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DOE OSTI2024

Detection of the large-scale tidal field with galaxy multiplet alignment in the DESI Y1 spectroscopic survey

We explore correlations between the orientations of small galaxy groups, or ‘multiplets’, and the large-scale gravitational tidal field. Using data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Y1 survey, we detect the intrinsic alignment (IA) of multiplets to the galaxy-traced matter field out to separations of $100\,h^{-1}$ Mpc. Unlike traditional IA measurements of individual galaxies, this estimator is not limited by imaging of galaxy shapes and allows for direct IA detection beyond redshift $z=1$. Multiplet alignment is a form of higher order clustering, for which the scale-dependence traces the underlying tidal field and amplitude is a result of small-scale ($\lt 1h^{-1}$ Mpc) dynamics. Within samples of bright galaxies, luminous red galaxies (LRG) and emission-line galaxies, we find similar scale-dependence regardless of intrinsic luminosity or colour. This is promising for measuring tidal alignment in galaxy samples that typically display no IA. DESI’s LRG mock galaxy catalogues created from the A BACUS S UMMIT N -body simulations produce a similar alignment signal, though with a 33 per cent lower amplitude at all scales. An analytic model using a non-linear power spectrum (NLA) only matches the signal down to 20 $h^{-1}$ Mpc. Our detection demonstrates that galaxy clustering in the non-linear regime of structure formation preserves an interpretable memory of the large-scale tidal field. Multiplet alignment complements traditional two-point measurements by retaining directional information imprinted by tidal forces, and contains additional line-of-sight information compared to weak lensing. This is a more effective estimator than the alignment of individual galaxies in dense, blue, or faint galaxy samples.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Comparing the DES-SN5YR and Pantheon+ SN cosmology analyses: investigation based on ‘evolving dark energy or supernovae systematics’?

Recent cosmological analyses measuring distances of type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) and baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) have all given similar hints at time-evolving dark energy. To examine whether underestimated SN Ia systematics might be driving these results, Efstathiou (2025) compared overlapping SN events between Pantheon+ and DES-SN5YR (20 per cent SNe are in common), and reported evidence for an $\sim$0.04 mag offset between the low- and high-redshift distance measurements of this subsample of events. If this offset is arbitrarily subtracted from the entire DES-SN5YR sample, the preference for evolving dark energy is reduced. In this paper, we show that this offset is mostly due to different corrections for Malmquist bias between the two samples; therefore, an object-to-object comparison can be misleading. Malmquist bias corrections differ between the two analyses for several reasons. First, DES-SN5YR used an improved model of SN Ia luminosity scatter compared to Pantheon+ but the associated scatter-model uncertainties are included in the error budget. Secondly, improvements in host mass estimates in DES-SN5YR also affected SN standardized magnitudes and their bias corrections. Thirdly, and most importantly, the selection functions of the two compilations are significantly different, hence the inferred Malmquist bias corrections. Even if the original scatter model and host properties from Pantheon+ are used instead, the evidence for evolving dark energy from CMB, DESI BAO Year 1 and DES-SN5YR is only reduced from 3.9$\sigma$ to 3.3$\sigma$, consistent with the error budget. Finally, in this investigation, we identify an underestimated systematic uncertainty related to host galaxy property uncertainties, which could increase the final DES-SN5YR error budget by 3 per cent. In conclusion, we confirm the validity of the published DES-SN5YR results.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

The Dark Energy Survey: more than dark energy – an overview

This overview paper describes the legacy prospect and discovery potential of the Dark Energy Survey (DES) beyond cosmological studies, illustrating it with examples from the DES early data. DES is using a wide-field camera (DECam) on the 4 m Blanco Telescope in Chile to image 5000 sq deg of the sky in five filters (grizY). By its completion, the survey is expected to have generated a catalogue of 300 million galaxies with photometric redshifts and 100 million stars. In addition, a time-domain survey search over 27 sq deg is expected to yield a sample of thousands of Type Ia supernovae and other transients. The main goals of DES are to characterize dark energy and dark matter, and to test alternative models of gravity; these goals will be pursued by studying large-scale structure, cluster counts, weak gravitational lensing and Type Ia supernovae. However, DES also provides a rich data set which allows us to study many other aspects of astrophysics. In this paper, we focus on additional science with DES, emphasizing areas where the survey makes a difference with respect to other current surveys. The paper illustrates, using early data (from ‘Science Verification’, and from the first, second and third seasons of observations), what DES can tell us about the Solar system, the Milky Way, galaxy evolution, quasars and other topics. In addition, we show that if the cosmological model is assumed to be Λ+cold dark matter, then important astrophysics can be deduced from the primary DES probes. Highlights from DES early data include the discovery of 34 trans-Neptunian objects, 17 dwarf satellites of the Milky Way, one published z > 6 quasar (and more confirmed) and two published superluminous supernovae (and more confirmed).

