arXiv subjects

Mustapha Ishak

Publications and source records attributed to Mustapha Ishak.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2022

DESI Bright Galaxy Survey: Final Target Selection, Design, and Validation

Over the next five years, the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) will use 10 spectrographs with 5000 fibers on the 4m Mayall Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory to conduct the first Stage-IV dark energy galaxy survey. At $z < 0.6$, the DESI Bright Galaxy Survey (BGS) will produce the most detailed map of the Universe during the dark energy dominated epoch with redshifts of >10 million galaxies over 14,000 deg$^2$. In this work, we present and validate the final BGS target selection and survey design. From the Legacy Surveys, BGS will target a $r < 19.5$ magnitude-limited sample (BGS Bright); a fainter $19.5 < r < 20.175$ sample, color-selected to have high redshift efficiency (BGS Faint); and a smaller low-z quasar sample. BGS will observe these targets using exposure times, scaled to achieve uniform completeness, and visit each point on the footprint three times. We use observations from the Survey Validation programs conducted prior to the main survey along with realistic simulations to show that BGS can complete its strategy and make optimal use of `bright' time. We demonstrate that BGS targets have stellar contamination <1% and that their densities do not depend strongly on imaging properties. We also confirm that BGS Bright will achieve >80% fiber assignment efficiency. Finally, we show that BGS Bright and Faint will achieve >95% redshift success rates with no significant dependence on observing conditions. BGS meets the requirements for an extensive range of scientific applications. BGS will yield the most precise Baryon Acoustic Oscillations and Redshift-Space Distortions measurements at $z < 0.4$. It also presents opportunities to exploit new methods that require highly complete and dense galaxy samples (e.g. N-point statistics, multi-tracers). BGS further provides a powerful tool to study galaxy populations and the relations between galaxies and dark matter.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2022

A Unified Catalog-level Reanalysis of Stage-III Cosmic Shear Surveys

Cosmological parameter constraints from recent galaxy imaging surveys are reaching $2-3\%$-level accuracy. The upcoming Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory will produce sub-percent level measurements of cosmological parameters, providing a milestone test of the $Λ$CDM model. To supply guidance to the upcoming LSST analysis, it is important to understand thoroughly the results from different recent galaxy imaging surveys and assess their consistencies. In this work we perform a unified catalog-level reanalysis of three cosmic shear datasets: the first year data from the Dark Energy Survey (DES-Y1), the 1,000 deg$^{2}$ dataset from the Kilo-Degree Survey (KiDS-1000), and the first year data from the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program (HSC-Y1). We utilize a pipeline developed and rigorously tested by the LSST Dark Energy Science Collaboration to perform the reanalysis and assess the robustness of the results to analysis choices. We find the $S_{8}$ constraint to be robust to two different small-scale modeling approaches, and varying choices of cosmological priors. Our unified analysis allows the consistency of the surveys to be rigorously tested and we find the three surveys to be statistically consistent. Due to the partially overlapping footprint, we model the cross-covariance between KiDS-1000 and HSC-Y1 approximately when combining all three datasets, resulting in a $1.6-1.9\%$ constraint on $S_8$ given different assumptions on the cross-covariance.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2022

Snowmass2021: Opportunities from Cross-survey Analyses of Static Probes

Cosmological data in the next decade will be characterized by high-precision, multi-wavelength measurements of thousands of square degrees of the same patches of sky. By performing multi-survey analyses that harness the correlated nature of these datasets, we will gain access to new science, and increase the precision and robustness of science being pursued by each individual survey. However, effective application of such analyses requires a qualitatively new level of investment in cross-survey infrastructure, including simulations, associated modeling, coordination of data sharing, and survey strategy. The scientific gains from this new level of investment are multiplicative, as the benefits can be reaped by even present-day instruments, and can be applied to new instruments as they come online.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2022

Cosmology Intertwined: A Review of the Particle Physics, Astrophysics, and Cosmology Associated with the Cosmological Tensions and Anomalies

