Median Statistics and the Mass Density of the Universe

Abstract

We use weighted mean and median statistics techniques to combine individual estimates of Omega_m0, the present mean mass density in non-relativistic matter, and determine the observed values and ranges of Omega_m0 from different combinations of data. The derived weighted mean Omega_m0 values are not good representatives of the individual measurements, under the assumptions of Gaussianity and negligible correlation between the individual measurements. This could mean that some observational error bars are under-estimated. Discarding the most discrepant about 5% of the measurements generally alleviates but does not completely resolve this problem. While the results derived from the different combinations of data are not identical, they are mostly consistent, and a reasonable summary of the median statistics analyses is 0.2 <= Omega_m0 <= 0.35 at two standard deviations.