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Cross-correlation of Dark Energy Survey Year 3 lensing data with ACT and P l a n c k thermal Sunyaev-Zel’dovich effect observations. II. Modeling and constraints on halo pressure profiles

Hot, ionized gas leaves an imprint on the cosmic microwave background via the thermal Sunyaev-Zel’dovich (tSZ) effect. The cross-correlation of gravitational lensing (which traces the projected mass) with the tSZ effect (which traces the projected gas pressure) is a powerful probe of the thermal state of ionized baryons throughout the Universe and is sensitive to effects such as baryonic feedback. In a companion paper (Gatti et al. Phys. Rev. D 105, 123525 (2022)), we present tomographic measurements and validation tests of the cross-correlation between Galaxy shear measurements from the first three years of observations of the Dark Energy Survey and tSZ measurements from a combination of Atacama Cosmology Telescope and Planck observations. In this work, we use the same measurements to constrain models for the pressure profiles of halos across a wide range of halo mass and redshift. We find evidence for reduced pressure in low-mass halos, consistent with predictions for the effects of feedback from active Galactic nuclei. We infer the hydrostatic mass bias (B ≡ M 500c /M SZ from our measurements, finding B = 1.8 ± 0.1 when adopting the Planck-preferred cosmological parameters. We additionally find that our measurements are consistent with a nonzero redshift evolution of B, with the correct sign and sufficient magnitude to explain the mass bias necessary to reconcile cluster count measurements with the Planck-preferred cosmology. Our analysis introduces a model for the impact of intrinsic alignments (IAs) of galaxy shapes on the shear-tSZ correlation. We show that IA can have a significant impact on these correlations at current noise levels.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

H 0 = 69.8 ± 1.3 km s - 1 Mpc - 1 , Ω m 0 = 0.288 ± 0.017 , and other constraints from lower-redshift, non-CMB, expansion-rate data

Here, we use updated Type Ia Pantheon+ supernova, baryon acoustic oscillation, and Hubble parameter (now also accounting for correlations) data, as well as new reverberation-measured C $\tiny{IV}$ quasar data, and quasar angular size, H $\tiny{II}$ starburst galaxy, reverberation-measured Mg $\tiny{II}$ quasar, and Amati correlated gamma-ray burst data to constrain cosmological parameters. We show that these data sets result in mutually consistent constraints and jointly use them to constrain cosmological parameters in six different spatially-flat and non-flat cosmological models. Our analysis provides summary model independent determinations of two key cosmological parameters: the Hubble constant, H 0 = 69.8 ± 1.3 km s -1 Mpc -1 , and the current non-relativistic matter density parameter, Ω m0 = 0.288 ± 0.017. Our summary error bars are 2.4 and 2.3 times those obtained using the flat ΛCDM model and Planck TT,TE,EE + lowE + lensing cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy data. Our H 0 value is very consistent with that from the local expansion rate based on the Tip of the Red Giant Branch and Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) data, is 2σ lower than that from the local expansion rate based on Cepheid and SN Ia data, and is 2σ higher than that in the flat ΛCDM model based on Planck TT,TE,EE + lowE + lensing CMB data. Our data compilation shows at most mild evidence for non-flat spatial hypersurfaces, but more significant evidence for dark energy dynamics, 2σ or larger in the spatially-flat dynamical dark energy models we study.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Dark Energy Survey Year 3: Blue shear

