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DOE OSTI2023

The GMRT archive atomic gas survey – II. Mass modelling and dark matter halo properties across late-type spirals

Studying the kinematics and mass modelling of galaxies from H i 21 cm data provides valuable insights into the properties of both the baryonic components and the dark matter halo in nearby galaxies. Despite many observational studies, mass modelling of galaxies remains challenging due to different limitations. For example, most of the previous studies involving mass modelling are based on rotation curves derived from 2D velocity fields from H i or H α spectroscopic observation which are often affected by beam smearing and projection effect. However, kinematic modelling done by fitting the ‘Tilted ring model’ to 3D data cube is not affected by these issues. In this study, we present and compare 3D kinematic modelling of a pilot sample of 11 galaxies from the GMRT archive atomic gas survey (GARCIA) using two different publicly available pipelines. We model the observed H i rotation curve using 3.6-μm infrared data and SDSS r-band data for stellar contribution, H i surface density profile for gas, and Navarro–Frenk–White profile for dark matter halo; and employ the Markov chain Monte Carlo optimization method for parameter estimation. Further, to validate our analysis, we revisit important scaling relations, e.g. the M gas –M star relation, M star –M halo relation, M gas –M halo relation and Baryonic Tully–Fisher relation. Here, the scaling relations from our analysis are broadly consistent with that reported in the literature. A larger sample of galaxies from GARCIA in the near future will allow studying these scaling relations in greater details.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Searching for TeV Dark Matter in Irregular Dwarf Galaxies with HAWC Observatory

We present the results of dark matter (DM) searches in a sample of 31 dwarf irregular (dIrr) galaxies within the field of view of the HAWC Observatory. dIrr galaxies are DM-dominated objects in which astrophysical gamma-ray emission is estimated to be negligible with respect to the secondary gamma-ray flux expected by annihilation or decay of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs). While we do not see any statistically significant DM signal in dIrr galaxies, we present the exclusion limits (95% C.L.) for annihilation cross section and decay lifetime for WIMP candidates with masses between 1 and 100 TeV. Exclusion limits from dIrr galaxies are relevant and complementary to benchmark dwarf Spheroidal (dSph) galaxies. In fact, dIrr galaxies are targets kinematically different from benchmark dSph, preserving the footprints of different evolution histories. We compare the limits from dIrr galaxies to those from ultrafaint and classical dSph galaxies previously observed with HAWC. We find that the constraints are comparable to the limits from classical dSph galaxies and ~2 orders of magnitude weaker than the ultrafaint dSph limits.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Planets Across Space and Time (PAST). II. Catalog and Analyses of the LAMOST–Gaia–Kepler Stellar Kinematic Properties

The Kepler telescope has discovered over 4000 planets (candidates) by searching ~200,000 stars over a wide range of distance (order of kpc) in our Galaxy. Characterizing the kinematic properties (e.g., Galactic component membership and kinematic age) of these Kepler targets (including the planet candidate hosts) is the first step toward studying Kepler planets in the Galactic context, which will reveal fresh insights into planet formation and evolution. In this paper, the second part of the Planets Across the Space and Time (PAST) series, by combining the data from the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) and Gaia and then applying the revised kinematic methods from PAST I, we present a catalog of kinematic properties (i.e., Galactic positions, velocities, and the relative membership probabilities among the thin disk, thick disk, Hercules stream, and the halo) as well as other basic stellar parameters for 35,835 Kepler stars. Further analyses of the LAMOST–Gaia–Kepler catalog demonstrate that our derived kinematic age reveals the expected stellar activity-age trend. Furthermore, we find that the fraction of thin (thick) disk stars increases (decreases) with the transiting planet multiplicity (N {sub p} = 0, 1, 2 and 3+) and the kinematic age decreases with N {sub p}, which could be a consequence of the dynamical evolution of planetary architecture with age. The LAMOST–Gaia–Kepler catalog will be useful for future studies on the correlations between the exoplanet distributions and the stellar Galactic environments as well as ages.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2021

Applying the Tremaine–Weinberg Method to Nearby Galaxies: Stellar-mass-based Pattern Speeds and Comparisons with ISM Kinematics

