MultiDarkLens Simulations: weak lensing light-cones and data base presentation

TL;DR

This paper introduces a comprehensive database of weak lensing light cones from the Big MultiDark simulation, including tools and results for cosmological analysis and forecasts based on specific survey geometries.

Contribution

It provides a large, publicly available database of weak lensing simulations with analysis tools, enabling improved cosmological forecasts and studies.

Findings

Convergence power spectra and higher-order statistics are computed for specific survey fields.

Covariance matrices for different realizations are provided.

Galaxy-shear and density contrast correlations show good agreement with theoretical expectations.

Abstract

In this paper we present a large database of weak lensing light cones constructed using different snapshots from the Big MultiDark simulation (BigMDPL). The ray-tracing through different multiple planes has been performed with the GLAMER code accounting both for single source redshifts and for sources distributed along the cosmic time. This first paper presents weak lensing forecasts and results according to the geometry of the VIPERS-W1 and VIPERS-W4 field of view. Additional fields will be available on our database and new ones can be run upon request. Our database also contains some tools for lensing analysis. In this paper we present results for convergence power spectra, one point and high order weak lensing statistics useful for forecasts and for cosmological studies. Covariance matrices have also been computed for the different realisations of the W1 and W4 fields. In addition we compute also galaxy-shear and projected density contrasts for different halo masses at two lens redshifts according to the CFHTLS source redshift distribution both using stacking and cross-correlation techniques, finding very good agreement.