Alcock-Paczy\'nski effect on void-finding: Implications for void-galaxy cross-correlation modelling

TL;DR

This paper investigates how the Alcock-Paczyński effect influences void-finding algorithms and the void-galaxy cross-correlation function, revealing biases and proposing a method to correct for these effects in cosmological analyses.

Contribution

It demonstrates that void finders respond differently to the AP effect, affecting the CCF, and introduces a correction method to mitigate biases in cosmological parameter estimation.

Findings

Void finders respond differently to AP distortions.

Incorrect treatment biases cosmological parameters.

Proposed correction method reduces biases.

Abstract

Under the assumption of statistical isotropy, and in the absence of directional selection effects, a stack of voids is expected to be spherically symmetric, which makes it an excellent object to use for an Alcock-Paczy\'nski (AP) test. This is commonly done using the void-galaxy cross-correlation function (CCF), which has emerged as a competitive probe, especially in combination with the galaxy-galaxy auto correlation function. Current studies of the AP effect around voids assume that the void centre positions transform under the choice of fiducial cosmology in the same way as galaxy positions. We show that this assumption, though prevalent in the literature, is complicated by the response of void-finding algorithms to shifts in tracer positions. Using stretched simulation boxes to emulate the AP effect, we investigate how the void-galaxy CCF changes under AP, revealing an additional effect imprinted in the CCF that must be accounted for. The effect comes from the response of void finders to the distorted tracer field, reducing the amplitude of the AP signal in the CCF, and thus depends on the specific void finding algorithm used. We present results for four different void finding packages: $\texttt{revolver}$, $\texttt{vide}$, $\texttt{voxel}$, and the spherical void finder in the $\texttt{Pylians3}$ library, demonstrating how incorrect treatment of the AP effect results in biases in the recovered parameters for all of them. Finally, we propose a method to alleviate this issue without resorting to complex and finder-specific modelling of the void finder response to AP.