arXiv subjects

R. Keisler

Publications and source records attributed to R. Keisler.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2018

Measurements of the Temperature and E-Mode Polarization of the CMB from 500 Square Degrees of SPTpol Data

We present measurements of the $E$-mode polarization angular auto-power spectrum ($EE$) and temperature-$E$-mode cross-power spectrum ($TE$) of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) using 150 GHz data from three seasons of SPTpol observations. We report the power spectra over the spherical harmonic multipole range $50 < \ell \leq 8000$, and detect nine acoustic peaks in the $EE$ spectrum with high signal-to-noise ratio. These measurements are the most sensitive to date of the $EE$ and $TE$ power spectra at $\ell > 1050$ and $\ell > 1475$, respectively. The observations cover 500 deg$^2$, a fivefold increase in area compared to previous SPTpol analyses, which increases our sensitivity to the photon diffusion damping tail of the CMB power spectra enabling tighter constraints on \LCDM model extensions. After masking all sources with unpolarized flux $>50$ mJy we place a 95% confidence upper limit on residual polarized point-source power of $D_\ell = \ell(\ell+1)C_\ell/2π<0.107\,μ{\rm K}^2$ at $\ell=3000$, suggesting that the $EE$ damping tail dominates foregrounds to at least $\ell = 4050$ with modest source masking. We find that the SPTpol dataset is in mild tension with the $ΛCDM$ model ($2.1\,σ$), and different data splits prefer parameter values that differ at the $\sim 1\,σ$ level. When fitting SPTpol data at $\ell < 1000$ we find cosmological parameter constraints consistent with those for $Planck$ temperature. Including SPTpol data at $\ell > 1000$ results in a preference for a higher value of the expansion rate ($H_0 = 71.3 \pm 2.1\,\mbox{km}\,s^{-1}\mbox{Mpc}^{-1}$ ) and a lower value for present-day density fluctuations ($σ_8 = 0.77 \pm 0.02$).

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2018

A Comparison of Maps and Power Spectra Determined from South Pole Telescope and Planck Data

We study the consistency of 150 GHz data from the South Pole Telescope (SPT) and 143 GHz data from the Planck satellite over the patch of sky covered by the SPT-SZ survey. We first visually compare the maps and find that the residuals appear consistent with noise after accounting for differences in angular resolution and filtering. We then calculate (1) the cross-spectrum between two independent halves of SPT data, (2) the cross-spectrum between two independent halves of Planck data, and (3) the cross-spectrum between SPT and Planck data. We find the three cross-spectra are well-fit (PTE = 0.30) by the null hypothesis in which both experiments have measured the same sky map up to a single free calibration parameter---i.e., we find no evidence for systematic errors in either data set. As a by-product, we improve the precision of the SPT calibration by nearly an order of magnitude, from 2.6% to 0.3% in power. Finally, we compare all three cross-spectra to the full-sky Planck power spectrum and find marginal evidence for differences between the power spectra from the SPT-SZ footprint and the full sky. We model these differences as a power law in spherical harmonic multipole number. The best-fit value of this tilt is consistent among the three cross-spectra in the SPT-SZ footprint, implying that the source of this tilt is a sample variance fluctuation in the SPT-SZ region relative to the full sky. The consistency of cosmological parameters derived from these datasets is discussed in a companion paper.

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arXiv2017

A Comparison of Cosmological Parameters Determined from CMB Temperature Power Spectra from the South Pole Telescope and the Planck Satellite

