Non-Gaussian deflections in iterative optimal CMB lensing reconstruction (2407.00228v1)

Abstract: The gravitational lensing signal from the Cosmic Microwave Background is highly valuable to constrain the growth of the structures in the Universe in a clean and robust manner over a wide range of redshifts. One of the theoretical systematics for lensing reconstruction is the impact of the lensing field non-Gaussianities on its estimators. Non-linear matter clustering and post-Born lensing corrections are known to bias standard quadratic estimators to some extent, most significantly so in temperature. In this work, we explore the impact of non-Gaussian deflections on Maximum a Posteriori lensing estimators, which, in contrast to quadratic estimators, are able to provide optimal measurements of the lensing field. We show that these naturally reduce the induced non- Gaussian bias and lead to unbiased cosmological constraints in $\Lambda$CDM at CMB-S4 noise levels without the need for explicit modelling. We also test the impact of assuming a non-Gaussian prior for the reconstruction; this mitigates the effect further slightly, but generally has little impact on the quality of the reconstruction. This shows that higher-order statistics of the lensing deflections are not expected to present a major challenge for optimal CMB lensing reconstruction in the foreseeable future.