Planck 2015 results. XII. Full Focal Plane simulations
Planck Collaboration, P. A. R. Ade, N. Aghanim, M. Arnaud, M. Ashdown, J. Aumont, C. Baccigalupi, A. J. Banday, R. B. Barreiro, J. G. Bartlett, N. Bartolo, E. Battaner, K. Benabed, A. Benoît, A. Benoit-Lévy, J. -P. Bernard, M. Bersanelli, P. Bielewicz, J. J. Bock, A. Bonaldi, L. Bonavera, J. R. Bond, J. Borrill, F. R. Bouchet, F. Boulanger, M. Bucher, C. Burigana, R. C. Butler, E. Calabrese, J. -F. Cardoso, G. Castex, A. Catalano, A. Challinor, A. Chamballu, H. C. Chiang, P. R. Christensen, D. L. Clements, S. Colombi, L. P. L. Colombo, C. Combet, F. Couchot, A. Coulais, B. P. Crill, A. Curto, F. Cuttaia, L. Danese, R. D. Davies, R. J. Davis, P. de Bernardis, A. de Rosa, G. de Zotti, J. Delabrouille, J. -M. Delouis, F. -X. Désert, C. Dickinson, J. M. Diego, K. Dolag, H. Dole, S. Donzelli, O. Doré, M. Douspis, A. Ducout, X. Dupac, G. Efstathiou, F. Elsner, T. A. Enßlin, H. K. Eriksen, J. Fergusson, F. Finelli, O. Forni, M. Frailis, A. A. Fraisse, E. Franceschi, A. Frejsel, S. Galeotta, S. Galli, K. Ganga, T. Ghosh, M. Giard, Y. Giraud-Héraud, E. Gjerløw, J. González-Nuevo, K. M. Górski, S. Gratton, A. Gregorio, A. Gruppuso, J. E. Gudmundsson, F. K. Hansen, D. Hanson, D. L. Harrison, S. Henrot-Versillé, C. Hernández-Monteagudo, D. Herranz, S. R. Hildebrandt, E. Hivon, M. Hobson, W. A. Holmes, A. Hornstrup, W. Hovest, K. M. Huffenberger, G. Hurier, A. H. Jaffe, T. R. Jaffe, W. C. Jones, M. Juvela, A. Karakci, E. Keihänen, R. Keskitalo, K. Kiiveri, T. S. Kisner, R. Kneissl, J. Knoche, M. Kunz, H. Kurki-Suonio, G. Lagache, J. -M. Lamarre, A. Lasenby, M. Lattanzi, C. R. Lawrence, R. Leonardi, J. Lesgourgues, F. Levrier, M. Liguori, P. B. Lilje, M. Linden-Vørnle, V. Lindholm, M. López-Caniego, P. M. Lubin, J. F. Macías-Pérez, G. Maggio, D. Maino, N. Mandolesi, A. Mangilli, M. Maris, P. G. Martin, E. Martínez-González, S. Masi, S. Matarrese, P. McGehee, P. R. Meinhold, A. Melchiorri, J. -B. Melin, L. Mendes, A. Mennella, M. Migliaccio, S. Mitra, M. -A. Miville-Deschênes, A. Moneti, L. Montier, G. Morgante, D. Mortlock, A. Moss, D. Munshi, J. A. Murphy, P. Naselsky, F. Nati, P. Natoli, C. B. Netterfield, H. U. Nørgaard-Nielsen, F. Noviello, D. Novikov, I. Novikov, C. A. Oxborrow, F. Paci, L. Pagano, F. Pajot, D. Paoletti, F. Pasian, G. Patanchon, T. J. Pearson, O. Perdereau, L. Perotto, F. Perrotta, V. Pettorino, F. Piacentini, M. Piat, E. Pierpaoli, D. Pietrobon, S. Plaszczynski, E. Pointecouteau, G. Polenta, G. W. Pratt, G. Prézeau, S. Prunet, J. -L. Puget, J. P. Rachen, R. Rebolo, M. Reinecke, M. Remazeilles, C. Renault, A. Renzi, I. Ristorcelli, G. Rocha, M. Roman, C. Rosset, M. Rossetti, G. Roudier, J. A. Rubiño-Martín, B. Rusholme, M. Sandri, D. Santos, M. Savelainen, D. Scott, M. D. Seiffert, E. P. S. Shellard, L. D. Spencer, V. Stolyarov, R. Stompor, R. Sudiwala, D. Sutton, A. -S. Suur-Uski, J. -F. Sygnet, J. A. Tauber, L. Terenzi, L. Toffolatti, M. Tomasi, M. Tristram, M. Tucci, J. Tuovinen, L. Valenziano, J. Valiviita, B. Van Tent, P. Vielva, F. Villa, L. A. Wade, B. D. Wandelt, I. K. Wehus, N. Welikala, D. Yvon, A. Zacchei, A. Zonca
TL;DR
This paper presents the Planck 2015 Full Focal Plane 8 (FFP8) simulation set designed to validate analysis tools and quantify biases and uncertainties in Planck data analyses. It describes a two-tier simulation approach: fiducial realizations incorporating realistic sky components (lensed scalar, tensor, non-Gaussian CMB) and foregrounds, plus large Monte Carlo ensembles for noise and CMB, all processed through cross-instrument pipelines (LFI/HFI). The workflow leverages Planck Sky Model, TOAST data abstraction, FEBeCoP beam convolution, and a high-performance computing ecosystem (NERSC, CSC) to generate roughly 1.25 million maps at five frequencies. It also discusses data-model choices, limitations (omitted systematics, bandpass mismatches) and the creation of an FFP8.1 subset aligned with PR2-2015 cosmology. The results demonstrate broad agreement with data for LFI and identify sky-synchronous residuals in HFI, highlighting the simulations’ critical role in enabling robust Planck cosmology.
Abstract
We present the 8th Full Focal Plane simulation set (FFP8), deployed in support of the Planck 2015 results. FFP8 consists of 10 fiducial mission realizations reduced to 18144 maps, together with the most massive suite of Monte Carlo realizations of instrument noise and CMB ever generated, comprising $10^4$ mission realizations reduced to about $10^6$ maps. The resulting maps incorporate the dominant instrumental, scanning, and data analysis effects; remaining subdominant effects will be included in future updates. Generated at a cost of some 25 million CPU-hours spread across multiple high-performance-computing (HPC) platforms, FFP8 is used for the validation and verification of analysis algorithms, as well as their implementations, and for removing biases from and quantifying uncertainties in the results of analyses of the real data.