arXiv subjects

Shant Baghram

Publications and source records attributed to Shant Baghram.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2023

Anisotropic Cosmology in the Local Limit of Nonlocal Gravity

Within the framework of the local limit of nonlocal gravity (NLG), we investigate a class of Bianchi type I spatially homogeneous but anisotropic cosmological models. The modified field equations are presented in this case and some special solutions are discussed in detail. This modified gravity theory contains a susceptibility function S(x) such that general relativity (GR) is recovered for S = 0. In the modified anisotropic cosmological models, we explore the contribution of S(t) and its temporal derivative to the local anisotropic cosmic acceleration. The implications of our results for observational cosmology are briefly discussed.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2022

Structure of cosmic web in non-linear regime: the nearest neighbour and spherical contact distributions

In non-linear scales, the matter density distribution is not Gaussian. Consequently, the widely used two-point correlation function is not adequate anymore to capture the matter density field's entire behaviour. Among all statistics beyond correlation functions, the spherical contact (or equivalently void function), and nearest neighbour distribution function seem promising tools to probe matter distribution in non-linear regime. In this work, we use halos from cosmological N-body simulations, galaxy groups from the volume-limited galaxy group and central galaxies from mock galaxy catalogues, to compare the spherical contact with the nearest neighbour distribution functions. We also calculate the J-function (or equivalently the first conditional correlation function), for different samples. Moreover, we consider the redshift evolution and mass-scale dependence of statistics in the simulations and dependence on the magnitude of volume-limited samples in group catalogues as well as the mock central galaxies. The shape of the spherical contact probability distribution function is nearly skew-normal, with skewness and kurtosis being approximately 0.5 and 3, respectively. On the other hand, the nearest neighbour probability distribution function is nearly log-normal, with logarithmic skewness and kurtosis being approximately 0.1 and 2.5, respectively. Accordingly, the spherical contact distribution function probes larger scales compared to the nearest neighbour distribution function, which is influenced by details of structures. We also find a linear relation between the mean and variance of the spherical contact probability distribution function in simulations and mock galaxies, which could be used as a distinguishing probe of cosmological models.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2022

Mass assembly history of dark matter halos in the light of $H_0$ tension

The Hubble tension may introduce a new course of action to revise the standard $Λ$CDM model to unravel dark energy and dark matter physics. The Hubble parameter can be reconstructed by late-time observations of the background evolution model independently. We relate the reconstructed Hubble parameter to the structure formation and large scale structure observables in this work. We use the excursion set theory to calculate the number density of dark matter halos and the mass function of progenitors. We obtain the results for both the Markov and non-Markov extension of the excursion set theory in the context of spherical and ellipsoidal collapse. We show that the number density of dark matter halos in the reconstructed model has approximately $\sim2σ$ difference in comparison to the Planck-2018 $Λ$CDM in the mass range of $M\gtrsim10^{12}M_{\odot}$. We also compare the dark matter halo progenitor mass function with the pair-galaxy statistics and their mass assembly history from observational data of the HST, CANDEL survey. Due to complications to distinguish the ratio of accretion and merger in mass assembly, our result on pair fraction is for illustration only. However, a $\sim5$ times more accurate observations will be promising to distinguish the reconstructed model and the Planck-2018 $Λ$CDM.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

CMB lensing in a modified $Λ$CDM model in light of the $H_0$ tension

The observed discrepancy of the Hubble parameter measurements in the local universe with the cosmic microwave background (CMB) data may indicate a new physics. It is vital to test the alternative models that reconcile the Hubble tension with other cosmological observations in this direction. The CMB lensing is a crucial observation that relates the early universe perturbations to the matter's late-time distribution. In this work, we study the prediction of the ü$Λ$CDM as a solution for $H_0$ tension for CMB lensing and the low- and high-$\ell$'s temperature (TT) power spectrum internal inconsistency. We show that this model relaxes the low- and high-$\ell$'s TT mild inconsistency and the CMB lensing tensions simultaneously. Accordingly, ü$Λ$CDM having the same number of free parameters as $Λ$CDM with lensing amplitude $A_L$ added, has a better fit with $Δχ^2=-3.3$.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

Primordial Black Holes in the Excursion Set Theory

We study primordial black holes (PBHs) formation in the excursion set theory (EST) in a vast range of PBHs masses with and without confirmed constraints on their abundance. In this work, we introduce a new concept of the first touch in the context of EST for PBHs formation. This new framework takes into account the earlier horizon reentry of smaller masses. Our study shows that in the EST, it is possible to produce PBHs in different mass range, with enhanced power spectrum, which could make up all dark matter. We also show that in a broad blue-tilted power spectrum, the production of PBHs is dominated by smaller masses. Our analysis put an upper limit $\sim\,$0.1 on the amplitude of the curvature power spectrum at length scales relevant for PBHs formation.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2020

