The stacked ISW signal of rare superstructures in \Lambda CDM

TL;DR

This paper revises the theoretical prediction of the ISW signal from superstructures in CDM, finding that the observed anomaly remains significant and cannot be explained by current models, suggesting potential new physics.

Contribution

It updates the CDM theoretical model for the ISW signal using N-body simulations, confirming the persistent discrepancy with observations.

Findings

Observed ISW signal exceeds CDM predictions by >3 standard deviations

Updated model calculations show small differences from previous estimates

Discrepancy remains unexplained by current CDM-based models

Abstract

A detection of the stacked integrated Sachs-Wolfe (ISW) signal in the CMB of rare superstructures identified in the SDSS Luminous Red Galaxy catalogue has been reported at very high statistical significance. The magnitude of the observed signal has previously been argued to be more than 3 standard deviations larger than the theoretical \Lambda CDM expectation. However, this calculation was made in the linear approximation, and relied on assumptions that may potentially have caused the \Lambda CDM expectation to be underestimated. Here we update the theoretical model calculation and compare it with an analysis of ISW maps obtained from N-body simulations of a \Lambda CDM universe. The differences between model predictions and the map analyses are found to be small and cannot explain the discrepancy with observation, which remains at >3 s.d. significance. We discuss the cosmological significance of this anomaly and speculate on the potential of alternative models to explain it.