We apply the Tremaine–Weinberg method to 19 nearby galaxies using stellar mass surface densities and velocities derived from the PHANGS-MUSE survey, to calculate (primarily bar) pattern speeds (Ω{sub P}). After quality checks, we find that around half (10) of these stellar-mass-based measurements are reliable. For those galaxies, we find good agreement between our results and previously published pattern speeds, and we use rotation curves to calculate major resonance locations (corotation radii and Lindblad resonances). We also compare these stellar-mass-derived pattern speeds with Hα (from MUSE) and CO(J = 2 − 1) emission from the PHANGS-ALMA survey. We find that in the case of these clumpy interstellar medium (ISM) tracers, this method erroneously gives a signal that is simply the angular frequency at a representative radius set by the distribution of these clumps (Ω{sub clump}), and that this Ω{sub clump} is significantly different from Ω{sub P} (∼20% in the case of Hα, and ∼50% in the case of CO). Thus, we conclude that it is inadvisable to use “pattern speeds” derived from ISM kinematics. Finally, we compare our derived pattern speeds and corotation radii, along with bar properties, to the global parameters of these galaxies. Consistent with previous studies, we find that galaxies with a later Hubble type have a larger ratio of corotation radius to bar length, more molecular-gas-rich galaxies have higher Ω{sub P}, and more bulge-dominated galaxies have lower Ω{sub P}. Unlike earlier works, however, there are no clear trends between the bar strength and Ω{sub P}, nor between the total stellar mass surface density and the pattern speed.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Non-Gaussianity of optical emission lines in SDSS star-forming galaxies and its implications on galactic outflows

The shape of emission lines in the optical spectra of star-forming galaxies reveals the kinematics of the diffuse gaseous component. We analyse the shape of prominent emission lines in a sample of ~ 53000 star-forming galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, focusing on departures from gaussianity. Departures from a single gaussian profile allow us to probe the motion of gas and to assess the role of outflows. The sample is divided into groups according to their stellar velocity dispersion and star formation rate (SFR). The spectra within each group are stacked to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the emission lines, to remove individual signatures, and to enhance the effect of SFR on the shapes of the emission lines. The moments of the emission lines, including kurtosis and skewness, are determined. We find that most of the emission lines in strong star-forming systems unequivocally feature negative kurtosis. This signature is present in Hβ, Hα, [N ii], and [S ii] in massive galaxies with high SFRs. We attribute it as evidence of radial outflows of ionised gas driven by the star formation of the galaxies. Also, most of the emission lines in low-mass systems with high SFRs feature negative skewness, and we interpret it as evidence of dust obscuration in the galactic disk. These signatures are however absent in the [O iii] line, which is believed to trace a different gas component. The observed trend is significantly stronger in face-on galaxies, indicating that star formation drives the outflows along the galactic rotation axis, presumably the path of least resistance. The data suggest that outflows driven by star formation exert accumulated impacts on the interstellar medium, and the outflow signature is more evident in older galaxies as they have experienced a longer total duration of star formation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Possibilities and Limitations of Kinematically Identifying Stars from Accreted Ultra-faint Dwarf Galaxies

Abstract The Milky Way has accreted many ultra-faint dwarf galaxies (UFDs), and stars from these galaxies can be found throughout our Galaxy today. Studying these stars provides insight into galaxy formation and early chemical enrichment, but identifying them is difficult. Clustering stellar dynamics in 4D phase space ( E , L z , J r , J z ) is one method of identifying accreted structure that is currently being utilized in the search for accreted UFDs. We produce 32 simulated stellar halos using particle tagging with the Caterpillar simulation suite and thoroughly test the abilities of different clustering algorithms to recover tidally disrupted UFD remnants. We perform over 10,000 clustering runs, testing seven clustering algorithms, roughly twenty hyperparameter choices per algorithm, and six different types of data sets each with up to 32 simulated samples. Of the seven algorithms, HDBSCAN most consistently balances UFD recovery rates and cluster realness rates. We find that, even in highly idealized cases, the vast majority of clusters found by clustering algorithms do not correspond to real accreted UFD remnants and we can generally only recover 6% of UFDs remnants at best. These results focus exclusively on groups of stars from UFDs, which have weak dynamic signatures compared to the background of other stars. The recoverable UFD remnants are those that accreted recently, z accretion ≲ 0.5. Based on these results, we make recommendations to help guide the search for dynamically linked clusters of UFD stars in observational data. We find that real clusters generally have higher median energy and J r , providing a way to help identify real versus fake clusters. We also recommend incorporating chemical tagging as a way to improve clustering results.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Measurement of the galaxy-velocity power spectrum of DESI tracers with the kinematic Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect using DESI DR2 and ACT DR6