Modified initial power spectrum and too big to fail problem

The galactic scale challenges of dark matter such as "missing satellite" problem and "too big to fail" problem are the main caveats of standard model of cosmology. These challenges could be solved either by implementing the complicated baryonic physics or it could be considered as an indication to a new physics beyond the standard model of cosmology. The modification of collisionless dark matter models or the standard initial conditions are two promising venues for study. In this work, we investigate the effects of the deviations from scale invariant initial curvature power spectrum on number density of dark matter halos. We develop the non-Markov extension of the excursion set theory to calculate the number density of dark matter substructures and dark matter halo progenitor mass distribution. We show that the plausible solution to "too big to fail" problem could be obtained by a Gaussian excess in initial power in the scales of $k_* \sim 3 \text{h/Mpc}$ that is related to the mass scale of $M_* \sim 10^{11} M_{\odot}$. We show that this deviation leads to the decrement of dark matter sub-halos in galactic scale, which is consistent with the current status of the non-linear power spectrum. Our proposal also has a prediction that the number density of Milky way type galaxies must be higher than the standard case.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2020

Constraint on the mass of fuzzy dark matter from the rotation curve of the Milky Way

Fuzzy Dark Matter (FDM) is one of the recent models for dark matter. According to this model, dark matter is made of very light scalar particles with considerable quantum mechanical effects on the galactic scale, which solves many problems of the cold dark matter (CDM). Here we use the observed data from the rotation curve of the Milky Way (MW) Galaxy to compare the results from FDM and CDM models. We show FDM adds a local peak on the rotation curve close to the center of the bulge, where its position and amplitude depend on the mass of FDM particles. By fitting the observed rotation curve with our expectation from FDM, we find that the mass of FDM is $m = 2.5^{+3.6}_{-2.0} \times10^{-21}$eV. We note that the local peak of the rotation curve in MW can also be explained in the CDM model with an extra inner bulge model for the MW Galaxy. We conclude that the FDM model explains this peak without a need for extra structure for the bulge.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

Investigation of two colliding solitonic cores in Fuzzy Dark Matter models

One of the challenging questions in cosmology is the nature of dark matter particles. Fuzzy Dark Matter (FDM) is one of the candidates which is made of very light ($m_{FDM}\simeq 10^{-22}-10^{-21}$ eV) bosonic particles with no self-interaction. It is introduced by the motivation to solve the core-cusp problem in the galactic halos. In this work, we investigate the observational features from FDM halo collisions. Taking into account the quantum wave-length of the condensed bosonic structure, we determine the interference of the wave function of cores after collision. The fringe formation in the wave function is associated to the density contrast of the dark matter inside the colliding galaxies. The observational signatures of the fringes of the distribution of the dark matter are (i) on the lensing of the background sources, (ii) accumulation of the baryonic plasma tracking the interference of the FDM potential and (iii) excess in the X-ray emission from dense regions. Finally, we provide prospects for the observations of quantum wave features of FDM in the colliding galaxies. The NGC6240 colliding galaxy at the redshift of $z=0.024$ is a suitable candidate for this study. No signal is detected from the fringes in the Chandra data and taking into account the angular resolution of the telescope, we put constrain of $m> 7 \times10^{-23}$ eV on the mass of FDM particles.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2019

$H_0$ tension as a hint for a transition in gravitational theory

We propose a cosmological model, ü$Λ$CDM, based on {\it über-gravity}, which is a canonical ensemble average of many theories of gravity. In this model, we have a sharp transition from (a purely) $Λ$CDM era to a phase in which the Ricci scalar is a constant. This transition occurs when the Ricci scalar reaches a critical scale or alternatively at a transition redshift, $z_\oplus$. We use the observations of baryonic acoustic oscillations (BAO) and Supernovae Ia (SNe), as well as the cosmic microwave background (CMB) data to constrain ü$Λ$CDM. This yields $H_0=70.6_{-1.3}^{+1.1}$ km/s/Mpc, $Ω_m=0.2861 \pm{0.0092} $ and $z_\oplus=0.537_{-0.375}^{+0.277}$, providing a marginally better fit with a Akaike information criterion of 0.8. %After adding in the data from BAO in the Lyman-$α$ forest in quasar spectra, we get $Δχ^2=-2.14$, where the best fit occurs at $H_0=71.2_{-1.5}^{+1.8}$ km/s/Mpc, $Ω_m=0.280\pm 0.013$ and $z_{\oplus}= 0.41^{+0.31}_{-0.29}$. Therefore, ü$Λ$CDM can ease the $H_0$-tension, albeit marginally, with one additional free parameter. We also provide a preliminary study of the linear perturbation theory in ü$Λ$CDM which points to interesting potential {\it smoking guns} in the observations of large scales structure at $z < z_{\oplus}$.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2019