In this paper we will list a few important goals that need to be addressed in the next decade, also taking into account the current discordances between the different cosmological probes, such as the disagreement in the value of the Hubble constant $H_0$, the $σ_8$--$S_8$ tension, and other less statistically significant anomalies. While these discordances can still be in part the result of systematic errors, their persistence after several years of accurate analysis strongly hints at cracks in the standard cosmological scenario and the necessity for new physics or generalisations beyond the standard model. In this paper, we focus on the $5.0\,σ$ tension between the {\it Planck} CMB estimate of the Hubble constant $H_0$ and the SH0ES collaboration measurements. After showing the $H_0$ evaluations made from different teams using different methods and geometric calibrations, we list a few interesting new physics models that could alleviate this tension and discuss how the next decade's experiments will be crucial. Moreover, we focus on the tension of the {\it Planck} CMB data with weak lensing measurements and redshift surveys, about the value of the matter energy density $Ω_m$, and the amplitude or rate of the growth of structure ($σ_8,fσ_8$). We list a few interesting models proposed for alleviating this tension, and we discuss the importance of trying to fit a full array of data with a single model and not just one parameter at a time. Additionally, we present a wide range of other less discussed anomalies at a statistical significance level lower than the $H_0$--$S_8$ tensions which may also constitute hints towards new physics, and we discuss possible generic theoretical approaches that can collectively explain the non-standard nature of these signals.[Abridged]

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2022

Snowmass2021 Cosmic Frontier White Paper: Enabling Flagship Dark Energy Experiments to Reach their Full Potential

A new generation of powerful dark energy experiments will open new vistas for cosmology in the next decade. However, these projects cannot reach their utmost potential without data from other telescopes. This white paper focuses in particular on the compelling benefits of ground-based spectroscopic and photometric observations to complement the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, as well as smaller programs in aid of a DESI-2 experiment and CMB-S4. These additional data sets will both improve dark energy constraints from these flagship projects beyond what would possible on their own and open completely new windows into fundamental physics. For example, additional photometry and single-object spectroscopy will provide necessary follow-up information for supernova and strong lensing cosmology, while highly-multiplexed spectroscopy both from smaller facilities over wide fields and from larger facilities over narrower regions of sky will yield more accurate photometric redshift estimates for weak lensing and galaxy clustering measurements from the Rubin Observatory, provide critical spectroscopic host galaxy redshifts for supernova Hubble diagrams, provide improved understanding of limiting astrophysical systematic effects, and enable new measurements that probe the nature of gravity. A common thread is that access to complementary data from a range of telescopes/instruments would have a substantial impact on the rate of advance of dark energy science in the coming years.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2022

Snowmass2021 Cosmic Frontier White Paper: Rubin Observatory after LSST

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory will begin the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) in 2024, spanning an area of 18,000 square degrees in six bands, with more than 800 observations of each field over ten years. The unprecedented data set will enable great advances in the study of the formation and evolution of structure and exploration of physics of the dark universe. The observations will hold clues about the cause for the accelerated expansion of the universe and possibly the nature of dark matter. During the next decade, LSST will be able to confirm or dispute if tensions seen today in cosmological data are due to new physics. New and unexpected phenomena could confirm or disrupt our current understanding of the universe. Findings from LSST will guide the path forward post-LSST. The Rubin Observatory will still be a uniquely powerful facility even then, capable of revealing further insights into the physics of the dark universe. These could be obtained via innovative observing strategies, e.g., targeting new probes at shorter timescales than with LSST, or via modest instrumental changes, e.g., new filters, or through an entirely new instrument for the focal plane. This White Paper highlights some of the opportunities in each scenario from Rubin observations after LSST.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2022

Snowmass2021 Cosmic Frontier White Paper: High Density Galaxy Clustering in the Regime of Cosmic Acceleration

Joint studies of imaging and spectroscopic samples, informed by theory and simulations, offer the potential for comprehensive tests of the cosmological model over redshifts z<1.5. Spectroscopic galaxy samples at these redshifts can be increased beyond the planned Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) program by at least an order of magnitude, thus offering significantly more constraining power for these joint studies. Spectroscopic observations of these galaxies in the latter half of the 2020's and beyond would leverage the theory and simulation effort in this regime. In turn, these high density observations will allow enhanced tests of dark energy, physics beyond the standard model, and neutrino masses that will greatly exceed what is currently possible. Here, we present a coordinated program of simulations, theoretical modeling, and future spectroscopy that would enable precise cosmological studies in the accelerating epoch where the effects of dark energy are most apparent.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2022

Real-time Cosmology with High Precision Spectroscopy and Astrometry

Breakthroughs in physics and astrophysics are often driven by technological advances, with the recent detection of gravitational waves being one such example. This white paper focuses upon how improved astrometric and spectroscopic measurements from a new generation of precise, accurate, and stable astronomical instrumentation can address two of the fundamental mysteries of our time -- dark energy and dark matter -- and probe the nature of spacetime. Instrumentation is now on the cusp of enabling new cosmological measurements based on redshifts (cosmic redshift drift) and extremely precise time-series measurements of accelerations, astrophysical source positions (astrometry), and angles (cosmic parallax). These allow tests of the fundamental framework of the universe (the Friedmann equations of general relativity and whether cosmic expansion is physically accelerating) and its contents (dark energy evolution and dark matter behavior), while also anchoring the cosmic distance scale ($H_0$).