Modeling the intrinsic alignment (IA) of galaxies poses a challenge to weak lensing analyses. Here, using the Dark Energy Survey Year 3 shape catalog, we expect less impact from IA when we limit the sample to blue, star-forming galaxies. The cosmological parameter constraints from this BLUE cosmic shear sample are stable to IA model choice, unlike passive galaxies in the full DES Y3 sample, the goodness-of-fit is improved and the Ω m and 𝑆 8 better agree with the observations from Planck on the cosmic microwave background. Mitigating IA with sample selection in DES, rather than flexible model choices, can reduce uncertainty in 𝑆 8 by a factor of 1.5.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Difficulties with late-time solutions for the Hubble tension

We explore the notion that cosmological models that modify the late-time expansion history cannot simultaneously fit the SH0ES Collaboration’s measurements of the Hubble constant, Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument baryon acoustic oscillations data, and type Ia supernova distances. Adopting a few simple phenomenological models, we quantitatively demonstrate that a satisfactory fit with a model with late-time expansion history can only be achieved if one of the following is true: (1) there is a sharp step in the absolute magnitude of type Ia supernovae at very low redshift, 𝑧 ∼0.01, or (2) the distance duality relation, 𝑑 𝐿 ⁡(𝑧) =(1+𝑧) 2 ⁢𝑑 𝐴 ⁡(𝑧), is broken. Both solutions are trivial in that they effectively decouple the calibrated type Ia supernovae measurements from other data, and this qualitatively agrees with previous work built on studying specific dark-energy models. We also identify a less effective class of late-time solutions with a transition at 𝑧 ≃0.15 that lead to a more modest improvement in fit to the data than models with a very low-𝑧 transition. Our conclusions are largely unchanged when we include surface brightness fluctuation distance measurements, with their current systematic uncertainties, to our analysis. Here, we finally illustrate our findings by studying a physical model which, when equipped with the ability to smoothly change the absolute magnitude of type Ia supernovae, partially resolves the Hubble tension.

Cosmological parameters↗
DOE OSTI2024

Impedance-Aware Graph Convolutional Networks for Voltage Estimation in Active Distribution Networks

Voltage estimation plays a key role in ensuring the effective control and reliability of distribution networks. However, traditional machine learning methods often fail to capture the details of the distribution network’s topology. To overcome this challenge, graph convolutional networks (GCN) have emerged as an alternative. Graph convolutional networks inherently capture the topology of the grid, utilizing correlations to achieve precise voltage estimation. Other machine learning models and conventional GCNs fail to account for the distribution line characteristics found in the real world, limiting their effectiveness. This paper proposes an advanced variant of GCN called the Impedance-Aware Graph Convolutional Network (IA-GCN). The IA-GCN layer incorporates the magnitude of the impedance into the graph convolution mechanism, allowing it to capture topological nuances and provide valuable insights into node interrelationships by considering impedance as an intrinsic dimension. The performance of the IA-GCN layer is then compared with that of GCN and GraphSAGE layers through a surrogate model for voltage estimation. The performance analysis demonstrates that IA-GCN outperforms GCN by reducing the MAE by 87.55% and improving the R-squared value by 98%.

Ravi, Abhijith↗
DOE OSTI2015

Accelerating dark energy models of the universe in anisotropic Bianchi type space-times and recent observations

Motivated by the increasing evidence for the need of a geometry that resembles Bianchi morphology to explain the observed anisotropy in the WMAP data, we have discussed some features of the Bianchi type universes in the presence of a fluid that wields an anisotropic equation of state (EoS) parameter in general relativity. Such models are of great interest in cosmology in favor of constructing more realistic models than FLRW models with maximally symmetric spatial geometry. Additionally, the interest in such models was promoted in recent years due to the debate that going on the analysis and the interpretation of the WMAP [21, 111, 112] data, whether they need a Bianchi type morphology to be explained successfully [7, 103, 118, 117]. The LLC-WMAP data maps show seven axes well aligned with one another and the direction Virgo. For this reason Bianchi models are important in the study of anisotropies. In the present study of Bianchi type-I, II, III, V and VI{sub 0} space-times, we observe that the EoS for dark energy ω is found to be time-dependent and its existing range for derived models is in good agreement with the recent observations of SNe Ia data [50], SNe Ia data with CMBR anisotropy and galaxy clustering statistics [11] and latest combination of cosmological datasets coming from CMB anisotropies, luminosity distances of high redshift type Ia supernovae and galaxy clustering [21, 51]. It has been suggested that the dark energy that explains the observed accelerating expansion of the universe may arise due to the contribution to the vacuum energy of the EoS in a time dependent background. The cosmological constant Λ is found to be a positive decreasing function of time and it approaches to a small positive value at late time (i.e. the present epoch) which is corroborated by results from recent type Ia supernovae observations.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Ion-acoustic Gardner solitons in a four-component nonextensive multi-ion plasma

