DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: DR6 power spectra, likelihoods and ΛCDM parameters

Journal Article · · Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ; ORCiD logo; ; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo more »; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ; ; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ; ; ; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ; ; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ; ; ORCiD logo; ; ORCiD logo; ; ORCiD logo; ; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ; ; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ; ; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo; « less

We present power spectra of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy in temperature and polarization, measured from the Data Release 6 maps made from Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) data. These cover 19,000 deg2 of sky in bands centered at 98, 150 and 220 GHz, with white noise levels three times lower than Planck in polarization. We find that the ACT angular power spectra estimated over 10,000 deg2, and measured to arcminute scales in TT, TE and EE, are well fit by the sum of CMB and foregrounds, where the CMB spectra are described by the ΛCDM model. Combining ACT with larger-scale Planck data, the joint P-ACT dataset provides tight limits on the ingredients, expansion rate, and initial conditions of the universe. We find similar constraining power, and consistent results, from either the Planck power spectra or from ACT combined with WMAP data, as well as from either temperature or polarization in the joint P-ACT dataset. When combined with CMB lensing from ACT and Planck, and baryon acoustic oscillation data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI DR1), we measure a baryon density of Ωbh2 = 0.0226 ± 0.0001, a cold dark matter density of Ωch2 = 0.118 ± 0.001, a Hubble constant of H0 = 68.22 ± 0.36 km/s/Mpc, a spectral index of ns = 0.974 ± 0.003, and an amplitude of density fluctuations of σ8 = 0.813 ± 0.005. Including the DESI DR2 data tightens the Hubble constant to H0 = 68.43 ± 0.27 km/s/Mpc; ΛCDM parameters agree between the P-ACT and DESI DR2 data at the 1.6σ level. We find no evidence for excess lensing in the power spectrum, and no departure from spatial flatness. The contribution from Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) anisotropy is detected at high significance; we find evidence for a tilt with suppressed small-scale power compared to our baseline SZ template spectrum, consistent with hydrodynamical simulations with feedback.

Research Organization:
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States); Stony Brook University, NY (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Scientific User Facilities (SUF); USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP)
Contributing Organization:
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope collaboration
Grant/Contract Number:
89243024CSC000002; AC02-05CH11231; SC0025309
OSTI ID:
3008494
Report Number(s):
FERMILAB-PUB--25-0071-PPD
Journal Information:
Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics Journal Issue: 11 Vol. 2025; ISSN 1475-7516
Publisher:
IOP PublishingCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (120)

Weak gravitational lensing of the CMB journal June 2006
Planck evidence for a closed Universe and a possible crisis for cosmology journal November 2019
Array programming with NumPy journal September 2020
SciPy 1.0: fundamental algorithms for scientific computing in Python journal February 2020
New physics from the polarized light of the cosmic microwave background journal May 2022
Gravitational lensing of cosmic microwave background anisotropies and cosmological parameter estimation journal February 1999
Cosmic confusion: degeneracies among cosmological parameters derived from measurements of microwave background anisotropies journal March 1999
The Sunyaev-Zel'dovich angular power spectrum as a probe of cosmological parameters journal November 2002
Planck pre-launch status: The optical system journal September 2010
High-frequency predictions for number counts and spectral properties of extragalactic radio sources. New evidence of a break at mm wavelengths in spectra of bright blazar sources journal August 2011
Planck 2013 results. XVI. Cosmological parameters journal October 2014
Astropy: A community Python package for astronomy journal September 2013
Planck 2013 results. XXX. Cosmic infrared background measurements and implications for star formation journal October 2014
Planck 2015 results : XIII. Cosmological parameters journal September 2016
Planck 2015 results : X. Diffuse component separation: Foreground maps journal September 2016
Planck 2015 results : XI. CMB power spectra, likelihoods, and robustness of parameters journal September 2016
Planck intermediate results : XLIX. Parity-violation constraints from polarization data journal December 2016
Cosmology with the cosmic microwave background temperature-polarization correlation journal June 2017
Planck 2018 results: XI. Polarized dust foregrounds journal September 2020
Planck 2018 results: III. High Frequency Instrument data processing and frequency maps journal September 2020
Planck 2018 results: VI. Cosmological parameters journal September 2020
Planck 2018 results: V. CMB power spectra and likelihoods journal September 2020
Reionization optical depth determination from Planck HFI data with ten percent accuracy journal March 2020
