SIMULATIONS OF THE SUNYAEV-ZEL'DOVICH POWER SPECTRUM WITH ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS FEEDBACK

Abstract

We explore how radiative cooling, supernova feedback, cosmic rays and a new\nmodel of the energetic feedback from active galactic nuclei (AGN) affect the\nthermal and kinetic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) power spectra. To do this, we use a\nsuite of hydrodynamical TreePM-SPH simulations of the cosmic web in large\nperiodic boxes and tailored higher resolution simulations of individual galaxy\nclusters. Our AGN feedback simulations match the recent universal pressure\nprofile and cluster mass scaling relations of the REXCESS X-ray cluster sample\nbetter than previous analytical or numerical approaches. For multipoles\n$\\ell\\lesssim 2000$, our power spectra with and without enhanced feedback are\nsimilar, suggesting theoretical uncertainties over that range are relatively\nsmall, although current analytic and semi-analytic approaches overestimate this\nSZ power. We find the power at high 2000-10000 multipoles which ACT and SPT\nprobe is sensitive to the feedback prescription, hence can constrain the theory\nof intracluster gas, in particular for the highly uncertain redshifts $>0.8$.\nThe apparent tension between $\\sigma_8$ from primary cosmic microwave\nbackground power and from analytic SZ spectra inferred using ACT and SPT data\nis lessened with our AGN feedback spectra.\n

Keywords

Affiliated Institutions

• University of Toronto CA
• Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics CA

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