Galaxy Correlation Functions Provide a More Robust Cosmological Standard Ruler

Stefano Anselmi, Glenn D. Starkman, Pier-Stefano Corasaniti, Ravi K. Sheth, and Idit Zehavi
Phys. Rev. Lett. 121, 021302 – Published 10 July 2018

Abstract

We show how a characteristic length scale imprinted in the galaxy two-point correlation function, dubbed the “linear point,” can serve as a comoving cosmological standard ruler. In contrast to the baryon acoustic oscillation peak location, this scale is constant in redshift and is unaffected by nonlinear effects to within 0.5 percent precision. We measure the location of the linear point in the galaxy correlation function of the LOWZ and CMASS samples from the Twelfth Data Release (DR12) of the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) Collaboration. We combine our linear-point measurement with cosmic-microwave-background constraints from the Planck satellite to estimate the isotropic-volume distance DV(z), without relying on a model-template or “reconstruction” method. We find DV(0.32)=1264±28Mpc and DV(0.57)=2056±22Mpc, respectively, consistent with the quoted values from the BOSS Collaboration. This remarkable result suggests that all the distance information contained in the baryon acoustic oscillations can be conveniently compressed into the single length associated with the linear point.

  • Figure
  • Received 17 March 2017
  • Revised 10 December 2017

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.121.021302

© 2018 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Gravitation, Cosmology & Astrophysics

Authors & Affiliations

Stefano Anselmi1,2,3,*, Glenn D. Starkman1, Pier-Stefano Corasaniti2, Ravi K. Sheth4,5, and Idit Zehavi1,6

  • 1Department of Physics/CERCA/Institute for the Science of Origins, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106-7079, USA
  • 2LUTH, UMR 8102 CNRS, Observatoire de Paris, PSL Research University, Université Paris Diderot, 92190 Meudon, France
  • 3Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris, CNRS UMR 7095 and UPMC, 98bis, bd Arago, F-75014 Paris, France
  • 4Center for Particle Cosmology, University of Pennsylvania, 209 South 33rd Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
  • 5The Abdus Salam International Center for Theoretical Physics, Strada Costiera, 11, Trieste 34151, Italy
  • 6Department of Astronomy, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106-7079, USA

  • *stefano.anselmi@iap.fr

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Vol. 121, Iss. 2 — 13 July 2018

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