arXiv subjects

Peter Schneider

Publications and source records attributed to Peter Schneider.

At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources

arXiv2001

How accurately can we measure weak gravitational shear?

With the recent detection of cosmic shear, the most challenging effect of weak gravitational lensing has been observed. The main difficulties for this detection were the need for a large amount of high quality data and the control of systematics during the gravitational shear measurement process, in particular those coming from the Point Spread Function anisotropy. In this paper we perform detailed simulations with the state-of-the-art algorithm developed by Kaiser, Squires and Broadhurst (KSB) to measure gravitational shear. We show that for realistic PSF profiles the KSB algorithm can recover any shear amplitude in the range $0.012 < |\gammavec |<0.32$ with a relative, systematic error of $10-15%$. We give quantitative limits on the PSF correction method as a function of shear strength, object size, signal-to-noise and PSF anisotropy amplitude, and we provide an automatic procedure to get a reliable object catalog for shear measurements out of the raw images.

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arXiv2001

p-adic Fourier Theory

In this paper we generalize work of Amice and Lazard from the early (nineteen) sixties. Amice determined the dual of the space of locally Qp-analytic functions on Zp and showed that it is isomorphic to the ring of rigid functions on the open unit disk over Cp. Lazard showed that this ring has a divisor theory and that the classes of closed, finitely generated, and principal ideals in this ring coincide. We study the space of locally L-analytic functions on the ring of integers in L, where L is a finite extension of Qp. We show that the dual of this space is a ring isomorphic to the ring of rigid functions on a certain rigid variety X. We show that the variety X is isomorphic to the open unit disk over Cp, but not over any discretely valued extension field of L; it is a "twisted form" of the open unit disk. In the ring of functions on X, the classes of closed, finitely generated, and invertible ideals coincide, but unless L=Qp not all finitely generated ideals are principal. The paper uses Lubin-Tate theory and results on p-adic Hodge theory. We give several applications, including one to the construction of p-adic L-functions for supersingular elliptic curves.

math.NT↗

arXiv2000

Cluster Mass Profiles from Weak Lensing II

In Schneider, King & Erben (2000) we developed likelihood techniques to compare the constraints on cluster mass profiles that can be obtained using the shear and magnification information. This work considered circularly symmetric power-law models for clusters at fairly low redshifts where the redshift distribution of source galaxies could be neglected. Here this treatment is extended to encompass NFW profiles which are a good description of clusters from cosmological N-body simulations, and NFW clusters at higher redshifts where the influence of various scenarios for the knowledge of the redshift distribution are examined. Since in reality the overwhelming majority of clusters have ellipsoidal rather than spherical profiles, the singular isothermal ellipsoid (SIE) is investigated. We also briefly consider the impact of substructure on such a likelihood analysis. In general, we find that the shear information provides a better constraint on the NFW profile under consideration, so this becomes the focus of what follows. The ability to differentiate between the NFW and power-law profiles strongly depends on the size of the data field, and on the number density of galaxies for which an ellipticity can be measured. For higher redshift NFW profiles, there is very little reduction (~1.5%) in the dispersion of parameter estimates when spectroscopic redshifts, as opposed to photometric redshift estimates, are available for the galaxies used in the lensing analysis.

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arXiv2000

U(g)-finite locally analytic representations

In this paper we continue the study of locally analytic representations of a $p$-adic Lie group $G$ in vector spaces over a spherically complete non-archimedean field $K$, building on the algebraic approach to such representations introduced in our paper "Locally analytic distributions and p-adic representation theory, with applications to GL_2." In that paper we associated to a representation $V$ a module $M$ over the ring $D(G,K)$ of locally analytic distributions on $G$ and described an admissibility condition on $V$ in terms of algebraic properties of $M$. In this paper we determine the relationship between our admissibility condition on locally analytic modules and the traditional admissibility of Langlands theory. We then analyze the class of locally analytic representations with the property that their associated modules are annihilated by an ideal of finite codimension in the universal enveloping algebra of G, showing under some hypotheses on G that they are sums of representations of the form $X\otimes Y$, with X finite dimensional and Y smooth. The irreducible representations of this type are obtained when X and Y are irreducible. We conclude by analyzing the reducible members of the locally analytic principal series of $SL_2(\Qp)$.

