Reconstructing the largest scales of the Universe with field-level inference applied to the Quaia Quasar Catalogue

TL;DR

This paper presents the largest three-dimensional reconstruction of the Universe's matter distribution using quasar data and field-level inference, integrating complex physical models and validating results with CMB lensing.

Contribution

It introduces a novel application of field-level inference to the Quaia quasar catalogue, reconstructing initial conditions and matter distribution over unprecedented volume and resolution.

Findings

Reconstructed a (10h^{-1} Gpc)^3 volume of the Universe.

Detected a ~4σ cross-correlation with Planck CMB lensing.

Produced high-fidelity maps of initial conditions and velocity fields.

Abstract

The recently released Quaia quasar catalogue, with its broad redshift range and all-sky coverage, enables unprecedented three-dimensional reconstructions of matter across cosmic time. In this work, we apply the field-level inference algorithm BORG to the Quaia catalogues to reconstruct the initial conditions and present-day matter distribution of the Universe. We employ a physics-based forward model of large-scale structure using Lagrangian perturbation theory, incorporating light-cone effects, redshift-space distortions, quasar bias, and survey selection effects. This approach enables a detailed and physically motivated inference of the three-dimensional density field and initial conditions over the entire cosmic volume considered. We analyse both the G < 20.0 (Quaia Clean) and G < 20.5 (Quaia Deep) samples, where G denotes the Gaia broad optical-band magnitude, imposing conservative sky cuts to ensure robustness against foreground contamination. The resulting reconstructions span a comoving volume of (10h^{-1} Gpc)^3 with a maximum spatial resolution of 39.1 h^{-1}Mpc, making this the largest field-level reconstruction of the observable Universe in terms of comoving volume to date. We validate our reconstructions through a range of internal and external consistency checks, including the cross-correlation of the inferred density fields with Planck CMB lensing, where we detect a signal at ~4\sigma significance. Beyond delivering high-fidelity data products, including posterior maps of initial conditions, present-day dark matter, and velocity fields, this work establishes a framework for exploiting quasar surveys in field-level cosmology.