Cosmological constraints from the full-shape galaxy power spectrum in SDSS-III BOSS using the BACCO hybrid Lagrangian bias emulator

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new analysis method for galaxy power spectrum data from SDSS-III BOSS, yielding robust cosmological constraints that highlight a tension with Planck results but do not definitively challenge the standard model.

Contribution

The study develops a hybrid emulator-based approach combining simulations and perturbation theory to analyze galaxy clustering down to mildly non-linear scales, improving robustness and precision.

Findings

Constraints on $\sigma_8$, $\Omega_m$, $h$, and $S_8$ with high precision.

Evidence of a $2.5-3.5σ$ tension with Planck's $S_8$ results.

BOSS data alone provides some of the strongest cosmological constraints from galaxy power spectra.

Abstract

We present a novel analysis of the redshift-space power spectrum of galaxies in the SDSS-III BOSS survey. Our methodology improves upon previous analyses by using a theoretical model based on cosmological simulations coupled with a perturbative description of the galaxy-matter connection and a phenomenological prescription of Fingers of God. This enables a very robust analysis down to mildly non-linear scales, $k\sim 0.4\,h\,{\rm Mpc}^{-1}$. We carried out a number of tests on mock data, different subsets of BOSS, and using model variations, all of which support the robustness of our analysis. Our results provide constraints on $\sigma_8$, $\Omega_m$, $h$, and $S_8 \equiv \sigma_8 \sqrt{\Omega_{\rm m}/0.3}$. Specifically, we measure $\Omega_m=0.301\pm 0.011$, $\sigma_8=0.745^{+0.028}_{-0.035}$, $h=0.705\pm 0.015$, and $ S_8 = 0.747^{+0.032}_{-0.039}$ when all the nuisance parameters of our model are left free. By adopting relationships among bias parameters measured in galaxy formation simulations, the value of $S_8$ remains consistent whereas uncertainties are reduced by $\sim20\%$. Our cosmological constraints are some of the strongest obtained with the BOSS power spectrum alone: they exhibit a $2.5-3.5\sigma$ tension with the results of the {\it Planck\/} satellite, agreeing with the lower values of $S_8$ derived from gravitational lensing. However, the cosmological model preferred by {\it Planck\/} is still a good fit to the BOSS data, assuming small departures from physical bias priors and, therefore, cannot be excluded at high significance. We conclude that, at the present, the BOSS data alone does not show strong evidence for a tension between the predictions of $\Lambda$CDM for the high- and low-redshift Universe.