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2022

Singling out modified gravity parameters and datasets reveals a dichotomy between Planck and lensing

An important route to testing General Relativity (GR) at cosmological scales is usually done by constraining modified gravity (MG) parameters added to the Einstein perturbed equations. Most studies have analyzed so far constraints on pairs of MG parameters, but here, we explore constraints on one parameter at a time while fixing the other at its GR value. This allows us to analyze various models while benefiting from a stronger constraining power from the data. We also explore which specific datasets are in tension with GR. We find that models with ($μ=1$, $η$) and ($μ$, $η=1$) exhibit a 3.9-$σ$ and 3.8-$σ$ departure from GR when using Planck18+SNe+BAO, while ($μ$, $η$) shows a tension of 3.4-$σ$. We find no tension with GR for models with the MG parameter $Σ$ fixed to its GR value. Using a Bayesian model selection analysis, we find that some one-parameter MG models are moderately favored over $Λ$CDM when using all dataset combinations except Planck CMB Lensing and DES data. Namely, Planck18 shows a moderate tension with GR that only increases when adding any combination of RSD, SNe, or BAO. However, adding lensing diminishes or removes these tensions, which can be attributed to the ability of lensing in constraining the MG parameter $Σ$. The two overall groups of datasets are found to have a dichotomy when performing consistency tests with GR, which may be due to systematic effects, lack of constraining power, or modelling. These findings warrant further investigation using more precise data from ongoing and future surveys.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

Informal Science Education and Career Advancement

This document supports a proposed APS statement that encourages academic, research, and other institutions to add the participation in informal science education activities to the criteria they use for hiring and career advancement decisions. There is a prevalent attitude that the time spent by a researcher on these activities takes time away from research efforts that are more valued by their peers and their institution. To change this mindset, we enumerate the many benefits of informal science education activities to the public, to researchers, to their institutions, and to the field of physics. We also suggest aspects of these activities that may be considered by institutions in evaluating informal educational efforts for recruitment and career advancement decisions.

physics.soc-ph↗

arXiv2021

Testing the theory of gravity with DESI: estimators, predictions and simulation requirements

Shortly after its discovery, General Relativity (GR) was applied to predict the behavior of our Universe on the largest scales, and later became the foundation of modern cosmology. Its validity has been verified on a range of scales and environments from the Solar system to merging black holes. However, experimental confirmations of GR on cosmological scales have so far lacked the accuracy one would hope for -- its applications on those scales being largely based on extrapolation and its validity sometimes questioned in the shadow of the unexpected cosmic acceleration. Future astronomical instruments surveying the distribution and evolution of galaxies over substantial portions of the observable Universe, such as the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), will be able to measure the fingerprints of gravity and their statistical power will allow strong constraints on alternatives to GR. In this paper, based on a set of $N$-body simulations and mock galaxy catalogs, we study the predictions of a number of traditional and novel estimators beyond linear redshift distortions in two well-studied modified gravity models, chameleon $f(R)$ gravity and a braneworld model, and the potential of testing these deviations from GR using DESI. These estimators employ a wide array of statistical properties of the galaxy and the underlying dark matter field, including two-point and higher-order statistics, environmental dependence, redshift space distortions and weak lensing. We find that they hold promising power for testing GR to unprecedented precision. The major future challenge is to make realistic, simulation-based mock galaxy catalogs for both GR and alternative models to fully exploit the statistic power of the DESI survey and to better understand the impact of key systematic effects. Using these, we identify future simulation and analysis needs for gravity tests using DESI.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

