2002/10/31 by Masahiro Takada, Bhuvnesh Jain · 40 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Amplitude #Anisotropy #Astrophysics #Astrophysics and Cosmic Phenomena #Cosmic microwave background #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #Optics #Physics #Polarization (electrochemistry) #Radio Astronomy Observations and Technology #Redshift #Statistical physics #Weak gravitational lensing #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/368066
published in The Astrophysical Journal 583(2), L49-L52 (IOP Publishing) · 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in ApJL
arxiv created 2002/12/17 · openalex publication_date 2003/01/17 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
The three-point correlation function (3PCF) of the spin-2 fields, cosmic shear and microwave background polarization, is a statistical measure of non-Gaussian signals. At each vertex of a triangle, the shear field has two independent components. The resulting eight possible 3PCFs were recently investigated by Schneider & Lombardi and Zaldarriaga & Scoccimarro. Using rotation and parity transformations, they posed the question: how many components of the shear 3PCF are nonzero and useful? We address this question using an analytical model and measurements from ray-tracing simulations. We show that all eight 3PCFs are generally nonzero and have comparable amplitude. These eight 3PCFs can be used to improve the signal-to-noise ratio from survey data, and their configuration dependence can be used to separate the contribution from E - and B -modes. This separation provides a new and precise probe of systematic errors. We estimate the signal-to-noise ratio for measuring the shear 3PCF from weak lensing surveys using simulated maps that include the noise due to intrinsic ellipticities. A deep lensing survey with area of the order of 10 deg 2 would allow for the detection of the shear 3PCFs; a survey with area exceeding 100 deg 2 is needed for accurate measurements.