Nature-inspired optimization, the Philippine Eagle, and cosmological parameter estimation

TL;DR

This paper evaluates bio-inspired optimization algorithms, including the Philippine Eagle Optimization Algorithm, for estimating cosmological parameters, comparing their performance to traditional MCMC methods to explore alternative analysis approaches.

Contribution

It introduces and tests the Philippine Eagle Optimization Algorithm for cosmological parameter estimation, demonstrating its viability alongside existing bio-inspired methods.

Findings

PEOA performs comparably to MCMC in accuracy and precision.

Bio-inspired algorithms offer alternative methods for cosmological parameter estimation.

The study highlights the potential of nature-inspired algorithms in cosmology.

Abstract

Precise and accurate estimation of cosmological parameters is crucial for understanding the Universe's dynamics and addressing cosmological tensions. In this methods paper, we explore bio-inspired metaheuristic algorithms, including the Improved Multi-Operator Differential Evolution scheme and the Philippine Eagle Optimization Algorithm (PEOA), alongside the relatively known genetic algorithm, for cosmological parameter estimation. Using mock data that underlay a true fiducial cosmology, we test the viability of each optimization method to recover the input cosmological parameters with confidence regions generated by bootstrapping on top of optimization. We compare the results with Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) in terms of accuracy and precision, and show that PEOA performs comparably well under the specific circumstances provided. Understandably, Bayesian inference and optimization serve distinct purposes, but comparing them highlights the potential of nature-inspired algorithms in cosmological analysis, offering alternative pathways to explore parameter spaces and validate standard results.