Planck intermediate results: LVII. Joint Planck LFI and HFI data processing journal November 2020
KiDS-1000 Cosmology: Multi-probe weak gravitational lensing and spectroscopic galaxy clustering constraints journal February 2021
Cosmological parameters derived from the final Planck data release (PR4) journal January 2024
class_sz I: Overview journal January 2024
Efficient Computation of Cosmic Microwave Background Anisotropies in Closed Friedmann‐Robertson‐Walker Models journal August 2000
First‐Year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe ( WMAP ) Observations: Determination of Cosmological Parameters journal September 2003
HEALPix: A Framework for High‐Resolution Discretization and Fast Analysis of Data Distributed on the Sphere journal April 2005
Detecting the Aberration of the Cosmic Microwave Background journal March 2006
Three‐Year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe ( WMAP ) Observations: Implications for Cosmology journal June 2007
Submillimeter Polarimetry with PolKa, a Reflection-Type Modulator for the APEX Telescope journal November 2014
Simulations of the Sunyaev-Zel'Dovich Power Spectrum with Active Galactic Nucleus Feedback journal November 2010
THE ATACAMA COSMOLOGY TELESCOPE: A MEASUREMENT OF THE COSMIC MICROWAVE BACKGROUND POWER SPECTRUM AT 148 AND 218 GHz FROM THE 2008 SOUTHERN SURVEY journal February 2011
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Cosmological Parameters from the 2008 Power Spectrum journal September 2011
THE ATACAMA COSMOLOGY TELESCOPE: CALIBRATION WITH THE WILKINSON MICROWAVE ANISOTROPY PROBE USING CROSS-CORRELATIONS journal October 2011
On the Cluster Physics of Sunyaev-Zel'Dovich and X-Ray Surveys. ii. Deconstructing the Thermal sz Power Spectrum journal September 2012
Reionization on Large Scales. iii. Predictions for Low-ℓ Cosmic Microwave Background Polarization and High-ℓ Kinetic Sunyaev-Zel'Dovich Observables journal October 2013
NINE-YEAR WILKINSON MICROWAVE ANISOTROPY PROBE ( WMAP ) OBSERVATIONS: FINAL MAPS AND RESULTS journal September 2013
The Primordial Inflation Explorer (PIXIE): a nulling polarimeter for cosmic microwave background observations journal July 2011
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: likelihood for small-scale CMB data journal July 2013
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: cosmological parameters from three seasons of data journal October 2013
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: temperature and gravitational lensing power spectrum measurements from three seasons of data journal April 2014
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: two-season ACTPol spectra and parameters journal June 2017
Disconnected pseudo- C covariances for projected large-scale structure data journal November 2019
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: a measurement of the Cosmic Microwave Background power spectra at 98 and 150 GHz journal December 2020
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: DR4 maps and cosmological parameters journal December 2020
Cobaya: code for Bayesian analysis of hierarchical physical models journal May 2021
CMB lensing from Planck PR4 maps journal September 2022
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: map-based noise simulations for DR6 journal November 2023
DESI 2024 VI: cosmological constraints from the measurements of baryon acoustic oscillations journal February 2025
DESI 2024 III: baryon acoustic oscillations from galaxies and quasars journal April 2025
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: semi-analytic covariance matrices for the DR6 CMB power spectra journal May 2025
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: DR6 power spectrum foreground model and validation journal October 2025
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: DR6 maps journal November 2025
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: DR6 constraints on extended cosmological models journal November 2025
A Unified Empirical Model for Infrared Galaxy Counts Based on the Observed Physical Evolution of Distant Galaxies journal September 2012
CMB power spectra and cosmological parameters from Planck PR4 with CamSpec journal September 2022
Agora: Multicomponent simulation for cross-survey science journal April 2024
The power spectrum of the thermal Sunyaev–Zeldovich effect journal May 2025
The bahamas project: calibrated hydrodynamical simulations for large-scale structure cosmology journal October 2016
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: two-season ACTPol extragalactic point sources and their polarization properties journal November 2018
The BAHAMAS project: the CMB–large-scale structure tension and the roles of massive neutrinos and galaxy formation journal February 2018
Dark energy constraints from the thermal Sunyaev–Zeldovich power spectrum journal March 2018
DESI DR2 results. I. Baryon acoustic oscillations from the Lyman alpha forest journal October 2025
Turning a negative neutrino mass into a positive optical depth journal August 2025
Consistency of CMB experiments beyond cosmic variance journal July 2019
Hubble constant hunter’s guide journal February 2020
Measurements of B -mode polarization of the cosmic microwave background from 500 square degrees of SPTpol data journal June 2020
Fast computation of angular power spectra and covariances of high-resolution cosmic microwave background maps using the Toeplitz approximation journal December 2020