The nonlinear propagation of ion-acoustic (IA) solitary waves (SWs) in a four-component non-extensive multi-ion plasma system containing inertial positively charged light ions, negatively charged heavy ions, as well as noninertial nonextensive electrons and positrons has been theoretically investigated. The reductive perturbation method has been employed to derive the nonlinear equations, namely, Korteweg−deVries (KdV), modified KdV (mKdV), and Gardner equations. The basic features (viz. polarity, amplitude, width, etc.) of Gardner solitons are found to exist beyond the KdV limit and these IA Gardner solitons are qualitatively different from the KdV and mKdV solitons. It is observed that the basic features of IA SWs are modified by various plasma parameters (viz. electron and positron nonextensivity, electron number density to ion number density, and electron temperature to positron temperature, etc.) of the considered plasma system. The results obtained from this theoretical investigation may be useful in understanding the basic features of IA SWs propagating in both space and laboratory plasmas.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Supernova Cosmology with the Dark Energy Survey

This proposal requests supplemental funds to addresses our continued effort to carry out a Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) cosmology analysis with the Dark Energy Survey (DES) data. DES is well underway to discovering and identifying thousands of SN Ia out to a cosmological redshift of z =1.2 over its 5-year survey, and will obtain the best constraints on dark energy and its possible evolution with redshift. We propose to develop two key analysis algorithms and tools that are critical for this achieving the goals: 1) a final photometry pipeline that uses novel techniques to extract unbiased SN fluxes from the images and 2) a robust statistical framework for measuring cosmological parameters from SN Ia light curves with well-characterized systematic uncertainties.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

A comprehensive investigation on the slowing down of cosmic acceleration

Shafieloo et al. first proposed the possibility that the current cosmic acceleration (CA) is slowing down. However, this is rather counterintuitive because a slowing down CA cannot be accommodated in most mainstream cosmological models. In this work, by exploring the evolutionary trajectories of the dark energy equation of state w(z) and deceleration parameter q(z), we present a comprehensive investigation on the slowing down of CA from both the theoretical and the observational sides. For the theoretical side, we study the impact of different w(z) using six parametrization models, and then we discuss the effects of spatial curvature. For the observational side, we investigate the effects of different type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO), and cosmic microwave background (CMB) data. We find that (1) the evolution of CA is insensitive to the specific form of w(z); in contrast, a non-flat universe favors a slowing down CA more than a flat universe. (2) SNLS3 SNe Ia data sets favor a slowing down CA at a 1σ confidence level, while JLA SNe Ia samples prefer an eternal CA; in contrast, the effects of different BAO data are negligible. (3) Compared with CMB distance prior data, full CMB data favor a slowing down CA more. (4) Due to the low significance, the slowing down of CA is still a theoretical possibility that cannot be confirmed by the current observations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

