Revisiting Cosmic Distance Duality with Megamasers and DESI DR2 Observations: Model Independent Constraints on Early-Late Calibration

Abstract

The Cosmic Distance Duality Relation (CDDR) connects the angular diameter distance ($d_A$) and the luminosity distance ($d_L$) at a given redshift. This fundamental relation holds in any metric theory of gravity, provided that photon number is conserved and light propagates along null geodesics. A deviation from this relation could indicate new physics beyond the standard cosmological model. In this work, we test the validity of the CDDR at very low redshifts ($z<0.04$) by combining $d_A$ from the Megamaser Cosmology Project with $d_L$ from the Pantheon+ sample of Type Ia Supernovae (SNIa). We further incorporate high-redshift Baryon Acoustic Oscillation (BAO)-based $d_A$ measurements from DESI DR2 in combination with SNIa data, highlighting the critical role of the $r_d-M_b$ (early-late) calibration in testing the CDDR using these two probes. Assuming CDDR holds, we perform a Bayesian analysis to derive model-independent constraints on the calibration parameters. Using only BAO and SNIa data, we observe a strong degeneracy between $r_d$ and $M_b$. However, the inclusion of calibration-free Megamaser measurements breaks this degeneracy, enabling independent constraints without relying on a specific cosmological model or distance-ladder techniques. Additionally, we present a forecast incorporating the expected precision from future Megamaser and SNIa observations, demonstrating their potential to significantly tighten constraints on early-late calibration parameters, under the assumption of validity of CDDR.

v3: 11 pages, 4 figures