Morphing the CMB: a technique for interpolating power spectra

Abstract

The confrontation of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) theoretical angular power spectrum with available data often requires the calculation of large numbers of power spectra. The standard practice is to use a fast code to compute the CMB power spectra over some large parameter space, in order to estimate likelihoods and constrain these parameters. But as the dimensionality of the space under study increases, then even with relatively fast anisotropy codes, the computation can become prohibitive. This paper describes the employment of a "morphing" strategy to interpolate new power spectra based on previously calculated ones. We simply present the basic idea here, and illustrate with a few examples; optimization of interpolation schemes will depend on the specific application. In addition to facilitating the exploration of large parameter spaces, this morphing technique may be helpful for Fisher matrix calculations involving derivatives.