fNL - gNL mixing in the matter density field at higher orders

Abstract

In this paper we examine how primordial non-Gaussianity contributes to nonlinear perturbative orders in the expansion of the density field at large scales in the matter dominated era. General Relativity is an intrinsically nonlinear theory, establishing a nonlinear relation between the metric and the density field. Representing the metric perturbations with the curvature perturbation zeta, it is known that nonlinearity produces effective non-Gaussian terms in the nonlinear perturbations of the matter density field, even if the primordial zeta is Gaussian. Here we generalise these results to the case of a non-Gaussian primordial zeta. Using a standard parametrization of primordial non-Gaussianity in zeta in terms of fNL, gNL, hNL..., we show how at higher order (from third and higher) nonlinearity also produces a mixing of these contributions to the density field at large scales, e.g. both fNL and gNL contribute to the third order in the density contrast. This is the main result of this paper. Our analysis is based on the synergy between a gradient expansion (aka long-wavelength approximation) and standard perturbation theory at higher order. In essence, mathematically the equations for the gradient expansion are equivalent to those of first order perturbation theory, thus first-order results convert into gradient expansion results and, vice versa, the gradient expansion can be used to derive results in perturbation theory at higher order and large scales.