The Planck cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature data are best fit with a LCDM model that is in mild tension with constraints from other cosmological probes. The South Pole Telescope (SPT) 2540 $\text{deg}^2$ SPT-SZ survey offers measurements on sub-degree angular scales (multipoles $650 \leq \ell \leq 2500$) with sufficient precision to use as an independent check of the Planck data. Here we build on the recent joint analysis of the SPT-SZ and Planck data in \citet{hou17} by comparing LCDM parameter estimates using the temperature power spectrum from both data sets in the SPT-SZ survey region. We also restrict the multipole range used in parameter fitting to focus on modes measured well by both SPT and Planck, thereby greatly reducing sample variance as a driver of parameter differences and creating a stringent test for systematic errors. We find no evidence of systematic errors from such tests. When we expand the maximum multipole of SPT data used, we see low-significance shifts in the angular scale of the sound horizon and the physical baryon and cold dark matter densities, with a resulting trend to higher Hubble constant. When we compare SPT and Planck data on the SPT-SZ sky patch to Planck full-sky data but keep the multipole range restricted, we find differences in the parameters $n_s$ and $A_se^{-2τ}$. We perform further checks, investigating instrumental effects and modeling assumptions, and we find no evidence that the effects investigated are responsible for any of the parameter shifts. Taken together, these tests reveal no evidence for systematic errors in SPT or Planck data in the overlapping sky coverage and multipole range and, at most, weak evidence for a breakdown of LCDM or systematic errors influencing either the Planck data outside the SPT-SZ survey area or the SPT data at $\ell >2000$.

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arXiv2017

CMB Polarization B-mode Delensing with SPTpol and Herschel

We present a demonstration of delensing the observed cosmic microwave background (CMB) B-mode polarization anisotropy. This process of reducing the gravitational-lensing generated B-mode component will become increasingly important for improving searches for the B modes produced by primordial gravitational waves. In this work, we delens B-mode maps constructed from multi-frequency SPTpol observations of a 90 deg$^2$ patch of sky by subtracting a B-mode template constructed from two inputs: SPTpol E-mode maps and a lensing potential map estimated from the $\textit{Herschel}$ $500\,μm$ map of the CIB. We find that our delensing procedure reduces the measured B-mode power spectrum by 28% in the multipole range $300 < \ell < 2300$; this is shown to be consistent with expectations from theory and simulations and to be robust against systematics. The null hypothesis of no delensing is rejected at $6.9 σ$. Furthermore, we build and use a suite of realistic simulations to study the general properties of the delensing process and find that the delensing efficiency achieved in this work is limited primarily by the noise in the lensing potential map. We demonstrate the importance of including realistic experimental non-idealities in the delensing forecasts used to inform instrument and survey-strategy planning of upcoming lower-noise experiments, such as CMB-S4.

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arXiv2016

Maps of the Magellanic Clouds from Combined South Pole Telescope and Planck Data

We present maps of the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds from combined South Pole Telescope (SPT) and Planck data. The Planck satellite observes in nine bands, while the SPT data used in this work were taken with the three-band SPT-SZ camera, The SPT-SZ bands correspond closely to three of the nine Planck bands, namely those centered at 1.4, 2.1, and 3.0 mm. The angular resolution of the Planck data ranges from 5 to 10 arcmin, while the SPT resolution ranges from 1.0 to 1.7 arcmin. The combined maps take advantage of the high resolution of the SPT data and the long-timescale stability of the space-based Planck observations to deliver robust brightness measurements on scales from the size of the maps down to ~1 arcmin. In each band, we first calibrate and color-correct the SPT data to match the Planck data, then we use noise estimates from each instrument and knowledge of each instrument's beam to make the inverse-variance-weighted combination of the two instruments' data as a function of angular scale. We create maps assuming a range of underlying emission spectra and at a range of final resolutions. We perform several consistency tests on the combined maps and estimate the expected noise in measurements of features in the maps. We compare maps from this work to maps from the Herschel HERITAGE survey, finding general consistency between the datasets. All data products described in this paper are available for download from the NASA Legacy Archive for Microwave Background Data Analysis server.

