The WiggleZ Dark Energy Survey: improved distance measurements to z = 1 with reconstruction of the baryonic acoustic feature

Kazin, Eyal A.; Koda, Jun; Blake, Chris; Padmanabhan, Nikhil; Brough, Sarah; Colless, Matthew; Contreras, Carlos; Couch, Warrick; Croom, Scott; Croton, Darren J.; Davis, Tamara M.; Drinkwater, Michael J.; Forster, Karl; Gilbank, David; Gladders, Mike; Glazebrook, Karl; Jelliffe, Ben; Jurek, Russell J.; Li, I-hui; Madore, Barry; Martin, D. Christopher; Pimbblet, Kevin; Poole, Gregory B.; Pracy, Michael; Sharp, Rob; Wisnioski, Emily; Woods, David; Wyder, Ted K.; Yee, H. K. C.

Abstract

We present significant improvements in cosmic distance measurements from the WiggleZ Dark Energy Survey, achieved by applying the reconstruction of the baryonic acoustic feature technique. We show using both data and simulations that the reconstruction technique can often be effective despite patchiness of the survey, significant edge effects and shot-noise. We investigate three redshift bins in the redshift range 0.2 < z < 1, and in all three find improvement after reconstruction in the detection of the baryonic acoustic feature and its usage as a standard ruler. We measure model-independent distance measures DV(rsfid/rs) of 1716 ± 83, 2221 ± 101, 2516 ± 86 Mpc (68 per cent CL) at effective redshifts z = 0.44, 0.6, 0.73, respectively, where DV is the volume-averaged distance, and rs is the sound horizon at the end of the baryon drag epoch. These significantly improved 4.8, 4.5 and 3.4 per cent accuracy measurements are equivalent to those expected from surveys with up to 2.5 times the volume of WiggleZ without reconstruction applied. These measurements are fully consistent with cosmologies allowed by the analyses of the Planck Collaboration and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We provide the DV(rsfid/rs) posterior probability distributions and their covariances. When combining these measurements with temperature fluctuations measurements of Planck, the polarization of Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe 9, and the 6dF Galaxy Survey baryonic acoustic feature, we do not detect deviations from a flat Λ cold dark matter (ΛCDM) model. Assuming this model, we constrain the current expansion rate to H₀ = 67.15 ± 0.98 km s⁻¹Mpc⁻¹. Allowing the equation of state of dark energy to vary, we obtain wDE = −1.080 ± 0.135. When assuming a curved ΛCDM model we obtain a curvature value of ΩK = −0.0043 ± 0.0047.

Citation

Kazin, E. A., Koda, J., Blake, C., Padmanabhan, N., Brough, S., Colless, M., …Yee, H. K. C. (2014). The WiggleZ Dark Energy Survey: improved distance measurements to z = 1 with reconstruction of the baryonic acoustic feature. Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 441(4), 3524-3542. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stu778

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 17, 2014
• Online Publication Date: May 31, 2014
• Publication Date: Jul 11, 2014
• Deposit Date: Jun 16, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 16, 2015
• Journal: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
• Print ISSN: 0035-8711
• Electronic ISSN: 1365-2966
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 441
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 3524-3542
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stu778
• Keywords: Cosmological parameters; Distance scale; Large-scale structure of the universe
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/375251
• Publisher URL: http://mnras.oxfordjournals.org/content/441/4/3524.abstract?sid=36472787-81c6-4f72-9b86-56314623415f
• Additional Information: This article has been accepted for publication in Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society ©: 2014 The Authors. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.