Measurement of the integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect using the AllWISE data release

TL;DR

This study detects the integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect by cross-correlating AllWISE infrared sources with CMB data, providing evidence consistent with the Lambda-CDM model at a combined significance of 3.4 sigma.

Contribution

It presents the first measurement of the ISW effect using AllWISE data, calibrating biases with Planck lensing, and combining galaxy and AGN samples for improved detection.

Findings

ISW effect amplitude for galaxies: 1.18 ± 0.36

ISW effect amplitude for AGNs: 0.64 ± 0.74

Combined detection significance: 3.4 sigma

Abstract

One of the physical features of a dark-energy-dominated universe is the integrated Sachs-Wolfe (ISW) effect on the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation, which gives us a direct observational window to detect and study dark energy. The AllWISE data release of the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) has a large number of point sources, which span over a wide redshift range including where the ISW effect is maximized. AllWISE data is thus very well-suited for the ISW effect studies. In this study, we cross-correlate AllWISE galaxy and active galactic nucleus (AGN) overdensities with the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe CMB temperature maps to detect the ISW effect signal. We calibrate the biases for galaxies and AGNs by cross-correlating the galaxy and AGN overdensities with the Planck lensing convergence map. We measure the ISW effect signal amplitudes relative to the $\Lambda$CDM expectation of $A=1$ to be $A=1.18 \pm 0.36$ for galaxies and $A=0.64 \pm 0.74$ for AGNs . The detection significances for the ISW effect signal are $3.3\sigma$ and $0.9\sigma$ for galaxies and AGNs respectively giving a combined significance of $3.4\sigma$. Our result is in agreement with the $\Lambda$CDM model.