math.NT↗

arXiv2000

Banach space representations and Iwasawa theory

The lack of a $p$-adic Haar measure causes many methods of traditional representation theory to break down when applied to continuous representations of a compact $p$-adic Lie group $G$ in Banach spaces over a given $p$-adic field $K$. For example, Diarra showed that the abelian group $G=\dZ$ has an enormous wealth of infinite dimensional, topologically irreducible Banach space representations. We therefore address the problem of finding an additional ''finiteness'' condition on such representations that will lead to a reasonable theory. We introduce such a condition that we call ''admissibility''. We show that the category of all admissible $G$-representations is reasonable -- in fact, it is abelian and of a purely algebraic nature -- by showing that it is anti-equivalent to the category of all finitely generated modules over a certain kind of completed group ring $K[[G]]$. As an application of our methods we determine the topological irreducibility as well as the intertwining maps for representations of $GL_2(\dZ)$ obtained by induction of a continuous character from the subgroup of lower triangular matrices.

math.NT↗

arXiv2000

Cosmic shear and halo abundances: Analytical versus numerical results

The aperture mass has been shown in a series of recent publications to be a useful quantitative tool for weak lensing studies, ranging from cosmic shear to the detection of a mass-selected sample of dark matter haloes. Quantitative analytical predictions for the aperture mass have been based on a number of simplifying assumptions. In this paper, we test the reliability of these assumptions and the quality of the analytic approximations, using ray-tracing simulations through a cosmological density field generated by very large N-body simulations. We find that those analytic predictions which take into account the non-linear evolution of the matter distribution, such as the dispersion of the aperture mass and the halo abundance, are surprisingly accurately reproduced with our numerical results, whereas the predictions for the skewness, based on quasi-linear theory, are rather imprecise. In particular, we verify numerically that the probability distribution of the aperture mass decreases exponentially for values much larger than the rms. Given the good overall agreement, comparisons between the observed distribution of the aperture mass and the theoretical values provide a powerful tool for testing cosmological models.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1999

Weak Gravitational Lensing

We review theory and applications of weak gravitational lensing. After summarising Friedmann-Lemaitre cosmological models, we present the formalism of gravitational lensing and light propagation in arbitrary space-times. We discuss how weak-lensing effects can be measured. The formalism is then applied to reconstructions of galaxy-cluster mass distributions, gravitational lensing by large-scale matter distributions, QSO-galaxy correlations induced by weak lensing, lensing of galaxies by galaxies, and weak lensing of the cosmic microwave background. Contents: Introduction - Cosmological Background - Gravitational Light Deflection - Principles of Weak Gravitational Lensing - Weak Lensing by Galaxy Clusters - Weak Cosmological Lensing - QSO Magnification Bias and Large-Scale Structure - Galaxy-Galaxy Lensing - The Impact of Weak Gravitational Lensing on the Microwave Background Radiation - Summary and Outlook

astro-ph↗

arXiv1999

Locally analytic distributions and p-adic representation theory, with applications to GL_2

Let L be a finite extension of Qp, and let K be a spherically complete non-archimedean extension field of L. In this paper we introduce a restricted category of continuous representations of locally L-analytic groups G in locally convex K-vector spaces. We call the objects of this category "admissible" representations and we establish some of their basic properties. Most importantly we show that (at least when G is compact) the category of admissible representations in our sense can be algebraized; it is faithfully full (anti)-embedded into the category of modules over the locally analytic distribution algebra D(G,K) of G over K. As an application of our theory, we prove the topological irreducibility of generic members of the p-adic principal series of GL(2,Qp).

math.NT↗

arXiv1999

Cluster mass profiles from weak lensing: shear vs. magnification information

A massive foreground cluster lens changes the shapes (shear effect) and number density (magnification effect) of the faint background galaxy population. In this paper we investigate how the shear, magnification and combined information can be used to constrain cluster mass profiles in the weak lensing regime. We develop maximum likelihood techniques to make quantitative predictions for each of the methods. Our analytic results are checked against Monte Carlo simulations. In general, we find that the shear method is superior to the magnification method. However, the magnification information complements the shear information if the former has accurate external calibration. For the magnification method, we discuss the effects of random and systematic uncertainties in the background galaxy counts.

