Meta-Calibration of the Cosmic Magnification Coefficient: Toward Unbiased Weak Lensing Reconstruction by Counting Galaxies

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Qin, Jian, Zhang, Pengjie, Chen, Zhu, Fu, Liping, Yu, Yu, Xu, Haojie, Yao, Ji, Shi, Yuan, Shan, Huanyuan
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Qin, Jian
Zhang, Pengjie
Chen, Zhu
Fu, Liping
Yu, Yu
Xu, Haojie
Yao, Ji
Shi, Yuan
Shan, Huanyuan
author_facet Qin, Jian
Zhang, Pengjie
Chen, Zhu
Fu, Liping
Yu, Yu
Xu, Haojie
Yao, Ji
Shi, Yuan
Shan, Huanyuan
contents Weak lensing alters galaxy sizes and fluxes, influencing the clustering patterns of galaxies through cosmic magnification. This effect enables the reconstruction of weak lensing convergence $\hatκ$ maps for DES and DECaLS by linearly combining galaxy overdensities across magnitude bins in the $g$, $r$, and $z$ photometry bands \citep{Qin+,Qin2+}. In this study, we enhance the lensing reconstruction method by addressing biases in the magnification coefficient estimation, which arise from incomplete consideration of selection effects, especially those induced by photometric redshift (photo-$z$) selection. Using a Random Forest-based photo-$z$ estimation for DECaLS and DES galaxies, we quantify the impact of photo-$z$ induced selection on magnification coefficient estimation. Our results show that neglecting photo-$z$ selection introduces significant biases in the magnification coefficient, leading to deviations in the reconstructed convergence map amplitude $A$, with values ranging from 0.4 to 3.5 depending on the survey, redshift, and magnitude cuts. By incorporating an improved magnification coefficient estimation that accounts for photo-$z$ selection, these biases are significantly reduced, with $A$ converging to $\sim 1$ as the magnitude cuts approach optimal values. This improvement is consistently observed across DES and DECaLS datasets and redshift bins, despite differences in survey strategies and depths. Our findings highlight the importance of addressing photo-$z$ induced selection to achieve unbiased weak lensing reconstructions and accurate cosmic magnification measurements.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2505_16420
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Meta-Calibration of the Cosmic Magnification Coefficient: Toward Unbiased Weak Lensing Reconstruction by Counting Galaxies
Qin, Jian
Zhang, Pengjie
Chen, Zhu
Fu, Liping
Yu, Yu
Xu, Haojie
Yao, Ji
Shi, Yuan
Shan, Huanyuan
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
Weak lensing alters galaxy sizes and fluxes, influencing the clustering patterns of galaxies through cosmic magnification. This effect enables the reconstruction of weak lensing convergence $\hatκ$ maps for DES and DECaLS by linearly combining galaxy overdensities across magnitude bins in the $g$, $r$, and $z$ photometry bands \citep{Qin+,Qin2+}. In this study, we enhance the lensing reconstruction method by addressing biases in the magnification coefficient estimation, which arise from incomplete consideration of selection effects, especially those induced by photometric redshift (photo-$z$) selection. Using a Random Forest-based photo-$z$ estimation for DECaLS and DES galaxies, we quantify the impact of photo-$z$ induced selection on magnification coefficient estimation. Our results show that neglecting photo-$z$ selection introduces significant biases in the magnification coefficient, leading to deviations in the reconstructed convergence map amplitude $A$, with values ranging from 0.4 to 3.5 depending on the survey, redshift, and magnitude cuts. By incorporating an improved magnification coefficient estimation that accounts for photo-$z$ selection, these biases are significantly reduced, with $A$ converging to $\sim 1$ as the magnitude cuts approach optimal values. This improvement is consistently observed across DES and DECaLS datasets and redshift bins, despite differences in survey strategies and depths. Our findings highlight the importance of addressing photo-$z$ induced selection to achieve unbiased weak lensing reconstructions and accurate cosmic magnification measurements.
title Meta-Calibration of the Cosmic Magnification Coefficient: Toward Unbiased Weak Lensing Reconstruction by Counting Galaxies
topic Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.16420