A Bayesian interpretation of inconsistency measures in cosmology

Measures of discordance between datasets have become an essential part of cosmological analyses. It is important to accurately evaluate the significance of such discordances when present. We propose here a Bayesian interpretation of inconsistency measures that can extract information about physical inconsistencies in the presence of data scatter. The new framework is based on the conditional probability distribution of the level of physical inconsistency given the obtained value of the measure. We use the index of inconsistency as a case study to illustrate the new interpretation framework, but this can be generalized to other metrics. Importantly, there are two aspects in the quantification of inconsistency that behave differently as the number of model parameters increases. The first is the probability for the level of physical inconsistency to reach a threshold which drops with the increase of the number of parameters under consideration. Then the second is the actual level of physical inconsistency which remains rather insensitive to such an increase in parameters. This often-overlooked ambiguity leads to an underestimation of the physical inconsistency by the commonly adopted significance level when used, but is resolved by the Bayesian interpretation because the conditional probability distribution includes all the statistical information of the level of physical inconsistency. Finally, we apply the Bayesian interpretation to examine the (in)consistency between Planck versus the Cepheid-based local measurement, the Dark Energy Survey (DES), the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) and WMAP. We confirm and revisit the degrees of previous physical inconsistencies and show the stability of the new interpretation to the number of cosmological parameters compared to the commonly used n-$σ$ interpretation when applied to cosmological tensions in multi-parameter spaces.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

The LSST DESC DC2 Simulated Sky Survey

We describe the simulated sky survey underlying the second data challenge (DC2) carried out in preparation for analysis of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) by the LSST Dark Energy Science Collaboration (LSST DESC). Significant connections across multiple science domains will be a hallmark of LSST; the DC2 program represents a unique modeling effort that stresses this interconnectivity in a way that has not been attempted before. This effort encompasses a full end-to-end approach: starting from a large N-body simulation, through setting up LSST-like observations including realistic cadences, through image simulations, and finally processing with Rubin's LSST Science Pipelines. This last step ensures that we generate data products resembling those to be delivered by the Rubin Observatory as closely as is currently possible. The simulated DC2 sky survey covers six optical bands in a wide-fast-deep (WFD) area of approximately 300 deg^2 as well as a deep drilling field (DDF) of approximately 1 deg^2. We simulate 5 years of the planned 10-year survey. The DC2 sky survey has multiple purposes. First, the LSST DESC working groups can use the dataset to develop a range of DESC analysis pipelines to prepare for the advent of actual data. Second, it serves as a realistic testbed for the image processing software under development for LSST by the Rubin Observatory. In particular, simulated data provide a controlled way to investigate certain image-level systematic effects. Finally, the DC2 sky survey enables the exploration of new scientific ideas in both static and time-domain cosmology.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2020

Current constraints on deviations from General Relativity using binning in redshift and scale

We constrain deviations from general relativity (GR) including both redshift and scale dependencies in the modified gravity (MG) parameters. In particular, we employ the under-used binning approach and compare the results to functional forms. We use available datasets such as Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) from Planck 2018, Baryonic Acoustic Oscillations (BAO) and Redshift Space Distortions (BAO/RSD) from the BOSS DR12, the 6DF Galaxy Survey, the SDSS DR7 Main Galaxy Sample, the correlation of Lyman-$α$ forest absorption and quasars from SDSS-DR14, Supernova Type Ia (SNe) from the Pantheon compilation, and DES Y1 data. Moreover, in order to maximize the constraining power from available datasets, we analyze MG models where we alternatively set some of the MG parameters to their GR values and vary the others. Using functional forms, we find an up to 3.5-$σ$ tension with GR in $Σ$ (while $μ$ is fixed) when using Planck+SNe+BAO+RSD; this goes away when lensing data is included, i.e. CMB lensing and DES (CMBL+DES). Using different binning methods, we find that a tension with GR above 2-$σ$ in the (high-z, high-k) bin is persistent even when including CMBL+DES to Planck+SNe+BAO+RSD. Also, we find another tension above 2-$σ$ in the (low-z, high-k) bin, but that can be reduced with the addition of lensing data. Furthermore, we perform a model comparison using the Deviance Information Criterion statistical tool and find that the MG model ($μ=1$, $Σ$) is weakly favored by the data compared to $Λ$CDM, except when DES data is included. Another noteworthy result is that we find that the binning methods do not agree with the widely-used functional parameterization where the MG parameters are proportional to $Ω_{\text{DE}}(a)$, and this is clearly apparent in the high-z and high-k regime where this parameterization underestimates the deviations from GR.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2020

Matter Power Spectrum Emulator for f(R) Modified Gravity Cosmologies

Testing a subset of viable cosmological models beyond General Relativity (GR), with implications for cosmic acceleration and the Dark Energy associated with it, is within the reach of Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) and a part of its endeavor. Deviations from GR-w(z)CDM models can manifest in the growth rate of structure and lensing, as well as in screening effects on non-linear scales. We explore the constraining power of small-scale deviations predicted by the f(R) Hu-Sawicki Modified Gravity (MG) candidate, by emulating this model with COLA (COmoving Lagrangian Acceleration) simulations. We present the experimental design, data generation, and interpolation schemes in cosmological parameters and across redshifts for the emulation of the boost in the power spectra due to Modified Gravity effects. Three preliminary applications of the emulator highlight the sensitivity to cosmological parameters, Fisher forecasting and Markov Chain Monte Carlo inference for a fiducial cosmology. This emulator will play an important role for future cosmological analysis handling the formidable amount of data expected from Rubin Observatory LSST.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2020

