Nonlinear power spectrum in the presence of massive neutrinos: perturbation theory approach, galaxy bias and parameter forecasts

TL;DR

This paper develops a perturbation theory-based model for the galaxy power spectrum in mixed dark matter models with massive neutrinos, enabling improved neutrino mass constraints from galaxy surveys combined with CMB data.

Contribution

It introduces a novel perturbation theory approach that accounts for nonlinear clustering and galaxy bias in models with massive neutrinos, enhancing parameter estimation accuracy.

Findings

Stage-IV surveys can constrain total neutrino mass to 0.05 eV.

Neglecting neutrino mass can bias dark energy parameter estimates.

The model improves understanding of nonlinear galaxy clustering in neutrino-influenced cosmologies.

Abstract

Future or ongoing galaxy redshift surveys can put stringent constraints on neutrinos masses via the high-precision measurements of galaxy power spectrum, when combined with cosmic microwave background (CMB) information. In this paper we develop a method to model galaxy power spectrum in the weakly nonlinear regime for a mixed dark matter (CDM plus finite-mass neutrinos) model, based on perturbation theory (PT) whose validity is well tested by simulations for a CDM model. In doing this we carefully study various aspects of the nonlinear clustering and then arrive at a useful approximation allowing for a quick computation of the nonlinear power spectrum as in the CDM case. The nonlinear galaxy bias is also included in a self-consistent manner within the PT framework. Thus the use of our PT model can give a more robust understanding of the measured galaxy power spectrum as well as allow for higher sensitivity to neutrino masses due to the gain of Fourier modes beyond the linear regime. Based on the Fisher matrix formalism, we find that BOSS or Stage-III type survey, when combined with Planck CMB information, gives a precision of total neutrino mass constraint, sigma(m_nu,tot) 0.1eV, while Stage-IV type survey may achieve sigma(m_nu,tot) 0.05eV, i.e. more than a 1-sigma detection of neutrino masses. We also discuss possible systematic errors on dark energy parameters caused by the neutrino mass uncertainty. The significant correlation between neutrino mass and dark energy parameters is found, if the information on power spectrum amplitude is included. More importantly, for Stage-IV type survey, a best-fit dark energy model may be biased and falsely away from the underlying true model by more than the 1-sigma statistical errors, if neutrino mass is ignored in the model fitting.