A 2.4% DETERMINATION OF THE LOCAL VALUE OF THE HUBBLE CONSTANT

We use the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) to reduce the uncertainty in the local value of the Hubble constant from 3.3% to 2.4%. The bulk of this improvement comes from new near-infrared (NIR) observations of Cepheid variables in 11 host galaxies of recent type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), more than doubling the sample of reliable SNe Ia having a Cepheid-calibrated distance to a total of 19; these in turn leverage the magnitude-redshift relation based on ∼300 SNe Ia at z < 0.15. All 19 hosts as well as the megamaser system NGC 4258 have been observed with WFC3 in the optical and NIR, thus nullifying cross-instrument zeropoint errors in the relative distance estimates from Cepheids. Other noteworthy improvements include a 33% reduction in the systematic uncertainty in the maser distance to NGC 4258, a larger sample of Cepheids in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a more robust distance to the LMC based on late-type detached eclipsing binaries (DEBs), HST observations of Cepheids in M31, and new HST -based trigonometric parallaxes for Milky Way (MW) Cepheids. We consider four geometric distance calibrations of Cepheids: (i) megamasers in NGC 4258, (ii) 8 DEBs in the LMC, (iii) 15 MW Cepheids with parallaxes measured with HST /FGS, HST /WFC3 spatial scanning and/or Hipparcos , and (iv) 2 DEBs in M31. The Hubble constant from each is 72.25 ± 2.51, 72.04 ± 2.67, 76.18 ± 2.37, and 74.50 ± 3.27 km s{sup 1} Mpc{sup 1}, respectively. Our best estimate of H {sub 0} = 73.24 ± 1.74 km s{sup 1} Mpc{sup 1} combines the anchors NGC 4258, MW, and LMC, yielding a 2.4% determination (all quoted uncertainties include fully propagated statistical and systematic components). This value is 3.4 σ higher than 66.93 ± 0.62 km s{sup 1} Mpc{sup 1} predicted by ΛCDM with 3 neutrino flavors having a mass of 0.06 eV and the new Planck data, but the discrepancy reduces to 2.1 σ relative to the prediction of 69.3 ± 0.7 km s{sup 1} Mpc{sup 1} based on the comparably precise combination of WMAP +ACT+SPT+BAO observations, suggesting that systematic uncertainties in CMB radiation measurements may play a role in the tension. If we take the conflict between Planck high-redshift measurements and our local determination of H {sub 0} at face value, one plausible explanation could involve an additional source of dark radiation in the early universe in the range of Δ N {sub eff} ≈ 0.4–1. We anticipate further significant improvements in H {sub 0} from upcoming parallax measurements of long-period MW Cepheids.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Galactic Chemical Evolution of Short-lived Radioactive Isotopes Produced by Explosive Nucleosynthesis: 60 Fe and 53 Mn

Several short-lived radionuclides (SLRs) are know to have existed in the early solar system (ESS). These species, which typically decay with half-lives of the order of a few million years, can be used to probe the timescales of events preceding the birth of the Sun. We investigate the ESS origin of 53 Mn, produced by core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) and Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), and 60 Fe, produced exclusively by CCSNe. We model the evolution of the radioactive-to-stable abundance ratios of these SLRs with a Galactic chemical evolution (GCE) framework accounting for different SN yields, SN Ia delay times, and other Galactic features (K). A further set of models is calculated assuming that SNe Ia did not contribute any 53 Mn to the ESS. The predicted ratios are compared to meteoritic ratios to derive a distribution of solar isolation times that includes uncertainties due to stochastic chemical enrichment and measurements of the ESS values. The isolation times are then compared to those of 107 Pd and 182 Hf calculated in previous work. A self-consistent solution can be found within the current uncertainties, especially when using the GCE setups with K = 1.6 and 2.3, although the maximum likelihood for the 60 Fe distribution is typically ∼4–5 Myr shorter than for 53 Mn. The predicted 60 Fe/ 53 Mn ratio, instead, is completely inconsistent with the ESS value; this could be resolved using a larger fraction of faint CCSNe than usually considered in GCE models.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Wait for it: post-supernova winds driven by delayed radioactive decays

In most astrophysical situations, the radioactive decay of {sup 56}Ni to {sup 56}Co occurs via electron capture with a fixed half-life of 6.1 days. However, this decay rate is significantly slowed when the nuclei are fully ionized because K-shell electrons are unavailable for capture. In this paper, we explore the effect of these delayed decays on white dwarfs (WDs) that may survive Type Ia and Type Iax supernovae (SNe Ia and SNe Iax). The energy released by the delayed radioactive decays of {sup 56}Ni and {sup 56}Co drives a persistent wind from the surviving WD’s surface that contributes to the late-time appearance of these SNe after emission from the bulk of the SN ejecta has faded. We use the stellar evolution code MESA to calculate the hydrodynamic evolution and resulting light curves of these winds. Our post-SN Ia models conflict with late-time observations of SN 2011fe, but uncertainties in our initial conditions prevent us from ruling out the existence of surviving WD donors. Much better agreement with observations is achieved with our models of post-SN Iax bound remnants, providing evidence that these explosions are due to deflagrations in accreting WDs that fail to completely unbind the WDs. Future radiative transfer calculations and wind models utilizing simulations of explosions for more accurate initial conditions will extend our study of radioactively powered winds from post-SN surviving WDs and enable their use as powerful discriminants among the various SN Ia and SN Iax progenitor scenarios.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Investigating the Effect of Cosmic Opacity on Standard Candles