First detection of the GI-type of intrinsic alignments of galaxies using the self-calibration method in a photometric galaxy survey

Weak gravitational lensing is one of the most promising cosmological probes to constrain dark matter, dark energy, and the nature of gravity at cosmic scales. Intrinsic alignments (IAs) of galaxies have been recognized as one of the most serious systematic effects facing gravitational lensing. Such alignments must be isolated and removed to obtain a pure lensing signal. Furthermore, the alignments are related to the processes of galaxy formation, so their extracted signal can help in understanding such formation processes and improving their theoretical modeling. We report in this Letter the first detection of the gravitational shear--intrinsic shape (GI) correlation and the intrinsic shape--galaxy density (Ig) correlation using the self-calibration method in a photometric redshift survey. These direct measurements are made from the KiDS-450 photometric galaxy survey with a significance of 3.65$σ$ in the third bin for the Ig correlation, and 3.51$σ$ for the GI cross-correlation between the third and fourth bins. The self-calibration method uses the information available from photometric surveys without needing to specify an IA model and will play an important role in validating IA models and IA mitigation in future surveys such as the Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time, Euclid, and WFIRST.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2020

Separating the Intrinsic Alignment Signal and the Lensing Signal using Self-Calibration in Photo-z Surveys with KiDS450 and KV450 Data

To reach the full potential for the next generation of weak lensing surveys, it is necessary to mitigate the contamination of intrinsic alignments (IA) of galaxies in the observed cosmic shear signal. The self calibration (SC) of intrinsic alignments provides an independent method to measure the IA signal from the survey data and the photometric redshift information. It operates differently from the marginalization method based on IA modeling. In this work, we present the first application of SC to the KiDS450 data and the KV450 data, to split directly the intrinsic shape - galaxy density (Ig) correlation signal and the gravitational shear - galaxy density (Gg) correlation signal, using the information from photometric redshift (photo-z). We achieved a clear separation of the two signals and performed several validation tests. Our measured signals are found to be in general agreement with the KiDS450 cosmic shear best-fit cosmology, for both lensing and IA measurements. For KV450, we use partial (high-z) data, and our lensing measurements are also in good agreement with KV450 cosmic shear best-fit, however, our IA signal suggests a larger IA amplitude. We discussed the impact of photo-z quality on IA detection and several other potential systematic biases. Finally, we discuss the potential application of the information extracted for both the lensing signal and the IA signal in future surveys.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2019

ISiTGR: Testing deviations from GR at cosmological scales including dynamical dark energy, massive neutrinos, functional or binned parametrizations, and spatial curvature

We introduce a new version of the Integrated Software in Testing General Relativity (ISiTGR) which is a patch to the software CAMB and CosmoMC. ISiTGR is intended to test deviations from GR at cosmological scales using cosmological data sets. While doing so, it allows for various extensions to the standard flat $Λ$CDM model. In this new release, we have support for the following: 1) dynamical dark energy parametrizations with a constant or time-dependent equation of state; 2) a consistent implementation of anisotropic shear to model massive neutrinos throughout the full formalism; 3) multiple commonly-used parametrizations of modified growth (MG) parameters; 4) functional, binned and hybrid time- and scale-dependencies for all MG parameters; 5) spatially flat or curved backgrounds. ISiTGR is designed to allow cosmological analyses to take full advantage of ongoing and future surveys to test simultaneously or separately various extensions to the standard model. We describe here the formalism and its implementation in the CMB code, the Integrated Sachs-Wolfe (ISW) effect, and the 3x2 point statistics. Next, we apply ISiTGR to current data sets from Planck-2018, Planck-2015, Dark Energy Survey YR1 release, Baryonic Acoustic Oscillations (BAO), Redshift Space Distortions (BAO/RSD) from the BOSS Data Release 12, the 6DF Galaxy Survey and the SDSS Data Release 7 Main Galaxy Sample, and Supernova from the Pantheon compilation, joint SNLS/SDSS data analysis and the Hubble Space Telescope. We derive constraints on MG parameters for various combinations of the five features above and find that GR is consistent with current data sets in all cases. The code is made publicly available at \url{https://github.com/mishakb/ISiTGR}.

astro-ph.CO↗