Cosmological Constraints from the eBOSS Lyman-$α$ Forest using the PRIYA Simulations

Abstract: We present new cosmological parameter constraints from the eBOSS Lyman-$\alpha$ forest survey. We use a new theoretical model and likelihood based on the PRIYA simulation suite. PRIYA is the first suite to resolve the Lyman-$\alpha$ forest in a ($120$~Mpc/h~)$^3$ volume, using a multi-fidelity emulation technique. We use PRIYA to predict Lyman-$\alpha$ forest observables with $\lesssim 1\%$ interpolation error over an $11$ dimensional ($9$ simulated, $2$ in post-processing) parameter space. We identify an internal tension within the flux power spectrum data. Once the discrepant data is removed, we find the primeval scalar spectral index measured at a pivot scale of $k_0 = 0.78$ Mpc$^{-1}$ to be $n_P = 1.009^{+0.027}_{-0.018}$ at 68\% confidence. This measurement from the Lyman-$\alpha$ forest flux power spectrum alone is in reasonable agreement with Planck, and in tension with earlier eBOSS analyses. The amplitude of matter fluctuations is $\sigma_8 = 0.733^{+0.026}_{-0.029}$ at 68\% confidence, in agreement with Dark Energy Survey weak lensing measurements and other small-scale structure probes and in tension with CMB measurements from Planck and ACT. The effective optical depth to Lyman-$\alpha$ photons from our pipeline is in good agreement with earlier high resolution measurements. We find a linear power at $z=3$ and $k = 0.009$ s/km of $\Delta_L^2 = 0.302^{+0.024}_{-0.027}$ with a slope $n_\mathrm{eff} = -2.264^{+0.026}_{-0.018}$. Our flux power spectrum only chains prefer a low level of heating during helium reionization. When we add IGM temperature data we find $n_P = 0.983\pm 0.020$ and $\sigma_8 = 0.703^{+0.023}_{-0.027}$. Our chains prefer an early and long helium reionization event, as suggested by measurements from the helium Lyman-$\alpha$ forest. In the near future we will use our pipeline to infer cosmological parameters from the DESI Lyman-$\alpha$ data.