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arXiv2016

SPT-GMOS: A Gemini/GMOS-South Spectroscopic Survey of Galaxy Clusters in the SPT-SZ Survey

We present the results of SPT-GMOS, a spectroscopic survey with the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) on Gemini South. The targets of SPT-GMOS are galaxy clusters identified in the SPT-SZ survey, a millimeter-wave survey of 2500 squ. deg. of the southern sky using the South Pole Telescope (SPT). Multi-object spectroscopic observations of 62 SPT-selected galaxy clusters were performed between January 2011 and December 2015, yielding spectra with radial velocity measurements for 2595 sources. We identify 2243 of these sources as galaxies, and 352 as stars. Of the galaxies, we identify 1579 as members of SPT-SZ galaxy clusters. The primary goal of these observations was to obtain spectra of cluster member galaxies to estimate cluster redshifts and velocity dispersions. We describe the full spectroscopic dataset and resulting data products, including galaxy redshifts, cluster redshifts and velocity dispersions, and measurements of several well-known spectral indices for each galaxy: the equivalent width, W, of [O II] 3727,3729 and H-delta, and the 4000A break strength, D4000. We use the spectral indices to classify galaxies by spectral type (i.e., passive, post-starburst, star-forming), and we match the spectra against photometric catalogs to characterize spectroscopically-observed cluster members as a function of brightness (relative to m*). Finally, we report several new measurements of redshifts for ten bright, strongly-lensed background galaxies in the cores of eight galaxy clusters. Combining the SPT-GMOS dataset with previous spectroscopic follow-up of SPT-SZ galaxy clusters results in spectroscopic measurements for >100 clusters, or ~20% of the full SPT-SZ sample.

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arXiv2016

Millimeter Transient Point Sources in the SPTpol 100 Square Degree Survey

The millimeter transient sky is largely unexplored, with measurements limited to follow-up of objects detected at other wavelengths. High-angular-resolution telescopes designed for measurement of the cosmic microwave background offer the possibility to discover new, unknown transient sources in this band, particularly the afterglows of unobserved gamma-ray bursts. Here we use the 10-meter millimeter-wave South Pole Telescope, designed for the primary purpose of observing the cosmic microwave background at arcminute and larger angular scales, to conduct a search for such objects. During the 2012-2013 season, the telescope was used to continuously observe a 100 square degree patch of sky centered at RA 23h30m and declination -55 degrees using the polarization-sensitive SPTpol camera in two bands centered at 95 and 150 GHz. These 6000 hours of observations provided continuous monitoring for day- to month-scale millimeter-wave transient sources at the 10 mJy level. One candidate object was observed with properties broadly consistent with a gamma-ray burst afterglow, but at a statistical significance too low (p=0.01) to confirm detection.

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arXiv2016

Detection of the kinematic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect with DES Year 1 and SPT

We detect the kinematic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (kSZ) effect with a statistical significance of $4.2 σ$ by combining a cluster catalogue derived from the first year data of the Dark Energy Survey (DES) with CMB temperature maps from the South Pole Telescope Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SPT-SZ) Survey. This measurement is performed with a differential statistic that isolates the pairwise kSZ signal, providing the first detection of the large-scale, pairwise motion of clusters using redshifts derived from photometric data. By fitting the pairwise kSZ signal to a theoretical template we measure the average central optical depth of the cluster sample, $\barτ_e = (3.75 \pm 0.89)\cdot 10^{-3}$. We compare the extracted signal to realistic simulations and find good agreement with respect to the signal-to-noise, the constraint on $\barτ_e$, and the corresponding gas fraction. High-precision measurements of the pairwise kSZ signal with future data will be able to place constraints on the baryonic physics of galaxy clusters, and could be used to probe gravity on scales $ \gtrsim 100$ Mpc.

