hydrogen in galaxy clusters: impact of AGN feedback and implications for intensity mapping

By means of zoom-in hydrodynamic simulations we quantify the amount of neutral hydrogen (HI) hosted by groups and clusters of galaxies. Our simulations, which are based on an improved formulation of smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH), include radiative cooling, star formation, metal enrichment and supernova feedback, and can be split in two different groups, depending on whether feedback from active galactic nuclei (AGN) is turned on or off. Simulations are analyzed to account for HI self-shielding and the presence of molecular hydrogen. We find that the mass in neutral hydrogen of dark matter halos monotonically increases with the halo mass and can be well described by a power-law of the form $M_{\rm HI}(M,z)\propto M^{3/4}$. Our results point out that AGN feedback reduces both the total halo mass and its HI mass, although it is more efficient in removing HI. We conclude that AGN feedback reduces the neutral hydrogen mass of a given halo by $\sim50\%$, with a weak dependence on halo mass and redshift. The spatial distribution of neutral hydrogen within halos is also affected by AGN feedback, whose effect is to decrease the fraction of HI that resides in the halo inner regions. By extrapolating our results to halos not resolved in our simulations we derive astrophysical implications from the measurements of $Ω_{\rm HI}(z)$: halos with circular velocities larger than $\sim25~{\rm km/s}$ are needed to host HI in order to reproduce observations. We find that only the model with AGN feedback is capable of reproducing the value of $Ω_{\rm HI}b_{\rm HI}$ derived from available 21cm intensity mapping observations.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2015

Voids in massive neutrino cosmologies

Cosmic voids are a promising environment to characterize neutrino-induced effects on the large-scale distribution of matter in the universe. We perform a comprehensive numerical study of the statistical properties of voids, identified both in the matter and galaxy distributions, in massive and massless neutrino cosmologies. The matter density field is obtained by running several independent $N$-body simulations with cold dark matter and neutrino particles, while the galaxy catalogs are modeled by populating the dark matter halos in simulations via a halo occupation distribution (HOD) model to reproduce the clustering properties observed by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) II Data Release 7. We focus on the impact of massive neutrinos on the following void statistical properties: number density, ellipticities, two-point statistics, density and velocity profiles. Considering the matter density field, we find that voids in massive neutrino cosmologies are less evolved than those in the corresponding massless neutrinos case: there is a larger number of small voids and a smaller number of large ones, their profiles are less evacuated, and they present a lower wall at the edge. Moreover, the degeneracy between $σ_8$ and $Ω_ν$ is broken when looking at void properties. In terms of the galaxy density field, we find that differences among cosmologies are difficult to detect because of the small number of galaxy voids in the simulations. Differences are instead present when looking at the matter density and velocity profiles around these voids.

astro-ph.CO↗