Measurements of the E -mode polarization and temperature- E -mode correlation of the CMB from SPT-3G 2018 data journal July 2021
Dark Energy Survey Year 3 results: Cosmological constraints from galaxy clustering and weak lensing journal January 2022
Improved constraints on cosmic birefringence from the WMAP and Planck cosmic microwave background polarization data journal September 2022
Extragalactic CO emission lines in the CMB experiments: A forgotten signal and a foreground journal June 2023
Measurement of the CMB temperature power spectrum and constraints on cosmology from the SPT-3G 2018 TT , TE , and EE dataset journal July 2023
Hyper Suprime-Cam Year 3 results: Cosmology from cosmic shear power spectra journal December 2023
Atacama Cosmology Telescope: High-resolution component-separated maps across one third of the sky journal March 2024
Contributions of extragalactic CO emission lines to ground-based CMB observations journal November 2024
Modeling beam chromaticity for high-resolution CMB analyses journal February 2025
Cosmology from CMB lensing and delensed EE power spectra using 2019–2020 SPT-3G polarization data journal April 2025
Constraining cosmology with thermal Sunyaev-Zel’dovich maps: Minkowski functionals, peaks, minima, and moments journal May 2025
Limits on a Lorentz- and parity-violating modification of electrodynamics journal February 1990
Cosmic microwave weak lensing data as a test for the dark universe journal June 2008
Non-Gaussian structure of the lensed CMB power spectra covariance matrix journal December 2012
Super-sample CMB lensing journal July 2014
CMB polarization can constrain cosmology better than CMB temperature journal September 2014
Full covariance of CMB and lensing reconstruction power spectra journal February 2017
Cosmological parameters from pre-Planck CMB measurements: A 2017 update journal March 2017
Lens covariance effects on likelihood analyses of CMB power spectra journal November 2017
Accurate analytic model for the thermal Sunyaev-Zel’dovich one-point probability distribution function journal May 2019
Evidence for Dark Energy from the Cosmic Microwave Background Alone Using the Atacama Cosmology Telescope Lensing Measurements journal July 2011
New Extraction of the Cosmic Birefringence from the Planck 2018 Polarization Data journal November 2020
Improved Constraints on Primordial Gravitational Waves using Planck , WMAP, and BICEP/ Keck Observations through the 2018 Observing Season journal October 2021
Matplotlib: A 2D Graphics Environment journal January 2007
Modelling the correlation between the thermal Sunyaev Zel'dovich effect and the cosmic infrared background: tSZ–CIB correlation journal November 2012
A Tale of Many H0 journal September 2024
Optical modeling of systematic uncertainties in detector polarization angles for the Atacama Cosmology Telescope journal June 2024
Large-scale power loss in ground-based CMB mapmaking journal July 2023
healpy: equal area pixelization and spherical harmonics transforms for data on the sphere in Python journal March 2019
The Python Sky Model 3 software journal November 2021
Compressed ‘CMB-lite’ Likelihoods Using Automatic Differentiation journal February 2025
The Astropy Project: Building an Open-science Project and Status of the v2.0 Core Package journal August 2018
A Measurement of the Cosmic Microwave Background B -mode Polarization Power Spectrum at Subdegree Scales from Two Years of polarbear Data journal October 2017
Measurements of the Temperature and E-mode Polarization of the CMB from 500 Square Degrees of SPTpol Data journal January 2018
Analytic Calculation of Covariance between Cosmological Parameters from Correlated Data Sets, with an Application to SPTpol journal December 2019
A Measurement of the Degree-scale CMB B -mode Angular Power Spectrum with Polarbear journal July 2020
The Power Spectra of Polarized, Dusty Filaments journal August 2020
An Improved Measurement of the Secondary Cosmic Microwave Background Anisotropies from the SPT-SZ + SPTpol Surveys journal February 2021
The Origin of Parity Violation in Polarized Dust Emission and Implications for Cosmic Birefringence journal September 2021
The Pantheon+ Analysis: The Full Data Set and Light-curve Release journal October 2022
The Pantheon+ Analysis: Cosmological Constraints journal October 2022
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Systematic Transient Search of 3 Day Maps journal October 2023
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: A Measurement of the DR6 CMB Lensing Power Spectrum and Its Implications for Structure Growth journal February 2024
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: DR6 Gravitational Lensing Map and Cosmological Parameters journal February 2024
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Galactic Dust Structure and the Cosmic PAH Background in Cross-correlation with WISE journal January 2024
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Mitigating the Impact of Extragalactic Foregrounds for the DR6 Cosmic Microwave Background Lensing Analysis journal April 2024
Small Magellanic Cloud Cepheids Observed with the Hubble Space Telescope Provide a New Anchor for the SH0ES Distance Ladder journal September 2024
Status Report on the Chicago-Carnegie Hubble Program (CCHP): Measurement of the Hubble Constant Using the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes journal May 2025
A Comprehensive Measurement of the Local Value of the Hubble Constant with 1 km s−1 Mpc−1 Uncertainty from the Hubble Space Telescope and the SH0ES Team journal July 2022