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arXiv2016

Cosmological Constraints from Galaxy Clusters in the 2500 square-degree SPT-SZ Survey

(abridged) We present cosmological constraints obtained from galaxy clusters identified by their Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect signature in the 2500 square degree South Pole Telescope Sunyaev Zel'dovich survey. We consider the 377 cluster candidates identified at z>0.25 with a detection significance greater than five, corresponding to the 95% purity threshold for the survey. We compute constraints on cosmological models using the measured cluster abundance as a function of mass and redshift. We include additional constraints from multi-wavelength observations, including Chandra X-ray data for 82 clusters and a weak lensing-based prior on the normalization of the mass-observable scaling relations. Assuming a LCDM cosmology, where the species-summed neutrino mass has the minimum allowed value (mnu = 0.06 eV) from neutrino oscillation experiments, we combine the cluster data with a prior on H0 and find sigma_8 = 0.797+-0.031 and Omega_m = 0.289+-0.042, with the parameter combination sigma_8(Omega_m/0.27)^0.3 = 0.784+-0.039. These results are in good agreement with constraints from the CMB from SPT, WMAP, and Planck, as well as with constraints from other cluster datasets. Adding mnu as a free parameter, we find mnu = 0.14+-0.08 eV when combining the SPT cluster data with Planck CMB data and BAO data, consistent with the minimum allowed value. Finally, we consider a cosmology where mnu and N_eff are fixed to the LCDM values, but the dark energy equation of state parameter w is free. Using the SPT cluster data in combination with an H0 prior, we measure w = -1.28+-0.31, a constraint consistent with the LCDM cosmological model and derived from the combination of growth of structure and geometry. When combined with primarily geometrical constraints from Planck CMB, H0, BAO and SNe, adding the SPT cluster data improves the w constraint from the geometrical data alone by 14%, to w = -1.023+-0.042.

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arXiv2015

Probing star formation in the dense environments of z~1 lensing halos aligned with dusty star-forming galaxies detected with the South Pole Telescope

We probe star formation in the environments of massive $\sim10^{13}\,M_{\odot}$ dark matter halos at redshifts of $z$$\sim$$1$. This star formation is linked to a sub-millimetre clustering signal which we detect in maps of the Planck High Frequency Instrument that are stacked at the positions of a sample of high-redshift ($z$$>$$2$) strongly-lensed dusty star-forming galaxies (DSFGs) selected from the South Pole Telescope (SPT) 2500 deg$^2$ survey. The clustering signal has sub-millimetre colours which are consistent with the mean redshift of the foreground lensing halos ($z$$\sim$$1$). We report a mean excess of star formation rate (SFR) compared to the field, of $(2700\pm700)\,M_{\odot}\,{yr}^{-1}$ from all galaxies contributing to this clustering signal within a radius of 3.5' from the SPT DSFGs. The magnitude of the Planck excess is in broad agreement with predictions of a current model of the cosmic infrared background. The model predicts that 80$\%$ of the excess emission measured by Planck originates from galaxies lying in the neighbouring halos of the lensing halo. Using Herschel maps of the same fields, we find a clear excess, relative to the field, of individual sources which contribute to the Planck excess. The mean excess SFR compared to the field is measured to be ($370\pm40)$$\,M_{\odot}\,{yr}^{-1}$ per resolved, clustered source. Our findings suggest that the environments around these massive $z$$\sim$$1$ lensing halos host intense star formation out to about $2\,$Mpc. The flux enhancement due to clustering should also be considered when measuring flux densities of galaxies in Planck data.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2015

A Measurement of the Cosmic Microwave Background Gravitational Lensing Potential from 100 Square Degrees of SPTpol Data

We present a measurement of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) gravitational lensing potential using data from the first two seasons of observations with SPTpol, the polarization-sensitive receiver currently installed on the South Pole Telescope (SPT). The observations used in this work cover 100 deg$^2$ of sky with arcminute resolution at 150 GHz. Using a quadratic estimator, we make maps of the CMB lensing potential from combinations of CMB temperature and polarization maps. We combine these lensing potential maps to form a minimum-variance (MV) map. The lensing potential is measured with a signal-to-noise ratio of greater than one for angular multipoles between $100< L <250$. This is the highest signal-to-noise mass map made from the CMB to date and will be powerful in cross-correlation with other tracers of large-scale structure. We calculate the power spectrum of the lensing potential for each estimator, and we report the value of the MV power spectrum between $100< L <2000$ as our primary result. We constrain the ratio of the spectrum to a fiducial $Λ$CDM model to be $A_{\rm MV}=0.92 \pm 0.14 {\rm\, (Stat.)} \pm 0.08 {\rm\, (Sys.)}$. Restricting ourselves to polarized data only, we find $A_{\rm POL}=0.92 \pm 0.24 {\rm\, (Stat.)} \pm 0.11 {\rm\, (Sys.)}$. This measurement rejects the hypothesis of no lensing at $5.9 σ$ using polarization data alone, and at $14 σ$ using both temperature and polarization data.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2015

