Using Lagrangian perturbation theory for precision cosmology

Abstract

We explore the Lagrangian perturbation theory (LPT) at one-loop order with Gaussian initial conditions. We present an expansion method to approximately compute the power spectrum LPT. Our approximate solution has good convergence in the series expansion and enables us to compute the power spectrum in LPT accurately and quickly. Non-linear corrections in this theory naturally satisfy the law of conservation of mass because the relation between matter density and the displacement vector of dark matter corresponds to the conservation of mass. By matching the one-loop solution in LPT to the two-loop solution in standard perturbation theory, we present an approximate solution of the power spectrum which has higher order corrections than the two-loop order in standard perturbation theory with the conservation of mass satisfied. With this approximation, we can use LPT to compute a non-linear power spectrum without any free parameters, and this solution agrees with numerical simulations at k = 0.2 h Mpc-1 and z = 0.35 to better than 2%. © 2014. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved..