Calibrating redshift distributions at $z>2$ with Lyman-$α$ forest cross-correlations
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2026
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| _version_ | 1866918382825111552 |
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| author | Hang, Qianjun Casas, Laura d'Assignies, William Turner, Wynne Font-Ribera, Andreu Joachimi, Benjamin |
| author_facet | Hang, Qianjun Casas, Laura d'Assignies, William Turner, Wynne Font-Ribera, Andreu Joachimi, Benjamin |
| contents | We explore the feasibility of using Lyman-$α$ (Ly$α$) forests to calibrate the ensemble redshift distribution of the high-redshift tail ($2<z<3$) of photometric galaxies. We use \texttt{CoLoRe} simulations to create mock DESI 5-year Ly$α$ forests and Rubin Observatory LSST 10-year photometric galaxies up to $z=3$, and measure the galaxy redshift distribution via their angular cross-correlations. Due to large redshift-space distortions in the Ly$α$ forest, the conventional $n(z)$ estimator for clustering redshifts does not apply, and we develope a theoretical framework to model the angular cross-correlation directly. Using the simulations, we explore effects of instrumental noise, continuum fitting, and contamination in the Ly$α$ forest, cross-correlation angular scales ($θ$), and redshift bin size ($Δz$) on the signal-to-noise (SNR) of the measurements. We find that continuum fitting methods strongly impact the SNR of the measurements. With our baseline continuum fitting method, \texttt{LyCAN}, at angular scales $θ\sim10$ arcmin and $Δz=0.1$, we measure the cross-correlation signal at $24σ$. If the shape of the redshift distribution and galaxy bias evolution are known well for $z<2$, the cross-correlation can constrain the mean redshift of the galaxy sample to $σ_z/(1+\bar{z}) = 0.006$ at a mean redshift of $\bar{z}=2$. This demonstrates that Ly$α$ cross-correlation is a reliable and promising method to calibrate the high-redshift tails of photometric Stage IV galaxy surveys. |
| format | Preprint |
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arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_16962 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Calibrating redshift distributions at $z>2$ with Lyman-$α$ forest cross-correlations Hang, Qianjun Casas, Laura d'Assignies, William Turner, Wynne Font-Ribera, Andreu Joachimi, Benjamin Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics We explore the feasibility of using Lyman-$α$ (Ly$α$) forests to calibrate the ensemble redshift distribution of the high-redshift tail ($2<z<3$) of photometric galaxies. We use \texttt{CoLoRe} simulations to create mock DESI 5-year Ly$α$ forests and Rubin Observatory LSST 10-year photometric galaxies up to $z=3$, and measure the galaxy redshift distribution via their angular cross-correlations. Due to large redshift-space distortions in the Ly$α$ forest, the conventional $n(z)$ estimator for clustering redshifts does not apply, and we develope a theoretical framework to model the angular cross-correlation directly. Using the simulations, we explore effects of instrumental noise, continuum fitting, and contamination in the Ly$α$ forest, cross-correlation angular scales ($θ$), and redshift bin size ($Δz$) on the signal-to-noise (SNR) of the measurements. We find that continuum fitting methods strongly impact the SNR of the measurements. With our baseline continuum fitting method, \texttt{LyCAN}, at angular scales $θ\sim10$ arcmin and $Δz=0.1$, we measure the cross-correlation signal at $24σ$. If the shape of the redshift distribution and galaxy bias evolution are known well for $z<2$, the cross-correlation can constrain the mean redshift of the galaxy sample to $σ_z/(1+\bar{z}) = 0.006$ at a mean redshift of $\bar{z}=2$. This demonstrates that Ly$α$ cross-correlation is a reliable and promising method to calibrate the high-redshift tails of photometric Stage IV galaxy surveys. |
| title | Calibrating redshift distributions at $z>2$ with Lyman-$α$ forest cross-correlations |
| topic | Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.16962 |