Assessing Galaxy Limiting Magnitudes in Large Optical Surveys

Large scale structure measurements require accurate and precise knowledge of the survey depth --- typically expressed in the form of a limiting magnitude --- as a function of position on the sky. To date, most surveys only compute the point-source limiting magnitude measured within a fixed metric aperture. However, this quantity is ill suited to describe the limiting depth of galaxies, which depends on the detailed interplay of survey systematics with galaxy shapes and sizes. We describe an empirical method for directly estimating the limiting magnitude for large photometric surveys, and apply it to $\sim10,000\,\mathrm{deg}^{2}$ of SDSS DR8 data. Combined with deeper imaging from SDSS Stripe 82 and CFHTLens, we are able to use these depth maps to estimate the location-dependent galaxy detection completeness at any point within the full BOSS DR8 survey region. We show that these maps can be used to construct random points suitable for unbiased estimation of correlation functions for galaxies near the survey limiting magnitude. Finally, we provide limiting magnitude maps for galaxies in SDSS DR8 in HEALPix format with NSIDE=2048.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2015

A Measurement of Gravitational Lensing of the Cosmic Microwave Background by Galaxy Clusters Using Data from the South Pole Telescope

Clusters of galaxies are expected to gravitationally lens the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and thereby generate a distinct signal in the CMB on arcminute scales. Measurements of this effect can be used to constrain the masses of galaxy clusters with CMB data alone. Here we present a measurement of lensing of the CMB by galaxy clusters using data from the South Pole Telescope (SPT). We develop a maximum likelihood approach to extract the CMB cluster lensing signal and validate the method on mock data. We quantify the effects on our analysis of several potential sources of systematic error and find that they generally act to reduce the best-fit cluster mass. It is estimated that this bias to lower cluster mass is roughly $0.85σ$ in units of the statistical error bar, although this estimate should be viewed as an upper limit. We apply our maximum likelihood technique to 513 clusters selected via their SZ signatures in SPT data, and rule out the null hypothesis of no lensing at $3.1σ$. The lensing-derived mass estimate for the full cluster sample is consistent with that inferred from the SZ flux: $M_{200,\mathrm{lens}} = 0.83_{-0.37}^{+0.38}\, M_{200,\mathrm{SZ}}$ (68% C.L., statistical error only).

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2015

Analysis of Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect Mass-Observable Relations using South Pole Telescope Observations of an X-ray Selected Sample of Low Mass Galaxy Clusters and Groups

