Scope: Lectures 05-06 · Purpose: Calculate D_V at the three BOSS DR12 effective redshifts and compare only under an explicit fiducial sound-horizon convention.
Setup and data
- Use the three published summary values in `published-summary-measurements.csv`.
- The measurement is reported as D_V times r_d,fid/r_d; for the numerical comparison set r_d=r_d,fid and label that assumption.
- No raw galaxy catalog or BAO likelihood is included.
Procedure
- Read the three BOSS rows and preserve their uncertainties and redshifts.
- Compute flat-LCDM D_M, c/H(z), and D_V separately at each redshift.
- Form standardized residuals under r_d=r_d,fid; do not call them a joint chi-square because cross-redshift covariance is absent.
- Perturb H0 and Omega_m one at a time by 1% and estimate finite-difference sensitivity.
- Write a short explanation of how an external sound-horizon calibration changes the inference.
Deliverables
Deliver: calculation notebook/script, labeled comparison plot, sensitivity table, and a note separating geometric distance from ruler calibration.
Assessment criteria
Rubric: correct D_V and units 30%; convention and uncertainty 25%; sensitivity analysis 20%; plot/source labels 15%; interpretation 10%.
Uncertainty and interpretation
Report numerical precision, input uncertainty, model assumptions, and covariance availability separately. Label every output as directly measured, published summary, derived, or model/synthetic. A successful script run is not evidence that the scientific interpretation is valid.
Revisions and resubmissions are encouraged. Credit is based on defensible reasoning, validation, provenance, and clear limitations.