Probing primordial non-Gaussianity via iSW measurements with SKA continuum surveys

TL;DR

This paper explores how future SKA radio continuum surveys, combined with cross-correlation techniques and redshift information, can significantly improve constraints on primordial non-Gaussianity, potentially reaching sigma(fNL) ~ 1.

Contribution

It demonstrates that SKA continuum surveys, especially with tomographic analysis and high-redshift data, can provide constraints on non-Gaussianity comparable to CMB measurements.

Findings

Single redshift bin analysis yields sigma(fNL) ~ 20.

Tomographic analysis with two redshift bins improves constraints by an order of magnitude.

Adding high-redshift sources enables sigma(fNL) ~ 1.

Abstract

The Planck CMB experiment has delivered the best constraints so far on primordial non-Gaussianity, ruling out early-Universe models of inflation that generate large non-Gaussianity. Although small improvements in the CMB constraints are expected, the next frontier of precision will come from future large-scale surveys of the galaxy distribution. The advantage of such surveys is that they can measure many more modes than the CMB -- in particular, forthcoming radio surveys with the SKA will cover huge volumes. Radio continuum surveys deliver the largest volumes, but with the disadvantage of no redshift information. In order to mitigate this, we use two additional observables. First, the integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect -- the cross-correlation of the radio number counts with the CMB temperature anisotropies -- helps to reduce systematics on the large scales that are sensitive to non-Gaussianity. Second, optical data allows for cross-identification in order to gain some redshift information. We show that, while the single redshift bin case can provide a sigma(fNL) ~ 20, and is therefore not competitive with current and future constraints on non-Gaussianity, a tomographic analysis could improve the constraints by an order of magnitude, even with only two redshift bins. A huge improvement is provided by the addition of high-redshift sources, so having cross-ID for high-z galaxies and an even higher-z radio tail is key to enabling very precise measurements of fNL. Our results show that SKA continuum surveys could provide constraints competitive with CMB and forthcoming optical surveys, potentially allowing a measurement of sigma(fNL) ~ 1 to be made. Moreover, these measurements would act as a useful check of results obtained with other probes at other redshift ranges with other methods.