(Abridged) We use 95, 150, and 220GHz observations from the SPT to examine the SZE signatures of a sample of 46 X-ray selected groups and clusters drawn from ~6 deg^2 of the XMM-BCS. These systems extend to redshift z=1.02, have characteristic masses ~3x lower than clusters detected directly in the SPT data and probe the SZE signal to the lowest X-ray luminosities (>10^42 erg s^-1) yet. We develop an analysis tool that combines the SZE information for the full ensemble of X-ray-selected clusters. Using X-ray luminosity as a mass proxy, we extract selection-bias corrected constraints on the SZE significance- and Y_500-mass relations. The SZE significance- mass relation is in good agreement with an extrapolation of the relation obtained from high mass clusters. However, the fit to the Y_500-mass relation at low masses, while in good agreement with the extrapolation from high mass SPT clusters, is in tension at 2.8 sigma with the constraints from the Planck sample. We examine the tension with the Planck relation, discussing sample differences and biases that could contribute. We also present an analysis of the radio galaxy point source population in this ensemble of X-ray selected systems. We find 18 of our systems have 843 MHz SUMSS sources within 2 arcmin of the X-ray centre, and three of these are also detected at significance >4 by SPT. Of these three, two are associated with the group brightest cluster galaxies, and the third is likely an unassociated quasar candidate. We examine the impact of these point sources on our SZE scaling relation analyses and find no evidence of biases. We also examine the impact of dusty galaxies using constraints from the 220 GHz data. The stacked sample provides 2.8$σ$ significant evidence of dusty galaxy flux, which would correspond to an average underestimate of the SPT Y_500 signal that is (17+-9) per cent in this sample of low mass systems.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2015

Measurements of Sub-degree B-mode Polarization in the Cosmic Microwave Background from 100 Square Degrees of SPTpol Data

We present a measurement of the $B$-mode polarization power spectrum (the $BB$ spectrum) from 100 $\mathrm{deg}^2$ of sky observed with SPTpol, a polarization-sensitive receiver currently installed on the South Pole Telescope. The observations used in this work were taken during 2012 and early 2013 and include data in spectral bands centered at 95 and 150 GHz. We report the $BB$ spectrum in five bins in multipole space, spanning the range $300 \le \ell \le 2300$, and for three spectral combinations: 95 GHz $\times$ 95 GHz, 95 GHz $\times$ 150 GHz, and 150 GHz $\times$ 150 GHz. We subtract small ($< 0.5 σ$ in units of statistical uncertainty) biases from these spectra and account for the uncertainty in those biases. The resulting power spectra are inconsistent with zero power but consistent with predictions for the $BB$ spectrum arising from the gravitational lensing of $E$-mode polarization. If we assume no other source of $BB$ power besides lensed $B$ modes, we determine a preference for lensed $B$ modes of $4.9 σ$. After marginalizing over tensor power and foregrounds, namely polarized emission from galactic dust and extragalactic sources, this significance is $4.3 σ$. Fitting for a single parameter, $A_\mathrm{lens}$, that multiplies the predicted lensed $B$-mode spectrum, and marginalizing over tensor power and foregrounds, we find $A_\mathrm{lens} = 1.08 \pm 0.26$, indicating that our measured spectra are consistent with the signal expected from gravitational lensing. The data presented here provide the best measurement to date of the $B$-mode power spectrum on these angular scales.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2015

Galaxy Clusters Discovered via the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect in the 2500-square-degree SPT-SZ survey

We present a catalog of galaxy clusters selected via their Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect signature from 2500 deg$^2$ of South Pole Telescope (SPT) data. This work represents the complete sample of clusters detected at high significance in the 2500-square-degree SPT-SZ survey, which was completed in 2011. A total of 677 (409) cluster candidates are identified above a signal-to-noise threshold of $ξ$ =4.5 (5.0). Ground- and space-based optical and near-infrared (NIR) imaging confirms overdensities of similarly colored galaxies in the direction of 516 (or 76%) of the $ξ$>4.5 candidates and 387 (or 95%) of the $ξ$>5 candidates; the measured purity is consistent with expectations from simulations. Of these confirmed clusters, 415 were first identified in SPT data, including 251 new discoveries reported in this work. We estimate photometric redshifts for all candidates with identified optical and/or NIR counterparts; we additionally report redshifts derived from spectroscopic observations for 141 of these systems. The mass threshold of the catalog is roughly independent of redshift above $z$~0.25 leading to a sample of massive clusters that extends to high redshift. The median mass of the sample is $M_{\scriptsize 500c}(ρ_\mathrm{crit})$ ~ 3.5 x 10$^{14} M_\odot h^{-1}$, the median redshift is $z_{med}$ =0.55, and the highest-redshift systems are at $z$>1.4. The combination of large redshift extent, clean selection, and high typical mass makes this cluster sample of particular interest for cosmological analyses and studies of cluster formation and evolution.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2014