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arXiv1999

Weak gravitational lensing with SKA

I shall outline the basic principles and some observational aspects of weak gravitational lensing, and discuss several applications of this powerful tool in observational cosmology. It will be explained why the applications have been restricted to optical observations up to now, and why SKA is going to change this. I conclude with a few general remarks on a comparison between SKA and the NGST, both being facilities which will provide a tremendous step forward in radio and near-IR astronomy, respectively, into completely unknown territory.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1999

The non-Gaussian tail of cosmic-shear statistics

Due to gravitational instability, an initially Gaussian density field develops non-Gaussian features as the Universe evolves. The most prominent non-Gaussian features are massive haloes, visible as clusters of galaxies. The distortion of high-redshift galaxy images due to the tidal gravitational field of the large-scale matter distribution, called cosmic shear, can be used to investigate the statistical properties of the LSS. In particular, non-Gaussian properties of the LSS will lead to a non-Gaussian distribution of cosmic-shear statistics. The aperture mass ($M_{\rm ap}$) statistics, recently introduced as a measure for cosmic shear, is particularly well suited for measuring these non-Gaussian properties. In this paper we calculate the highly non-Gaussian tail of the aperture mass probability distribution, assuming Press-Schechter theory for the halo abundance and the `universal' density profile of haloes as obtained from numerical simulations. We find that for values of $M_{\rm ap}$ much larger than its dispersion, this probability distribution is closely approximated by an exponential, rather than a Gaussian. We determine the amplitude and shape of this exponential for various cosmological models and aperture sizes, and show that wide-field imaging surveys can be used to distinguish between some of the currently most popular cosmogonies. Our study here is complementary to earlier cosmic-shear investigations which focussed more on two-point statistical properties.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1999

Power spectrum from weak-shear data

We demonstrate that the aperture mass as a measure for cosmic shear closely approximates (to better than ~5%) the scaled and shifted power spectrum of the projected mass density. This cosmological weak-lensing information can thus be used to directly infer the projected matter power spectrum with high accuracy. As an application, we show that aperture-mass observations can be used to constrain the cosmic density parameter and the power-spectrum amplitude. We show that, for a particular example, it should be possible to constrain Omega_0 to within ~ +/- 27%, and sigma_8 to within ~ +/- 8% using weak-shear data on a square-shaped field of 8 degrees side length.

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arXiv1999

p-adic boundary values

We study in detail certain natural continuous representations of G = GL(n,K) in locally convex vector spaces over a locally compact, non-archimedean field K of characteristic zero. We construct boundary value maps, or integral transforms, between subquotients of the dual of a ``holomorphic'' representation coming from a p-adic symmetric space, and ``principal series'' representations constructed from locally analytic functions on G. We characterize the image of each of our integral transforms as a space of functions on $G$ having certain transformation properties and satisfying a system of partial differential equations of hypergeometric type. This work generalizes earlier work of Morita, who studied this type of representation of the group SL(2,K). It also extends the work of Schneider-Stuhler on the deRham cohomology of p-adic symmetric spaces. We view this work as part of a general program of developing the theory of such representations.

