A combined analysis of 3D Weak Lensing, Lyman-alpha forest and WMAP year three data

TL;DR

This paper combines weak lensing, Lyman-alpha forest, and WMAP data to tightly constrain cosmological parameters within the LambdaCDM model, revealing consistent results and reducing uncertainties.

Contribution

It introduces a joint analysis of three independent cosmological data sets to improve parameter constraints and address degeneracies in the LambdaCDM model.

Findings

Consistent amplitude of matter power spectrum from lensing and Lyman-alpha data.

Joint data analysis significantly tightens constraints on sigma_8, n_s, and Omega_m.

Derived parameter values are sigma_8=0.800±0.023, n_s=0.971±0.011, Omega_m=0.247±0.016.

Abstract

We present constraints on the amplitude and shape of the matter power spectrum and the density of dark matter within the framework of a standard LambdaCDM model. We use a Markov Chain Monte Carlo approach to combine independent measurements of the three dimensional weak gravitational lensing shear field by the COSMOS survey, of low and high resolution Ly-alpha forest flux power spectrum by SDSS and LUQAS, and of Cosmic Microwave Background temperature and polarization anisotropies by WMAP. We note good agreement between the amplitude of the matter power spectrum on intermediate and small scales as inferred from Ly-alpha forest and lensing data. The Ly-alpha forest data helps to break the sigma_8-Omega_m degeneracy characteristic of weak lensing results, yielding sigma_8 = 0.876 +- 0.048 for COSMOS plus Ly-alpha SDSS data. This is somewhat larger than the value preferred by the WMAP year three CMB data. Combining all three data sets significantly tightens the constraints on sigma_8, the spectral index of primordial density fluctuation n_s, a possible running of the spectral index n_run and the matter density Omega_m. Assuming no running, the joint constraints for COSMOS, SDSS and WMAP are sigma_8 = 0.800 +- 0.023, n_s = 0.971 +- 0.011, Omega_m = 0.247 +- 0.016 (1-sigma error bars).