Planck data versus large scale structure: Methods to quantify discordance

Tom Charnock, Richard A. Battye, and Adam Moss
Phys. Rev. D 95, 123535 – Published 29 June 2017

Abstract

Discordance in the Λ cold dark matter cosmological model can be seen by comparing parameters constrained by cosmic microwave background (CMB) measurements to those inferred by probes of large scale structure. Recent improvements in observations, including final data releases from both Planck and SDSS-III BOSS, as well as improved astrophysical uncertainty analysis of CFHTLenS, allows for an update in the quantification of any tension between large and small scales. This paper is intended, primarily, as a discussion on the quantifications of discordance when comparing the parameter constraints of a model when given two different data sets. We consider Kullback-Leibler divergence, comparison of Bayesian evidences and other statistics which are sensitive to the mean, variance and shape of the distributions. However, as a byproduct, we present an update to the similar analysis in [R. A. Battye, T. Charnock, and A. Moss, Phys. Rev. D 91, 103508 (2015)], where we find that, considering new data and treatment of priors, the constraints from the CMB and from a combination of large scale structure (LSS) probes are in greater agreement and any tension only persists to a minor degree. In particular, we find the parameter constraints from the combination of LSS probes which are most discrepant with the Planck2015+Pol+BAO parameter distributions can be quantified at a 2.55σ tension using the method introduced in [R. A. Battye, T. Charnock, and A. Moss, Phys. Rev. D 91, 103508 (2015)]. If instead we use the distributions constrained by the combination of LSS probes which are in greatest agreement with those from Planck2015+Pol+BAO this tension is only 0.76σ.

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  • Received 17 March 2017

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.95.123535

© 2017 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Gravitation, Cosmology & AstrophysicsStatistical Physics & Thermodynamics

Authors & Affiliations

Tom Charnock*

  • Centre for Astronomy and Particle Theory, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom

Richard A. Battye

  • Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom

Adam Moss

  • Centre for Astronomy and Particle Theory, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom

  • *tom.charnock@nottingham.ac.uk
  • richard.battye@manchester.ac.uk
  • adam.moss@nottingham.ac.uk

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Issue

Vol. 95, Iss. 12 — 15 June 2017

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