21-cm power spectrum and ionization bias as a probe of long-mode modulated non Gaussian sky

The observed hemispherical power asymmetry in cosmic microwave background radiation can be explained by long wavelength mode (long-mode) modulation. In this work we study the prospect of the detection of this effect in the angular power spectrum of 21-cm brightness temperature. For this task, we study the effect of the neutral Hydrogen distribution on the angular power spectrum. This is done by formulating the bias parameter of ionized fraction to the underlying matter distribution. We also discuss the possibility that the long mode modulation is companied with a primordial non-Gaussianity of local type. In this case, we obtain the angular power spectrum with two effects of primordial non-Gaussianity and long mode modulation. Finally, we show that the primordial non-Gaussianity enhances the long mode modulated power of 21-cm signal via the non-Gaussian scale-dependent bias up to four orders of magnitude. {Accordingly, the observation of 21-cm signal with upcoming surveys such as the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) is probably capable of detecting hemispherical power asymmetry in the context of the long mode modulation.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2019

Cosmological Filaments in the light of Excursion Set of Saddle Points

The universe in large scales is structured as a network known as cosmic web. Filaments are one of the structural components of this web, which can be introduced as a novel probe to study the formation and evolution of structures and as a probe to study the cosmological models and to address the missing baryon problem. The aim of this work is to introduce an analytical framework to study the statistics of filaments such as number density of them and also to obtain the length-mass relation. For this objective, we model filaments as collapsed objects which have an extension in one direction, accordingly we use the ellipsoidal collapse to study the evolution of an over-dense region via gravitational instability. %In this context, we consider the critical density of filament formation, which will be a crucial parameter for number density count. We find that the nonlinear density of filaments in the epoch of formation is almost mass independent and is in order of $\sim 30$. By introducing {\it{filament's extended condition}} we find a fitting function for length-mass relation. For the statistics of filaments, we propose a novel framework named excursion set of saddle points. In this approach, we count the saddle points of the density field Hessian matrix, and relate it to the count of filaments. In addition, we addressed the filament in filament problem with up-crossing approximation.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2019

Exact enumeration approach to first-passage time distribution of non-Markov random walks

We propose an analytical approach to study non-Markov random walks by employing an exact enumeration method. Using the method, we derive an exact expansion for the first-passage time (FPT) distribution for any continuous, differentiable non-Markov random walk with Gaussian or non-Gaussian multivariate distribution. As an example, we study the FPT distribution of a fractional Brownian motion with a Hurst exponent $H\in(1/2,1)$ that describes numerous non-Markov stochastic phenomena in physics, biology and geology, and for which the limit $H=1/2$ represents a Markov process.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2019

Measuring the baryon fraction in cluster of galaxies with Kinematic Sunyaev Zeldovich and a Standard Candle

We propose a new method to use the kinematic Sunyaev-Zeldovich for measuring the baryon fraction in cluster of galaxies. In this proposal we need a configuration in which a supernova Type Ia resides in a brightest cluster galaxy of intermediate redshift clusters. We show this supernova Type Ia can be used to measure the bulk velocity of a galaxy cluster. We assert that the redshift range of $0.4<z<0.6$ is suitable for this proposal. The main contribution to the deviation of standard candles distance modulus from cosmological background prediction in this redshift range comes from peculiar velocity of the host galaxy and gravitational lensing. In this work we argue that by the knowledge of the bulk flow of the galaxy cluster and the cosmic microwave background photons temperature change due to kinematic Sunyaev-Zeldovich, we can constrain the baryon fraction of galaxy cluster. The probability of this configuration for clusters is obtained. We estimate in a conservative parameter estimation the large synoptic survey telescope can find spectroscopically followed $\sim 4500$ galaxy clusters with a bright cluster galaxy which hosts a type Ia Supernova each year. Finally, we show the improving of the distance modulus measurement is the key improvement in future surveys which will be crucial to detect the baryon fraction of cluster with the proposed method.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2018

The Excursion set approach: Stratonovich approximation and Cholesky decomposition

The excursion set approach is a framework for estimating how the number density of nonlinear structures in the cosmic web depends on the expansion history of the universe and the nature of gravity. A key part of the approach is the estimation of the first crossing distribution of a suitably chosen barrier by random walks having correlated steps: The shape of the barrier is determined by the physics of nonlinear collapse, and the correlations between steps by the nature of the initial density fluctuation field. We describe analytic and numerical methods for calculating such first up-crossing distributions. While the exact solution can be written formally as an infinite series, we show how to approximate it efficiently using the Stratonovich approximation. We demonstrate its accuracy using Monte-Carlo realizations of the walks, which we generate using a novel Cholesky-decomposition based algorithm, which is significantly faster than the algorithm that is currently in the literature.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2018