math.NT↗

arXiv1998

Investigating the Dark Matter Distribution with NGST

The developments summarized with the name ``weak gravitational lensing'' have led to exciting possibilities to study the (statistical properties of the) dark matter distribution in the Universe. Concentrating on those aspects which require deep wide-field imaging surveys, we describe the basic principles of weak lensing and discuss its future applications in view of NGST (a) to determine the statistical properties of the dark matter halos of individual galaxies, (b) to determine the mass and the mass profile of very low-mass clusters and groups at medium redshift and/or of more massive clusters at very high redshift, and (c) to measure the power spectrum of the matter distribution in the Universe in the non-linear regime, thereby also obtaining a mass-selected sample of halos and providing a means to investigate the scale- and redshift dependence of the bias `factor'.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1998

Statistics of dark matter haloes expected from weak lensing surveys

The distortion of the images of faint high-redshift galaxies can be used to probe the intervening mass distribution. This weak gravitational lensing effect has been used recently to study the (projected) mass distribution of several clusters at intermediate and high redshifts. In addition, the weak lensing effect can be employed to detect (dark) matter concentrations in the Universe, based on their mass properties alone. Thus it is feasible to obtain a mass-selected sample of `clusters', and thereby probe the full range of their mass-to-light ratios. We study the expected number density of such haloes which can be detected in ongoing and future deep wide-field imaging surveys, using the number density of haloes as predicted by the Press-Schechter theory, and modeling their mass profile by the `universal' density profile found by Navarro, Frenk & White. We find that in all cosmological models considered, the number density of haloes with a signal-to-noise ratio larger than 5 exceeds 10 per square degree. With the planned MEGACAM imaging survey of $\sim 25 deg^2$, it will be easily possible to distinguish between the most commonly discussed cosmological parameter sets.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1998

A simultaneous maximum likelihood approach for galaxy-galaxy lensing and cluster lens reconstruction

In a previous paper we investigated means for constraining the mass distribution of cluster galaxies by weak lensing. We concluded that a comprehensive method should treat the lensing effects of individual cluster galaxies and those resulting from a general cluster component simultaneously. To this end we now develop a non-parametric maximum likelihood cluster reconstruction algorithm that can implicitly take into account the presence of cluster galaxies. The method includes an entropy-like regularization prescription and directly uses the ellipticities of individual source galaxy images as observables rather than relying on an averaged ellipticity field. The mass distribution of cluster galaxies is described by parametrized models. For each set of galaxy parameters the cluster reconstruction algorithm allows to determine the best representation of the global underlying cluster component that is consistent with the presence of the cluster galaxies and the observed image ellipticities of background galaxies. Tests with simulations yielded convincing and robust results. We applied the method to a WFPC2 image of the cluster Cl0939+4713 and obtained a detection of the lensing effects of luminous elliptical cluster galaxies. We consider this application as a successful test of our technique. However, the small size of the image we analysed does not yet allow to draw strong conclusions regarding the mass distribution of cluster galaxies.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1998

Entropy-regularized Maximum-Likelihood cluster mass reconstruction

We present a new method for reconstructing two-dimensional mass maps of galaxy clusters from the image distortion of background galaxies. In contrast to most previous approaches, which directly convert locally averaged image ellipticities to mass maps (direct methods), our entropy-regularized maximum-likelihood method is an inverse approach. Albeit somewhat more expensive computationally, our method allows high spatial resolution in those parts of the cluster where the lensing signal is strong enough. Furthermore, it allows to straightforwardly incorporate additional constraints, such as magnification information or strong-lensing features. Using synthetic data, we compare our new approach to direct methods and find indeed a substantial improvement especially in the reconstruction of mass peaks. The main differences to previously published inverse methods are discussed.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1998

A new finite-field mass reconstruction algorithm

A new method for the reconstruction of the projected mass distribution of clusters of galaxies from the image distortion of background galaxies is discussed. This method is essentially equivalent to the one we developed previously, i.e., the noise-filtering method, but has several practical advantages: (1) It is much easier to implement; (2) it can be easily applied to wide-field images, since the constraints on the number of gridpoints are much weaker than for the previous method, and (3) it can be easily generalized to more complicated field geometries, such as that of the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) onboard HST. We have tested the performance of our new inversion method (for which a FORTRAN-77 implementation is available from the authors) using simulated data, demonstrating that it fares very favourably.

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