Title: Probing Systematic Bias in Low-redshift Type Ia Supernova Measurements by Cross Analyzing Surface Brightness and Hubble Residuals

Abstract

For low-redshift (z < 0.1) SN Ia samples used in several cosmological analyses over the past decade, we probe for systematic bias by looking for correlations between surface brightness (SB) measurements and Hubble residuals (HR). For 292 SNe Ia, we measure SB at the location of the SN Ia from publicly available Pan-STARRS (PS1) images. The Hubble residuals are from two recent measurements with low-z SNe Ia that overlap the PS1 footprint: (1) the DES 3 yr cosmology analysis, with 120 overlapping low-z SNe Ia from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics surveys and Carnegie Supernova Project, and (2) the PS1 single-telescope analysis, with 172 overlapping low-z SNe Ia from the Foundation Supernova Survey. This study is motivated by previous reports of anomalous inefficiencies and flux scatter for transients on bright galaxies. Here, we compare HR distributions of the bright and faint halves of the SB distribution: the mean HR values differ by $${\rm{\Delta }}\overline{\mathrm{HR}}$$ = 0.031 ± 0.018, consistent with no difference at the 2σ level. We also perform a Kolmogorov–Smirnov (KS) test for the bright and faint half HR distributions, and conclude that the two distributions are statistically consistent with a KS p-value of 0.07. However, if future studies with larger data sets find $${\rm{\Delta }}\overline{\mathrm{HR}}\sim 0.03$$ with high significance, this difference would be a leading systematic uncertainty in measurements of the dark energy equation of state, w.

Authors:

Solak, H.  ^[1];

• Search DOE PAGES for author "Solak, H."
• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0001-5898-1241"

Kessler, R. ^[1]; Jones, D. O.  ^[2]

• Search DOE PAGES for author "Jones, D. O."
• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0002-6230-0151"

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+ Show Author Affiliations

1. Univ. of Chicago, IL (United States)
2. Univ. of California, Santa Cruz, CA (United States)

Publication Date:

Thu Jan 28 00:00:00 EST 2021

Research Org.:

Univ. of Chicago, IL (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:

USDOE; National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

OSTI Identifier:

1821612

Grant/Contract Number:  

SC0009924; NAS5-26555

Resource Type:

Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:

Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific

Additional Journal Information:

Journal Volume: 133; Journal Issue: 1020; Journal ID: ISSN 0004-6280

Publisher:

Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP)

Country of Publication:

United States

Language:

English

Subject:

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS