Ray-traced weak lensing convergence in screened modified gravity theories

TL;DR

This paper models weak lensing in modified gravity theories using ray-tracing on simulations, revealing significant effects on the convergence power spectrum that surpass baryonic feedback influences.

Contribution

It introduces a phenomenological scale dependence for screening mechanisms in MG models and demonstrates their impact on weak lensing observables using advanced simulations.

Findings

Modified gravity produces notable signatures in the convergence power spectrum.

Effects of MG on lensing can exceed those from baryonic feedback.

The model enables more accurate inclusion of MG effects in lensing analyses.

Abstract

Weak gravitational lensing is one of the primary cosmological probes, providing powerful constraints on the cosmological model. As Stage IV surveys are expected to deliver data of unprecedented precision, accurate modeling of weak gravitational lensing observables across both linear and non-linear scales becomes increasingly important. In this work, we investigate weak lensing in modified gravity (MG) models, extensions of the standard $\Lambda$CDM cosmology in which gravity deviates from general relativity, generally introducing modifications to the lensing equation. We parametrize these modifications through the common phenomenological function $\Sigma_\mathrm{mg}$ and apply ray-tracing to the density maps of N-body and hydrodynamical simulations. We model the time dependence of $\Sigma_\mathrm{mg}$ analytically, while we introduce a phenomenological scale dependence to represent the screening mechanisms by which MG models reduce to general relativity in high-density environments. Starting from the output of the FLAMINGO hydrodynamical simulations, we generate fully ray-traced convergence maps using our modified lensing model. We analyze how the parameters of our prescription affect the weak lensing convergence power spectrum and compare these effects to other known sources of variation, in particular cosmological parameters and baryonic feedback. We find that the modifications to the lensing equation deriving from the MG model produce non-negligible signatures in the convergence power spectrum and that, within extensions of the $\Lambda$CDM framework, these effects can be larger than those induced by baryonic physics. Our results indicate that modified lensing should become a standard ingredient of the analysis of modified gravity simulations.