Mass Calibration and Cosmological Analysis of the SPT-SZ Galaxy Cluster Sample Using Velocity Dispersion $σ_v$ and X-ray $Y_\textrm{X}$ Measurements

We present a velocity dispersion-based mass calibration of the South Pole Telescope Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect survey (SPT-SZ) galaxy cluster sample. Using a homogeneously selected sample of 100 cluster candidates from 720 deg2 of the survey along with 63 velocity dispersion ($σ_v$) and 16 X-ray Yx measurements of sample clusters, we simultaneously calibrate the mass-observable relation and constrain cosmological parameters. The calibrations using $σ_v$ and Yx are consistent at the $0.6σ$ level, with the $σ_v$ calibration preferring ~16% higher masses. We use the full cluster dataset to measure $σ_8(Ω_ m/0.27)^{0.3}=0.809\pm0.036$. The SPT cluster abundance is lower than preferred by either the WMAP9 or Planck+WMAP9 polarization (WP) data, but assuming the sum of the neutrino masses is $\sum m_ν=0.06$ eV, we find the datasets to be consistent at the 1.0$σ$ level for WMAP9 and 1.5$σ$ for Planck+WP. Allowing for larger $\sum m_ν$ further reconciles the results. When we combine the cluster and Planck+WP datasets with BAO and SNIa, the preferred cluster masses are $1.9σ$ higher than the Yx calibration and $0.8σ$ higher than the $σ_v$ calibration. Given the scale of these shifts (~44% and ~23% in mass, respectively), we execute a goodness of fit test; it reveals no tension, indicating that the best-fit model provides an adequate description of the data. Using the multi-probe dataset, we measure $Ω_ m=0.299\pm0.009$ and $σ_8=0.829\pm0.011$. Within a $ν$CDM model we find $\sum m_ν= 0.148\pm0.081$ eV. We present a consistency test of the cosmic growth rate. Allowing both the growth index $γ$ and the dark energy equation of state parameter $w$ to vary, we find $γ=0.73\pm0.28$ and $w=-1.007\pm0.065$, demonstrating that the expansion and the growth histories are consistent with a LCDM model ($γ=0.55; \,w=-1$).

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2014

A measurement of secondary cosmic microwave background anisotropies from the 2500-square-degree SPT-SZ survey

We present measurements of secondary cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies and cosmic infrared background (CIB) fluctuations using data from the South Pole Telescope (SPT) covering the complete 2540 sq.deg. SPT-SZ survey area. Data in the three SPT-SZ frequency bands centered at 95, 150, and 220 GHz, are used to produce six angular power spectra (three single-frequency auto-spectra and three cross-spectra) covering the multipole range 2000 < ell < 11000 (angular scales 5' > θ> 1'). These are the most precise measurements of the angular power spectra at ell > 2500 at these frequencies. The main contributors to the power spectra at these angular scales and frequencies are the primary CMB, CIB, thermal and kinematic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effects (tSZ and kSZ), and radio galaxies. We include a constraint on the tSZ power from a measurement of the tSZ bispectrum from 800 sq.deg. of the SPT-SZ survey. We measure the tSZ power at 143 GHz to be DtSZ = 4.08 +0.58 -0.67 μK^2 and the kSZ power to be DkSZ = 2.9 +- 1.3 μK^2. The data prefer positive kSZ power at 98.1% CL. We measure a correlation coefficient of ξ= 0.113 +0.057 -0.054 between sources of tSZ and CIB power, with ξ< 0 disfavored at a confidence level of 99.0%. The constraint on kSZ power can be interpreted as an upper limit on the duration of reionization. When the post-reionization homogeneous kSZ signal is accounted for, we find an upper limit on the duration Δz < 5.4 at 95% CL.

astro-ph.CO↗