A map of the integrated sachs-wolfe signal from luminous red galaxies

Abstract

We construct a map of the time derivative of the gravitational potential traced by Sloan Digital Sky Survey luminous red galaxies (LRGs). The potential decays on large scales due to cosmic acceleration, leaving an imprint on cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation through the integrated Sachs-Wolfe (ISW) effect. With a template fit, we directly measure this signature on the CMB at a 2σ confidence level. The measurement is consistent with the cross-correlation statistic, strengthening the claim that dark energy is indeed the cause of the correlation. This new approach potentially simplifies the cosmological interpretation. Our constructed linear ISW map shows no evidence for degree-scale cold and hot spots associated with supervoid and supercluster structures. This suggests that the linear ISW effect in a concordance ΛCDM cosmology is insufficient to explain the strong CMB imprints from these structures that we previously reported. © 2009. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.