Joint analyses of high-resolution CMB temperature maps with galaxy surveys provide a unique way to reconstruct the radial velocity field of the underlying matter distribution via the kinematic Sunyaev-Zeldovich (kSZ) effect. Using data from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) DR6 and the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) DR2, we present radial velocity reconstructions for luminous red galaxies (LRGs), emission-line galaxies (ELGs), and quasars (QSOs). Leveraging the spectroscopic data, we are able to reliably model the foreground contamination and report a negligible impact on our main observables. We detect the velocity-galaxy cross-correlation at $17.0σ$ for LRGs, and for the first time, at $8.3σ$ for ELGs and $6.8σ$ for QSOs. We further report the first detection of the velocity-velocity correlation using LRGs at $3.1σ$, as well as the highest cumulative detection of the kSZ effect to date at $20.8 σ$. Similarly to previous results, we find a lower amplitude of the kSZ signal compared to our fiducial halo model prediction and electron profile assuming a Battaglia profile. Combining these new observables, we obtain constraints on local-type primordial non-Gaussianity (PNG): $f_{\rm NL}^{\rm loc} = 15.9_{-34.4}^{+34.6}$ at 68% confidence, which represents the tightest constraint to date derived from the velocity field. The measurements presented here already exhibit lower noise on a per-mode basis than the galaxy auto-correlation on the largest scales, $k<0.004~\rm{Mpc^{-1}}$, highlighting the key role these observables will play in the context of future CMB experiments such as the Simons Observatory.

Chaussidon, Edmond [LBL, Berkeley] (ORCID:00000001↗
DOE OSTI2024

Six spiral galaxies lacking dark matter

Dark matter is believed to be the essential building blocks of galaxy formation. While instances of galaxies lacking dark matter have been observed, these occurrences are typically linked to specific formation mechanisms, making them stand out as unique cases. In spiral galaxies, the presence of flat rotation curves is a common observation, indicating the need for dark matter to support these dynamics. However, the galaxies displaying minimal or no dark matter are likely not exceptional cases. We report several spiral galaxies where the flat rotation areas exhibit an average dynamical to baryonic mass ratio value of M dyn /m bary ~ 1.09. The low dynamical to baryonic mass ratios indicate that the kinematics of these galaxies can be supported by their baryonic mass only. The existence of spiral galaxies devoid of dark matter suggests that, in specific scenarios, the influence of dark matter on galaxy formation may not be as universally essential as previously believed.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Constraining cosmological parameters using the pairwise kinematic Sunyaev-Zel’dovich effect with CMB-S4 and future galaxy cluster surveys

We present a forecast of the pairwise kinematic Sunyaev-Zel’dovich (kSZ) measurement that will be achievable with the future CMB-S4 experiment. CMB-S4 is the next stage for ground-based cosmic microwave background experiments, with a planned wide-area survey that will observe approximately 50% of the sky. We construct a simulated sample of galaxy clusters that have been optically selected in a Legacy Survey of Space and Time–like survey and have spectroscopic redshifts. For this cluster sample, assuming the likelihood is Gaussian, we predict that CMB-S4 will reject the null hypothesis of zero pairwise kSZ signal at 36⁢𝜎. We estimate the effects of systematic uncertainties such as scatter in the mass-richness scaling relation and cluster miscentering. We find that these effects can reduce the signal-to-noise ratio of the CMB-S4 pairwise kSZ measurement by 20%. We explore the constraining power of the measured kSZ signal in combination with measurements of the galaxy clusters’ thermal SZ emission on two extensions to the standard cosmological model. The first extension allows the dark energy equation of state 𝑤 to vary. We find the CMB-S4 pairwise kSZ measurement yields a modest reduction in the uncertainty on 𝑤 by a factor of 1.36 over the Planck’s 2018 uncertainty. The second extension tests general relativity by varying the growth index 𝛾. In conclusion, we find that CMB-S4’s pairwise kSZ measurement will yield a 28⁢𝜎 constraint on 𝛾 and strongly constrain alternative theories of gravity.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Project Dinos I: A joint lensing–dynamics constraint on the deviation from the power law in the mass profile of massive ellipticals

