Why are we still using 3D masses for cluster cosmology?

TL;DR

This paper advocates for using aperture masses measured via weak lensing instead of traditional 3D masses for cluster cosmology, as they are more directly observable and less biased, leading to improved cosmological constraints.

Contribution

The study demonstrates that aperture masses correlate well with 3D masses and can be measured more precisely, offering a robust alternative for cluster-based cosmological analyses.

Findings

Aperture masses correlate strongly with 3D halo masses despite scatter.

Aperture masses can be measured 2-3 times more precisely than 3D masses.

Aperture mass function sensitivity to cosmological parameters is comparable or superior to 3D mass functions.

Abstract

The abundance of clusters of galaxies is highly sensitive to the late-time evolution of the matter distribution, since clusters form at the highest density peaks. However, the 3D cluster mass cannot be inferred without deprojecting the observations, introducing model-dependent biases and uncertainties due to the mismatch between the assumed and the true cluster density profile and the neglected matter along the sightline. Since projected aperture masses can be measured directly in simulations and observationally through weak lensing, we argue that they are better suited for cluster cosmology. Using the Mira-Titan suite of gravity-only simulations, we show that aperture masses correlate strongly with 3D halo masses, albeit with large intrinsic scatter due to the varying matter distribution along the sightline. Nonetheless, aperture masses can be measured $\approx 2-3$ times more precisely from observations, since they do not require assumptions about the density profile and are only affected by the shape noise in the weak lensing measurements. We emulate the cosmology dependence of the aperture mass function directly with a Gaussian process. Comparing the cosmology sensitivity of the aperture mass function and the 3D halo mass function for a fixed survey solid angle and redshift interval, we find the aperture mass sensitivity is higher for $\Omega_\mathrm{m}$ and $w_a$, similar for $\sigma_8$, $n_\mathrm{s}$, and $w_0$, and slightly lower for $h$. With a carefully calibrated aperture mass function emulator, cluster cosmology analyses can use cluster aperture masses directly, reducing the sensitivity to model-dependent mass calibration biases and uncertainties.