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Black Hole

Lensing of space time around a black hole. At Oxford we study black holes observationally and theoretically on all size and time scales - it is some of our core work.

Credit: ALAIN RIAZUELO, IAP/UPMC/CNRS. CLICK HERE TO VIEW MORE IMAGES.

Professor Pedro Ferreira

Professor of Astrophysics

Research theme

  • Particle astrophysics & cosmology

Sub department

  • Astrophysics

Research groups

  • Beecroft Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
pedro.ferreira@physics.ox.ac.uk
Telephone: 01865 (2)73366
Denys Wilkinson Building, room 757
  • About
  • Publications

Euclid preparation

Astronomy & Astrophysics EDP Sciences 693 (2025) ARTN A249

Authors:

J Lesgourgues, J Schwagereit, J Bucko, G Parimbelli, Sk Giri, F Hervas-Peters, A Schneider, M Archidiacono, F Pace, Z Sakr, A Amara, L Amendola, S Andreon, N Auricchio, H Aussel, M Baldi, S Bardelli, R Bender, C Bodendorf, D Bonino, E Branchini, M Brescia, J Brinchmann, S Camera, V Capobianco, C Carbone, Vf Cardone, J Carretero, S Casas, M Castellano, S Cavuoti, A Cimatti, G Congedo, Cj Conselice, L Conversi, Y Copin, F Courbin, Hm Courtois, A Da Silva, H Degaudenzi, Am Di Giorgio, M Douspis, F Dubath, X Dupac, S Dusini, M Farina, S Farrens, S Ferriol, P Fosalba, M Frailis

Abstract:

The Euclid mission of the European Space Agency will provide weak gravitational lensing and galaxy clustering surveys that can be used to constrain the standard cosmological model and its extensions, with an opportunity to test the properties of dark matter beyond the minimal cold dark matter paradigm. We present forecasts from the combination of the Euclid weak lensing and photometric galaxy clustering data on the parameters describing four interesting and representative non-minimal dark matter models: a mixture of cold and warm dark matter relics; unstable dark matter decaying either into massless or massive relics; and dark matter undergoing feeble interactions with relativistic relics. We modelled these scenarios at the level of the non-linear matter power spectrum using emulators trained on dedicated N-body simulations. We used a mock Euclid likelihood and Monte Carlo Markov chains to fit mock data and infer error bars on dark matter parameters marginalised over other parameters. We find that the Euclid photometric probe (alone or in combination with cosmic microwave background data from the Planck satellite) will be sensitive to the effect of each of the four dark matter models considered here. The improvement will be particularly spectacular for decaying and interacting dark matter models. With Euclid, the bounds on some dark matter parameters can improve by up to two orders of magnitude compared to current limits. We discuss the dependence of predicted uncertainties on different assumptions: the inclusion of photometric galaxy clustering data, the minimum angular scale taken into account, and modelling of baryonic feedback effects. We conclude that the Euclid mission will be able to measure quantities related to the dark sector of particle physics with unprecedented sensitivity. This will provide important information for model building in high-energy physics. Any hint of a deviation from the minimal cold dark matter paradigm would have profound implications for cosmology and particle physics.

Euclid preparation

Astronomy & Astrophysics EDP Sciences 693 (2025) a59

Authors:

H Böhringer, G Chon, O Cucciati, H Dannerbauer, M Bolzonella, G De Lucia, A Cappi, L Moscardini, C Giocoli, G Castignani, Na Hatch, S Andreon, E Bañados, S Ettori, F Fontanot, H Gully, M Hirschmann, M Maturi, S Mei, L Pozzetti, T Schlenker, M Spinelli, N Aghanim, B Altieri, N Auricchio, C Baccigalupi, M Baldi, S Bardelli, C Bodendorf, D Bonino, E Branchini, M Brescia, J Brinchmann, S Camera, V Capobianco, C Carbone, J Carretero, S Casas, Fj Castander, M Castellano, S Cavuoti, A Cimatti, C Colodro-Conde, G Congedo, Cj Conselice, L Conversi, Y Copin, F Courbin, Hm Courtois, A Da Silva

Abstract:

Galaxy proto-clusters are receiving increased interest since most of the processes shaping the structure of clusters of galaxies and their galaxy population happen at the early stages of their formation. The Euclid Survey will provide a unique opportunity to discover a large number of proto-clusters over a large fraction of the sky (14 500 deg2). In this paper, we explore the expected observational properties of proto-clusters in the Euclid Wide Survey by means of theoretical models and simulations. We provide an overview of the predicted proto-cluster extent, galaxy density profiles, mass-richness relations, abundance, and sky-filling as a function of redshift. Useful analytical approximations for the functions of these properties are provided. The focus is on the redshift range z = 1.5-4. In particular we discuss the density contrast with which proto-clusters can be observed against the background in the galaxy distribution if photometric galaxy redshifts are used as supplied by the ESA Euclid mission together with the ground-based photometric surveys. We show that the obtainable detection significance is sufficient to find large numbers of interesting proto-cluster candidates. For quantitative studies, additional spectroscopic follow-up is required to confirm the proto-clusters and establish their richness.

