Large-scale bulk motions complicate the Hubble diagram

We investigate the extent to which correlated distortions of the luminosity distance-redshift relation due to large-scale bulk flows limit the precision with which cosmological parameters can be measured. In particular, peculiar velocities of type 1a supernovae at low redshifts, z < 0.2, may prevent a sufficient calibration of the Hubble diagram necessary to measure the dark energy equation of state to better than 10%, and diminish the resolution of the equation of state time-derivative projected for planned surveys. We consider similar distortions of the angular-diameter distance, as well as the Hubble constant. We show that the measurement of correlations in the large-scale bulk flow at low redshifts using these distance indicators may be possible with a cumulative signal-to-noise ratio of order 7 in a survey of 300 type 1a supernovae spread over 20 000 square degrees.