English

Contributions to the Dark Matter 3-Pt Function from the Radiation Era

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics 2014-11-18 v1

Abstract

We consider the contribution to the three-point function of matter density fluctuations from nonlinear growth after modes re-enter the horizon, and discuss effects that must be included in order to predict the three-point function with an accuracy comparable to primordial nongaussianities with f_NL ~ few. In particular, we note that the shortest wavelength modes measured in galaxy surveys entered the horizon during the radiation era, and, as a result, the radiation era modifies their three-point function by a magnitude equivalent to f_NL ~ O(4). On longer wavelengths, where the radiation era is negligible, we find that the corrections to the nonlinear growth from relativistic effects become important at the level f_NL ~ few. We implement a simple method for numerically calculating the three-point function, by solving the second-order equations of motion for the perturbations with the first order perturbations providing a source.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.0902.2814,
  title  = {Contributions to the Dark Matter 3-Pt Function from the Radiation Era},
  author = {A. Liam Fitzpatrick and Leonardo Senatore and Matias Zaldarriaga},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0902.2814},
  year   = {2014}
}

Comments

24 pages, 9 figures