Site Map
Contacts
Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter YouTube channel
Centro de Astrofísica da Universidade do Porto

A new signature of primordial non-Gaussianities from the abundance of galaxy clusters

A. M. M. Trindade, P. P. Avelino, P. T. P. Viana

Abstract
The evolution with time of the abundance of galaxy clusters is very sensitive to the statistical properties of the primordial density perturbations. It can thus be used to probe small deviations from Gaussianity in the initial conditions. The characterization of such deviations would help distinguish between different inflationary scenarios, and provide us with information on physical processes which took place in the early Universe.We have found that when the information contained in the galaxy cluster counts is used to reconstruct the dark energy equation of state as a function of redshift, assuming erroneously that no primordial non-Gaussianities exist, an apparent evolution with time in the effective dark energy equation of state arises, characterized by the appearance of a clear discontinuity.

Keywords
dark energy – large-scale structure of Universe

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Volume 424, Page 1442
August 2012

>> ADS>> DOI

Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences

Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences (IA) is a new but long anticipated research infrastructure with a national dimension. It embodies a bold but feasible vision for the development of Astronomy, Astrophysics and Space Sciences in Portugal, taking full advantage and fully realizing the potential created by the national membership of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Southern Observatory (ESO). IA resulted from the merging the two most prominent research units in the field in Portugal: the Centre for Astrophysics of the University of Porto (CAUP) and the Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics of the University of Lisbon (CAAUL). It currently hosts more than two-thirds of all active researchers working in Space Sciences in Portugal, and is responsible for an even greater fraction of the national productivity in international ISI journals in the area of Space Sciences. This is the scientific area with the highest relative impact factor (1.65 times above the international average) and the field with the highest average number of citations per article for Portugal.

Proceed on CAUP's website|Go to IA website