Constraining Cosmology with High Convergence Regions in Weak Lensing Surveys

TL;DR

This paper introduces a method using high-convergence regions in weak lensing maps to constrain cosmological parameters, leveraging nonlinear structures and combining with CMB data for improved accuracy.

Contribution

It presents a novel observable based on hot spot fractional area in weak lensing maps, providing a new way to extract cosmological information from nonlinear structures.

Findings

Method can constrain parameters comparable to galaxy cluster abundance studies.

Combining with CMB improves parameter constraints.

Projection effects become a source of information rather than uncertainty.

Abstract

We propose to use a simple observable, the fractional area of "hot spots" in weak gravitational lensing mass maps which are detected with high significance, to determine background cosmological parameters. Because these high-convergence regions are directly related to the physical nonlinear structures of the universe, they derive cosmological information mainly from the nonlinear regime of density fluctuations. We show that in combination with future cosmic microwave background anisotropy measurements, this method can place constraints on cosmological parameters that are comparable to those from the redshift distribution of galaxy cluster abundances. The main advantage of the statistic proposed in this paper is that projection effects, normally the main source of uncertainty when determining the presence and the mass of a galaxy cluster, here serve as a source of information.