An Algorithm to locate the centers of Baryon Acoustic Oscillations

TL;DR

This paper introduces an efficient algorithm that locates probable centers of Baryon Acoustic Oscillations in cosmic matter distribution, providing a new method for detecting BAO structures in galaxy surveys.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel spherical shell convolution algorithm for identifying BAO centers directly in real space, improving detection accuracy over traditional two-point statistics.

Findings

Successfully applied to SDSS DR9 data and mock catalogs

Demonstrated ability to locate BAO centers accurately

Achieved a new detection of the BAO scale in galaxy surveys

Abstract

The cosmic structure formed from Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO) in the early universe is imprinted in the galaxy distribution observable in large scale surveys, and is used as a standard ruler in contemporary cosmology. BAO are typically detected as a preferential length scale in two point statistics, which gives little information about the location of BAO structures in real space. The aim of the algorithm described in this paper is to find probable centers of BAO in the cosmic matter distribution. The algorithm convolves the three dimensional distribution of matter density with a spherical shell kernel of variable radius placed at different locations. The locations that correspond to the highest values of the convolution correspond to the probable centers of BAO. This method is realized in an open-source, computationally efficient algorithm. We describe the algorithm and present the results of applying it to the SDSS DR9 CMASS survey and associated mock catalogs. A detailed performance study demonstrates the algorithm's ability to locate BAO centers, and in doing so presents a novel detection of the BAO scale in galaxy surveys.