Local Primordial non-Gaussian Bias from Time Evolution

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Sullivan, James M., Seljak, Uros
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Sullivan, James M.
Seljak, Uros
author_facet Sullivan, James M.
Seljak, Uros
contents Primordial non-Gaussianity (PNG) is a signature of fundamental physics in the early universe that is probed by cosmological observations. It is well known that the local type of PNG generates a strong signal in the two-point function of large-scale structure tracers, such as galaxies. This signal, often termed ``scale-dependent bias'' is a generic feature of modulation of gravitational structure formation by a large-scale mode. It is less well-appreciated that the coefficient controlling this signal, $b_ϕ$, is closely connected to the time evolution of the tracer number density. This correspondence between time evolution and local PNG can be simply explained for a universal tracer whose mass function only depends on peak height, and more generally for non-universal tracers in the separate universe picture, which we validate in simulations. We also describe how to recover the bias of tracers subject to a survey selection function, and perform a simple demonstration on simulated galaxies. Since the local PNG amplitude in $n-$point statistics ($f_{\rm NL}$) is largely degenerate with the coefficient $b_ϕ$, this proof of concept study demonstrates that galaxy survey data can allow for more optimal and robust extraction of local PNG information from upcoming surveys.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2503_21736
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Local Primordial non-Gaussian Bias from Time Evolution
Sullivan, James M.
Seljak, Uros
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
Primordial non-Gaussianity (PNG) is a signature of fundamental physics in the early universe that is probed by cosmological observations. It is well known that the local type of PNG generates a strong signal in the two-point function of large-scale structure tracers, such as galaxies. This signal, often termed ``scale-dependent bias'' is a generic feature of modulation of gravitational structure formation by a large-scale mode. It is less well-appreciated that the coefficient controlling this signal, $b_ϕ$, is closely connected to the time evolution of the tracer number density. This correspondence between time evolution and local PNG can be simply explained for a universal tracer whose mass function only depends on peak height, and more generally for non-universal tracers in the separate universe picture, which we validate in simulations. We also describe how to recover the bias of tracers subject to a survey selection function, and perform a simple demonstration on simulated galaxies. Since the local PNG amplitude in $n-$point statistics ($f_{\rm NL}$) is largely degenerate with the coefficient $b_ϕ$, this proof of concept study demonstrates that galaxy survey data can allow for more optimal and robust extraction of local PNG information from upcoming surveys.
title Local Primordial non-Gaussian Bias from Time Evolution
topic Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.21736