The mass distribution in massive elliptical galaxies encodes their evolutionary history, thus providing an avenue to constrain the baryonic astrophysics in their evolution. The power-law assumption for the radial mass profile in ellipticals has been sufficient to describe several observables to the noise level, including strong lensing and stellar dynamics. In this paper, we quantitatively constrained any deviation, or the lack thereof, from the power-law mass profile in massive ellipticals through joint lensing–dynamics analysis of a large statistical sample with 77 galaxy–galaxy lens systems. We performed an improved and uniform lens modelling of these systems from archival Hubble Space Telescope imaging using the automated lens modelling pipeline dolphin. We combined the lens model posteriors with the stellar dynamics to constrain the deviation from the power law after accounting for the line-of-sight lensing effects, a first for analyses on galaxy–galaxy lenses. We find that the Sloan Lens ACS Survey lens galaxies with a mean redshift of 0.2 are consistent with the power-law profile within 1.1σ (2.8σ) and the Strong Lensing Legacy Survey lens galaxies with a mean redshift of 0.6 are consistent within 0.8σ (2.1σ), for a spatially constant (Osipkov–Merritt) stellar anisotropy profile. We adopted the spatially constant anisotropy profile as our baseline choice based on previous dynamical observables of local ellipticals. However, spatially resolved stellar kinematics of lens galaxies are necessary to differentiate between the two anisotropy models. Future studies will use our lens models to constrain the mass distribution individually in the dark matter and baryonic components.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

TDCOSMO - IV. Hierarchical time-delay cosmography – joint inference of the Hubble constant and galaxy density profiles

The H0LiCOW collaboration inferred via strong gravitational lensing time delays a Hubble constant value of H0 = 73.3−1.8+1.7 km s−1 Mpc−1, describing deflector mass density profiles by either a power-law or stars (constant mass-to-light ratio) plus standard dark matter halos. The mass-sheet transform (MST) that leaves the lensing observables unchanged is considered the dominant source of residual uncertainty in H0. We quantify any potential effect of the MST with a flexible family of mass models, which directly encodes it, and they are hence maximally degenerate with H0. Our calculation is based on a new hierarchical Bayesian approach in which the MST is only constrained by stellar kinematics. The approach is validated on mock lenses, which are generated from hydrodynamic simulations. We first applied the inference to the TDCOSMO sample of seven lenses, six of which are from H0LiCOW, and measured H0 = 74.5−6.1+5.6 km s−1 Mpc−1. Secondly, in order to further constrain the deflector mass density profiles, we added imaging and spectroscopy for a set of 33 strong gravitational lenses from the Sloan Lens ACS (SLACS) sample. For nine of the 33 SLAC lenses, we used resolved kinematics to constrain the stellar anisotropy. From the joint hierarchical analysis of the TDCOSMO+SLACS sample, we measured H0 = 67.4−3.2+4.1 km s−1 Mpc−1. This measurement assumes that the TDCOSMO and SLACS galaxies are drawn from the same parent population. The blind H0LiCOW, TDCOSMO-only and TDCOSMO+SLACS analyses are in mutual statistical agreement. The TDCOSMO+SLACS analysis prefers marginally shallower mass profiles than H0LiCOW or TDCOSMO-only. Without relying on the form of the mass density profile used by H0LiCOW, we achieve a ∼5% measurement of H0. While our new hierarchical analysis does not statistically invalidate the mass profile assumptions by H0LiCOW – and thus the H0 measurement relying on them – it demonstrates the importance of understanding the mass density profile of elliptical galaxies. The uncertainties on H0 derived in this paper can be reduced by physical or observational priors on the form of the mass profile, or by additional data.Key words: gravitational lensing: strong / galaxies: general / galaxies: kinematics and dynamics / distance scale / cosmological parameters / cosmology: observations⋆ The full analysis is available at https://github.com/TDCOSMO/hierarchy_analysis_2020_public.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Uncovering dark matter density profiles in dwarf galaxies with graph neural networks