Standard candles can probe the evolution of dark energy over a large redshift range. But the cosmic opacity can degrade the quality of standard candles. In this paper, we use the latest observations, including Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) from the “joint light-curve analysis” sample and Hubble parameters, to probe the opacity of the universe. A joint fitting of the SNe Ia light-curve parameters, cosmological parameters, and opacity is used in order to avoid the cosmological dependence of SNe Ia luminosity distances. The latest gamma-ray bursts are used in order to explore the cosmic opacity at high redshifts. The cosmic reionization process is considered at high redshifts. We find that the sample supports an almost transparent universe for flat ΛCDM and XCDM models. Meanwhile, free electrons deplete photons from standard candles through (inverse) Compton scattering, which is known as an important component of opacity. This Compton dimming may play an important role in future supernova surveys. From analysis, we find that about a few per cent of the cosmic opacity is caused by Compton dimming in the two models, which can be corrected.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

One-armed Spiral Instability in Double-degenerate Post-merger Accretion Disks

Increasing observational and theoretical evidence points to binary white dwarf (WD) mergers as the origin of some, if not most, normal Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia). In this paper, we discuss the post-merger evolution of binary WD mergers and their relevance to the double-degenerate channel of SNe Ia. We present 3D simulations of carbon–oxygen (C/O) WD binary systems undergoing unstable mass transfer, where we vary both the total mass and the mass ratio. We demonstrate that these systems generally give rise to a one-armed gravitational spiral instability. The spiral density modes transport mass and angular momentum in the disk even in the absence of a magnetic field and are most pronounced in systems with secondary-to-primary mass ratios larger than 0.6. We further analyze carbon burning in these systems to assess the possibility of detonation. Unlike the case of a 1.1+1.0 M{sub ⊙} C/O WD binary, we find that WD binary systems with lower mass and smaller mass ratios do not detonate as SNe Ia up to ∼8–22 outer dynamical times. Two additional models do, however, undergo net heating, and their secular increase in temperature could possibly result in a detonation on timescales longer than those considered here.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Toward Rate Estimation for Transient Surveys. I. Assessing Transient Detectability and Volume Sensitivity for iPTF

The past couple of decades have seen an emergence of transient detection facilities in various avenues of time-domain astronomy that have provided us with a rich data set of transients. The rates of these transients have implications in star formation, progenitor models, evolution channels, and cosmology measurements. The crucial component of any rate calculation is the detectability and spacetime volume sensitivity of a survey to a particular transient type as a function of many intrinsic and extrinsic parameters. Fully sampling that multidimensional parameter space is challenging. Instead, we present a scheme to assess the detectability of transients using supervised machine learning. The data product is a classifier that determines the detection likelihood of sources resulting from an image subtraction pipeline associated with time-domain survey telescopes, taking into consideration the intrinsic properties of the transients and the observing conditions. We apply our method to assess the spacetime volume sensitivity of type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) in the intermediate Palomar Transient Factory (iPTF) and obtain the result, &lang; VT &rang; Ia = (2.93 ± 0.21) × 10 -2 Gpc 3 yr. With rate estimates in the literature, this volume sensitivity gives a count of 680-1160 SNe Ia detectable by iPTF, which is consistent with the archival data. With a view toward wider applicability of this technique we do a preliminary computation for long-duration type IIp supernovae (SNe IIp) and find &lang; VT &rang; IIa = (7.80 ± 0.76) × 10 -4 Gpc 3 yr. This classifier can be used for computationally fast spacetime volume sensitivity calculation of any generic transient type using their light-curve properties. Hence, it can be used as a tool to facilitate calculation of transient rates in a range of time-domain surveys, given suitable training sets.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