Unlocking New Physics with Joint Power Spectrum and Voxel Intensity Distribution Forecasts in Line-Intensity Mapping

The power spectrum and voxel intensity distribution (VID) are two summary statistics that can be applied to condense the information encoded in line-intensity maps. The information contained in both summary statistics is highly complementary, and their combination allows for a major increase in precision of parameter estimation from line-intensity mapping (LIM) surveys. Until recently, combination of these statistics required simulation-based estimations of their covariance. In this work we leverage an analytical model of covariance between these observables to run a joint Fisher forecast focusing on the CO(1-0) rotational line targeted by the COMAP survey and a wider, shallower hypothetical iteration. We consider a generalized phenomenological non-CDM model, models with axion dark matter, and local primordial non-Gaussianity, to highlight where a combined analysis of the power spectrum and VID can be most useful. Our results demonstrate improvements in sensitivity to beyond-ΛCDM physics over analyses using either the power spectrum or VID on their own, by factors ranging from 2 to 50, showcasing the potential of joint analyses in unlocking new insights into fundamental physics with LIM surveys.