Peculiar velocity measurement in a clumpy universe

In this work we address the issue of peculiar velocity measurement in a perturbed Friedmann universe using the deviations from measured luminosity distances of standard candles from background FRW universe. We want to show and quantify the statement that in intermediate redshifts ($0.5< z < 2$), deviations from the background FRW model are not uniquely governed by peculiar velocities. Luminosity distances are modified by gravitational lensing. We also want to indicate the importance of relativistic calculations for peculiar velocity measurement at all redshifts. For this task we discuss the relativistic correction on luminosity distance and redshift measurement and show the contribution of each of the corrections as lensing term, peculiar velocity of the source and Sachs-Wolfe effect. Then we use the SNe Ia sample of Union 2, to investigate the relativistic effects we consider. We show that, using the conventional peculiar velocity method, that ignores the lensing effect, will result in an overestimate of the measured peculiar velocities at intermediate redshifts. Here we quantify this effect. We show that at low redshifts the lensing effect is negligible compare to the effect of peculiar velocity. From the observational point of view, we show that the uncertainties on luminosity of the present SNe Ia data prevent us from precise measuring the peculiar velocities even at low redshifts ($z<0.2$).

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2018

Late time sky as a probe of steps and oscillations in primordial Universe

The standard model of cosmology with nearly Gaussian, isotropic, scale invariant and adiabatic initial conditions describes the cosmological observations well. However, the study of any deviation from the mentioned conditions will open up a new horizon to the physics of early universe. In this work, we study the effect of the oscillatory and step-like features in potentials of inflationary models in late time large scale structure observations. Mainly we study the matter power spectrum, number density of the structures, dark matter halo bias and specifically CMB lensing. We show that the oscillatory models can introduce some degeneracy with late time effects on BAO scale. We also conclude that high frequency oscillatory models which are favored by Planck data do not have significant effect on the non linear structure formation. Finally we show that inflationary models with step functions which deviates from the standard model in small scales $l \leq 1 Mpc$ can be constrained by future experiments via CMB lensing. We propose the idea that CMB lensing is a bias independent observation which can be used as a small scale physics probe due to distribution of the lenses in low redshifts. Meantime this model can alter the prediction of the cosmological model for the number density of small structures and can be used as a probable explanation for galactic scale crisis of $Λ$CDM.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2017

Supernovae anisotropy power spectrum

We contribute another anisotropy study to this field of research using Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia). In this work, we utilise the power spectrum calculation method and apply it to both the current SNe Ia data and simulation. Using the Union2.1 data set at all redshifts, we compare the spectrum of the residuals of the observed distance moduli to that expected from an isotropic universe affected by the Union2.1 observational uncertainties at low multipoles. Through this comparison we find a dipolar anisotropy with tension of less that $2σ$ towards $l =171^\circ \pm 21^\circ$ and $b=-26^\circ \pm 28^\circ$ which is mainly induced by anisotropic spatial distribution of the SNe with $z > 0.2$ rather than being a cosmic effect. Furthermore, we find a tension of $\sim 4σ$ at $\ell=4$ between the two spectra. Our simulations are constructed with the characteristics of the upcoming surveys like the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), which shall bring us the largest SNe Ia collection to date. We make predictions for the amplitude of a possible dipolar anisotropy that would be detectable by future SNe Ia surveys.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2017

Matrix Formalism of Excursion Set Theory: A new approach to statistics of dark matter halo counting

Excursion set theory (EST) is an analytical framework to study the large-scale structure of the Universe. EST introduces a procedure to calculate the number density of structures by relating the cosmological linear perturbation theory to the nonlinear structures in late time. In this work, we introduce a novel approach to reformulate the EST in matrix formalism. We propose that the matrix representation of EST will facilitate the calculations in this framework. The method is to discretize the two-dimensional plane of variance and density contrast of EST, where the trajectories for each point in the Universe lived there. The probability of having a density contrast in a chosen variance is represented by a probability ket. Naturally, the concept of the transition matrix pops up to define the trajectories. We also define the probability transition rate which is used to obtain the first up-crossing of trajectories and the number count of the structures. In this work we show that the discretization let us study the non-Markov processes by forcing them to look like a Wiener process. Also we discuss that the zero drift processes with Gaussian and also non-Gaussian initial conditions can be studied by this formalism. The continuous limit of the formalism is discussed, and the known Fokker-Planck dispersion equation is recovered. Finally we show that the probability of the most massive progenitors can be extracted in this framework.

astro-ph.CO↗