The Gravitational Lensing Imprints of DES Y3 Superstructures on the CMB: A Matched Filtering Approach

Abstract

Low density cosmic voids gravitationally lens the cosmic microwave background (CMB), leaving a negative imprint on the CMB convergence $\hat{I}º$. This effect provides insight into the distribution of matter within voids, and can also be used to study the growth of structure. We measure this lensing imprint by cross-correlating the Planck CMB lensing convergence map with voids identified in the Dark Energy Survey Year 3 data set, covering approximately 4,200 deg${}^2$ of the sky. We use two distinct void-finding algorithms: a 2D void-finder which operates on the projected galaxy density field in thin redshift shells, and a new code, Voxel, which operates on the full 3D map of galaxy positions. We employ an optimal matched filtering method for cross-correlation, using the MICE N-body simulation both to establish the template for the matched filter and to calibrate detection significances. Using the DES Y3 photometric luminous red galaxy sample, we measure $A_{\hat{I}}º$, the amplitude of the observed lensing signal relative to the simulation template, obtaining $A_{\hat{I}}º=1.03\pm 0.22$ ($4.6\ddot{I}ƒ$ significance) for Voxel and $A_{\hat{I}}º=1.02\pm 0.17$ ($5.9\ddot{I}ƒ$ significance) for 2D voids, both consistent with $\hat{I}›$CDM expectations. We additionally invert the 2D void-finding process to identify superclusters in the projected density field, for which we measure $A_{\hat{I}}º=0.87\pm 0.15$ ($5.9\ddot{I}ƒ$ significance). The leading source of noise in our measurements is Planck noise, implying that future data from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT), South Pole Telescope (SPT) and CMB-S4 will increase sensitivity and allow for more precise measurements.

16 pages, 9 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRAS