Probing primordial non-Gaussianity with SKA galaxy redshift surveys: a fully relativistic analysis

TL;DR

This paper presents a fully relativistic analysis of SKA galaxy redshift surveys, demonstrating their potential to significantly improve constraints on primordial non-Gaussianity, especially on large scales where relativistic effects are crucial.

Contribution

It introduces the first forecasts including general relativistic effects on galaxy counts for SKA surveys, enhancing the accuracy of primordial non-Gaussianity measurements.

Findings

Full SKA survey can constrain fNL to 1.54

Relativistic effects are significant on large scales

Improves Planck constraints by a factor of five

Abstract

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) will produce spectroscopic surveys of tens to hundreds of millions of HI galaxies, eventually covering 30,000 sq. deg. and reaching out to redshift z~2. The huge volumes probed by the SKA will allow for some of the best constraints on primordial non-Gaussianity, based on measurements of the large-scale power spectrum. We investigate various observational set-ups for HI galaxy redshift surveys, compatible with the SKA Phase 1 and Phase 2 (full SKA) configurations. We use the corresponding number counts and bias for each survey from realistic simulations and derive the magnification bias and the evolution of source counts directly from these. For the first time, we produce forecasts that fully include the general relativistic effects on the galaxy number counts. These corrections to the standard analysis become important on very large scales, where the signal of primordial non-Gaussianity grows strongest. Our results show that, for the full survey, the non-Gaussianity parameter fNL can be constrained down to an accuracy of 1.54. This improves the current limit set by the Planck satellite by a factor of five, using a completely different approach.