Screening in perturbative approaches to LSS

A specific value for the cosmological constant, \Lambda, can account for late-time cosmic acceleration. However, motivated by the so-called cosmological constant problem(s), several alternative mechanisms have been explored. To date, a host of well-studied dynamical dark energy and modified gravity models exists. Going beyond \Lambda CDM often comes with additional degrees of freedom (dofs). For these to pass existing observational tests, an efficient screening mechanism must be in place. The linear and quasi-linear regimes of structure formation are ideal probes of such dofs and can capture the onset of screening. We propose here a semi-phenomenological treatment to account for screening dynamics on LSS observables, with special emphasis on Vainshtein-type screening.Comment: 7 pages, two figure

Exploring redshift-space distortions in large-scale structure

We explore and compare different ways large-scale structure observables in redshift-space and real space can be connected. These include direct computation in Lagrangian space, moment expansions and two formulations of the streaming model. We derive for the first time a Fourier space version of the streaming model, which yields an algebraic relation between the real- and redshift-space power spectra which can be compared to earlier, phenomenological models. By considering the redshift-space 2-point function in both configuration and Fourier space, we show how to generalize the Gaussian streaming model to higher orders in a systematic and computationally tractable way. We present a closed-form solution to the Zeldovich power spectrum in redshift space and use this as a framework for exploring convergence properties of different expansion approaches. While we use the Zeldovich approximation to illustrate these results, much of the formalism and many of the relations we derive hold beyond perturbation theory, and could be used with ingredients measured from N-body simulations or in other areas requiring decomposition of Cartesian tensors times plane waves. We finish with a discussion of the redshift-space bispectrum, bias and stochasticity and terms in Lagrangian perturbation theory up to 1-loop order.Comment: 62 pages, 12 figure

Large-scale structure perturbation theory without losing stream crossing

We suggest an approach to perturbative calculations of large-scale clustering in the Universe that includes from the start the stream crossing (multiple velocities for mass elements at a single position) that is lost in traditional calculations. Starting from a functional integral over displacement, the perturbative series expansion is in deviations from (truncated) Zel'dovich evolution, with terms that can be computed exactly even for stream-crossed displacements. We evaluate the one-loop formulas for displacement and density power spectra numerically in 1D, finding dramatic improvement in agreement with N-body simulations compared to the Zel'dovich power spectrum (which is exact in 1D up to stream crossing). Beyond 1D, our approach could represent an improvement over previous expansions even aside from the inclusion of stream crossing, but we have not investigated this numerically. In the process we show how to achieve effective-theory-like regulation of small-scale fluctuations without free parameters.Comment: added pedagogical explanation of key math trick in appendi

A Tale of Two Scales: Screening in Large Scale Structure

The perturbative treatment of dark matter in structure formation relies on the existence of a well-defined expansion parameter, $k/k_{\rm NL}$, with $k_{\rm NL}$ signalling the onset and ultimately the leading role of non-linearities in the system. Cosmologies beyond the {\Lambda}CDM model often come with additional degree(s) of freedom. The scale $k_{\rm V}$ at which non-linearities become important in the additional sector(s) can be rather different from $k_{\rm NL}$. For theories endowed with a Vainshtein-type screening mechanism, $k_{\rm V}$ sets the scale where screening becomes efficient and restores continuity with the predictions of general relativity. This is precisely the dynamics that allows such theories to pass existing observational tests at scales where general relativity has been tested with exquisite precision (e.g. solar system scales). We consider here the mildly-non-linear scales of a dark matter component coupled to a galileon-type field and focus in particular on the case of a $k_{\rm V}$ < $k_{\rm NL}$ hierarchy. We put forward a phenomenological framework that describes the effects of screening dynamics on large scale structure observables.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, submitted to the Proceedings of the 43rd "Rencontres de Moriond

The Gaussian streaming model and Lagrangian effective field theory

We update the ingredients of the Gaussian streaming model (GSM) for the redshift-space clustering of biased tracers using the techniques of Lagrangian perturbation theory, effective field theory (EFT) and a generalized Lagrangian bias expansion. After relating the GSM to the cumulant expansion, we present new results for the real-space correlation function, mean pairwise velocity and pairwise velocity dispersion including counter terms from EFT and bias terms through third order in the linear density, its leading derivatives and its shear up to second order. We discuss the connection to the Gaussian peaks formalism. We compare the ingredients of the GSM to a suite of large N-body simulations, and show the performance of the theory on the low order multipoles of the redshift-space correlation function and power spectrum. We highlight the importance of a general biasing scheme, which we find to be as important as higher-order corrections due to non-linear evolution for the halos we consider on the scales of interest to us.Comment: 28 pages, 5 figures. Revised to match version accepted by journa

A Lagrangian effective field theory

We have continued the development of Lagrangian, cosmological perturbation theory for the low-order correlators of the matter density field. We provide a new route to understanding how the effective field theory (EFT) of large-scale structure can be formulated in the Lagrandian framework and a new resummation scheme, comparing our results to earlier work and to a series of high-resolution N-body simulations in both Fourier and configuration space. The `new' terms arising from EFT serve to tame the dependence of perturbation theory on small-scale physics and improve agreement with simulations (though with an additional free parameter). We find that all of our models fare well on scales larger than about two to three times the non-linear scale, but fail as the non-linear scale is approached. This is slightly less reach than has been seen previously. At low redshift the Lagrangian model fares as well as EFT in its Eulerian formulation, but at higher $z$ the Eulerian EFT fits the data to smaller scales than resummed, Lagrangian EFT. All the perturbative models fare better than linear theory.Comment: 19 pages, 3 figure