Dwarf galaxies are small, dark-matter-dominated galaxies, some of which are embedded within the Milky Way. Their lack of baryonic matter (e.g., stars and gas) makes them perfect test beds for probing the properties of dark matter—understanding the spatial dark matter distribution in these systems can be used to constrain microphysical dark matter interactions that influence the formation and evolution of structures in our Universe. Here, we introduce a new method that leverages simulation-based inference and graph-based machine learning in order to infer the dark matter density profiles of dwarf galaxies from observable kinematics of stars gravitationally bound to these systems. Our approach aims to address some of the limitations of established methods based on dynamical Jeans modeling. We show that this novel method can place stronger constraints on dark matter profiles and, consequently, has the potential to weigh in on some of the ongoing puzzles associated with the small-scale structure of dark matter halos, such as the core-cusp discrepancy.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Impact of bar resonances in the velocity–space distribution of the solar neighbourhood stars in a self-consistent N -body Galactic disc simulation

ABSTRACT The velocity–space distribution of the solar neighbourhood stars shows complex substructures. Most of the previous studies use static potentials to investigate their origins. Instead we use a self-consistent N-body model of the Milky Way, whose potential is asymmetric and evolves with time. In this paper, we quantitatively evaluate the similarities of the velocity–space distributions in the N-body model and that of the solar neighbourhood, using Kullback–Leibler divergence (KLD). The KLD analysis shows the time evolution and spatial variation of the velocity–space distribution. The KLD fluctuates with time, which indicates the velocity–space distribution at a fixed position is not always similar to that of the solar neighbourhood. Some positions show velocity–space distributions with small KLDs (high similarities) more frequently than others. One of them locates at $(R,\phi)=(8.2\,\,\rm{\mathrm{kpc}}, 30^\circ)$, where R and ϕ are the distance from the galactic centre and the angle with respect to the bar’s major axis, respectively. The detection frequency is higher in the inter-arm regions than in the arm regions. In the velocity maps with small KLDs, we identify the velocity–space substructures, which consist of particles trapped in bar resonances. The bar resonances have significant impact on the stellar velocity–space distribution even though the galactic potential is not static.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

The occurrence rate of galaxies with polar structures may be significantly underestimated

Polar-ring galaxies are photometrically and kinematically decoupled systems that are highly inclined to the major axis of the host. These galaxies have been explored since the 1970s, but the rarity of these systems has made such systematic studies difficult. However, over 250 good candidates have been identified. In this work, we examine a sample of over 18 000 galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Stripe 82 for the presence of galaxies with polar structures. Using deep SDSS Stripe 82, DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys, and Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program, we selected 53 good candidate galaxies with photometrically decoupled polar rings, 9 galaxies with polar halos, 6 galaxies with polar bulges, and 34 possibly forming polar-ring galaxies, versus 13 polar-ring candidates previously selected in Stripe 82. Our results suggest that the occurrence rate of galaxies with polar structures may be significantly underestimated, as revealed by the deep observations, and may amount to 1–3% of non-dwarf galaxies.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗
DOE OSTI2021

SDSS-IV MaNGA: 3D spin alignment of spiral and S0 galaxies

ABSTRACT We investigate the 3D spin alignment of galaxies with respect to the large-scale filaments using the MaNGA survey. The cosmic web is reconstructed from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey using disperse and the 3D spins of MaNGA galaxies are estimated using the thin disc approximation with integral field spectroscopy kinematics. Late-type spiral galaxies are found to have their spins parallel to the closest filament’s axis. The alignment signal is found to be dominated by low-mass spirals. Spins of S0-type galaxies tend to be oriented preferentially in perpendicular direction with respect to the filament’s axis. This orthogonal orientation is found to be dominated by S0s that show a notable misalignment between their kinematic components of stellar and ionized gas velocity fields and/or by low-mass S0s with lower rotation support compared to their high-mass counterparts. Qualitatively similar results are obtained when splitting galaxies based on the degree of ordered stellar rotation, such that galaxies with high spin magnitude have their spin aligned, and those with low spin magnitude in perpendicular direction to the filaments. In the context of conditional tidal torque theory, these findings suggest that galaxies’ spins retain memory of their larger scale environment. In agreement with measurements from hydrodynamical cosmological simulations, the measured signal at low redshift is weak, yet statistically significant. The dependence of the spin-filament orientation of galaxies on their stellar mass, morphology, and kinematics highlights the importance of sample selection to detect the signal.