Euclid preparation

Astronomy & Astrophysics EDP Sciences 693 (2025) a58

Authors:

M Archidiacono, J Lesgourgues, S Casas, S Pamuk, N Schöneberg, Z Sakr, G Parimbelli, A Schneider, F Hervas Peters, F Pace, Vm Sabarish, M Costanzi, S Camera, C Carbone, S Clesse, N Frusciante, A Fumagalli, P Monaco, D Scott, M Viel, A Amara, S Andreon, N Auricchio, M Baldi, S Bardelli, C Bodendorf, D Bonino, E Branchini, M Brescia, J Brinchmann, V Capobianco, Vf Cardone, J Carretero, M Castellano, S Cavuoti, A Cimatti, G Congedo, Cj Conselice, L Conversi, Y Copin, F Courbin, Hm Courtois, A Da Silva, H Degaudenzi, M Douspis, F Dubath, Caj Duncan, X Dupac, S Dusini, A Ealet

Abstract:

Context. The Euclid mission of the European Space Agency will deliver weak gravitational lensing and galaxy clustering surveys that can be used to constrain the standard cosmological model and extensions thereof. Aims. We present forecasts from the combination of the Euclid photometric galaxy surveys (weak lensing, galaxy clustering, and their cross-correlations) and its spectroscopic redshift survey with respect to their sensitivity to cosmological parameters. We include the summed neutrino mass, Σmν, and the effective number of relativistic species, Neff, in the standard Λ CDM scenario and in the dynamical dark energy (w0waCDM) scenario. Methods. We compared the accuracy of different algorithms predicting the non-linear matter power spectrum for such models. We then validated several pipelines for Fisher matrix and Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) forecasts, using different theory codes, algorithms for numerical derivatives, and assumptions on the non-linear cut-off scale. Results. The Euclid primary probes alone will reach a sensitivity of σ (Σmν = 60 meV) = 56 meV in the Λ CDM+Σmν model, whereas the combination with cosmic microwave background (CMB) data from Planck is expected to achieve σ (Σmν) = 23 meV, offering evidence of a non-zero neutrino mass to at least the 2.6 σ level. This could be pushed to a 4 σ detection if future CMB data from LiteBIRD and CMB Stage-IV were included. In combination with Planck, Euclid will also deliver tight constraints on Δ Neff < 0.144 (95%CL) in the Λ CDM+Σmν+Neff model or even Δ Neff < 0.063 when future CMB data are included. When floating the dark energy parameters, we find that the sensitivity to Neff remains stable, but for Σmν, it gets degraded by up to a factor of 2, at most. Conclusions. This work illustrates the complementarity among the Euclid spectroscopic and photometric surveys and among Euclid and CMB constraints. Euclid will offer great potential in measuring the neutrino mass and excluding well-motivated scenarios with additional relativistic particles.

The Spectre of Underdetermination in Modern Cosmology

Philosophy of Physics LSE Press 3:1 (2025)

Authors:

Pedro G Ferreira, William J Wolf, James Read

Tomographic constraints on the production rate of gravitational waves from astrophysical sources

Physical Review D (particles, fields, gravitation, and cosmology) American Physical Society 110:10 (2024) ARTN 103544

Authors:

David Alonso, Mehraveh Nikjoo, Arianna I Renzini, Emilio Bellini, Pedro G Ferreira

Abstract:

Using an optimal quadratic estimator, we measure the large-scale cross-correlation between maps of the stochastic gravitational-wave intensity, constructed from the first three LIGO-Virgo observing runs, and a suite of tomographic samples of galaxies covering the redshift range z≲2. We do not detect any statistically significant cross-correlation, but the tomographic nature of the data allows us to place constraints on the (bias-weighted) production rate density of gravitational waves by astrophysical sources as a function of cosmic time. Our constraints range from bω˙GW<3.0×10-9 Gyr-1 at z∼0.06 to bω˙GW<2.7×10-7 Gyr-1 at z∼1.5 (95% confidence level), assuming a frequency spectrum of the form f2/3 (corresponding to an astrophysical background of binary mergers), and a reference frequency fref=25 Hz. Although these constraints are ∼2 orders of magnitude higher than the expected signal, we show that a detection may be possible with future experiments.

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