A Numerical Study of Cosmic Shear Statistics


Abstract in English

We explore the stability of the variance and skewness of the cosmic gravitational convergence field, using two different approaches: first we simulate a whole MEGACAM survey (100 sq. degrees). The reconstructed mass map, obtained from a shear map, shows that the state-of-the-art data analysis methods can measure weak-lensing statistics at angular scales ranging from 2.5 to 25. We looked also at the influence of a varying signal-to-noise ratio over the shear map (due to local variations of source density) on the mass reconstruction, by means of Monte-Carlo simulation. The effect at small scales can easily be corrected-for in most of the relevant cases. These results enhance the confidence in the capability of future large surveys to measure accurately cosmologically interesting quantities.

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