Kraljic, Katarina↗
DOE OSTI2022

Photometric Signature of Ultraharmonic Resonances in Barred Galaxies

Bars may induce morphological features, such as rings, through their resonances. Previous studies suggested that the presence of "dark gaps," or regions of a galaxy where the difference between the surface brightness along the bar major axis and that along the bar minor axis is maximal, can be attributed to the location of bar corotation. Here, using GALAKOS, a high-resolution N-body simulation of a barred galaxy, we test this photometric method's ability to identify the bar corotation resonance. Contrary to previous work, our results indicate that "dark gaps" are a clear sign of the location of the 4:1 ultraharmonic resonance instead of bar corotation. Measurements of the bar corotation can indirectly be inferred using kinematic information, e.g., by measuring the shape of the rotation curve. We demonstrate our concept on a sample of 578 face-on barred galaxies with both imaging and integral field observations and find that the sample likely consists primarily of fast bars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Accurate model of the projected velocity distribution of galaxies in dark matter haloes

ABSTRACT We present a per cent-level accurate model of the line-of-sight velocity distribution of galaxies around dark matter haloes as a function of projected radius and halo mass. The model is developed and tested using synthetic galaxy catalogues generated with the UniverseMachine run on the Multi-Dark Planck 2 N-body simulations. The model decomposes the galaxies around a cluster into three kinematically distinct classes: orbiting, infalling, and interloping galaxies. We demonstrate that: (1) we can statistically distinguish between these three types of galaxies using only projected line-of-sight velocity information; (2) the halo edge radius inferred from the line-of-sight velocity dispersion is an excellent proxy for the three-dimensional halo edge radius; and (3) we can accurately recover the full velocity dispersion profile for each of the three populations of galaxies. Importantly, the velocity dispersion profiles of the orbiting and infalling galaxies contain five independent parameters – three distinct radial scales and two velocity dispersion amplitudes – each of which is correlated with mass. Thus, the velocity dispersion profile of galaxy clusters has inherent redundancies that allow us to perform non-trivial systematics checks from a single data set. We discuss several potential applications of our new model for detecting the edge radius and constraining cosmology and astrophysics using upcoming spectroscopic surveys.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗
DOE OSTI2026

Detection of the pairwise kinematic Sunyaev-Zel’dovich effect and pairwise velocity with DESI DR1 galaxies and ACT DR6 and Planck CMB data

We present a 9.3⁢𝜎 detection of the pairwise kinematic Sunyaev-Zel’dovich (kSZ) effect by combining a sample of 913,286 Luminous Red Galaxies (LRGs) from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument Data Release 1 (DESI DR1) catalog and coadded Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT DR6) and Planck cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature maps. This represents the highest-significance pairwise kSZ measurement to date. The analysis uses three ACT CMB temperature maps: coadded 150 GHz, total frequency maps, and a component separated Internal Linear Combination (ILC) map, all of which cover 19,000 square degrees of the sky from Advanced ACTPol observations conducted between 2017 and 2022. Comparison of the results of these three maps serves as a consistency check for potential foreground contamination that may depend on the observation frequency. An estimate of the best-fit mass-averaged optical depth is obtained by comparing the pairwise kSZ curve with the linear theory prediction of the pairwise velocity under the best-fit Planck cosmology and is compared with predictions from simulations. This estimate serves as a reference point for future comparisons with thermal SZ–derived optical depth measurements for the same DESI cluster samples, which will be presented in a companion paper. Finally, we employ a machine learning approach, trained on simulations to estimate the optical depth for 456,803 DESI LRG-identified clusters within the simulated mass range ( ≳ 10 13 ⁢𝑀 ⊙ ). These are combined with the measured kSZ signal to infer the individual cluster peculiar velocities, providing the opportunity to constrain the behavior of gravity and the dark sector over a range of cosmic scales and epochs.

Gong, Yulin [Cornell University] (ORCID:0000000346↗