Related papers: Detecting the Cold Spot as a Void with the Non-Dia…

We test the statistical isotropy and Gaussianity of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies using observations made by the Planck satellite. Our results are based mainly on the full Planck mission for temperature, but also…

We consider the prospects for detecting weak gravitational lensing by underdensities (voids) in the large-scale matter distribution. We derive the basic expressions for magnification and distortion by spherical voids. Clustering of the…

We study the general properties of the CMB temperature four-point function, specifically its harmonic analogue the angular trispectrum, and illustrate its utility in finding optimal quadratic statistics through the weak gravitational…

It is now a known fact that if we happen to be living in the middle of a large underdense region, then we will observe an "apparent acceleration", even when any form of dark energy is absent. In this paper, we present a "Minimal Void"…

The Microwave Anisotropy Probe and Planck missions will provide low noise maps of the temperature of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). These maps will allow measurement of the power spectrum of the CMB with measurement noise below…

It is known that the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) temperature fluctuations are modified by gravitational lensing since the angular positions of photons are altered by the metric perturbations. We reconsider this effect in the context…

Lensing of the CMB generates a significant bispectrum, which should be detected by the Planck satellite at the 5-sigma level and is potentially a non-negligible source of bias for f_NL estimators of local non-Gaussianity. We extend current…

This paper presents strong observational evidence of numerous previously unobserved anomalous circular spots, of significantly raised temperature, in the CMB sky. The spots have angular radii between 0.03 and 0.04 radians (i.e. angular…

Cosmic voids are an important probe of large-scale structure that can constrain cosmological parameters and test cosmological models. We present a new paradigm for void studies: void detection in weak lensing convergence maps. This approach…

Density perturbations at the decoupling epoch produce angular fluctuations in the temperature of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation that may appear as hot and cold spots. Observational data of the CMB includes instrumental…

Delensing is an increasingly important technique to reverse the gravitational lensing of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and thus reveal primordial signals the lensing may obscure. We present a first demonstration of delensing on…

Matter inhomogeneities along the line of sight deflect the cosmic microwave background (CMB) photons originating at the last scattering surface at redshift $z \sim 1100$. These distortions modify the pattern of CMB polarization. We identify…

We discuss how an extended foreground of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) can account for the anomalies in the low multipoles of the CMB anisotropies. The distortion needed to account for the anomalies is consistent with a cold spot…

One of the most striking features found in the cosmic microwave background data is the presence of an anomalous Cold Spot (CS) in the temperature maps made by the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP). This CS has been interpreted as…

We propose to use a simple observable, the fractional area of "hot spots" in weak gravitational lensing mass maps which are detected with high significance, to determine background cosmological parameters. Because these high-convergence…

This paper deals with the detection problem of extragalactic point-sources in multi-frequency, microwave sky maps that will be obtainable in future cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) experiments with instruments capable of very…

We consider the distribution of the non-Gaussian signal induced by weak lensing on the primary total intensity cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies. Our study focuses on the three point statistics exploiting an harmonic analysis…

A great deal of attention has been given to the so-called Cold Spot in maps of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature. We present a similar analysis, searching for extremal spots in the CMB lensing convergence and lensing…

We investigate the abundance of large-scale hot and cold spots in the WMAP-5 temperature maps and find considerable discrepancies compared to Gaussian simulations based on the LCDM best-fit model. Too few spots are present in the reliably…

Weak gravitational lensing has several important effects on the cosmic microwave background (CMB): it changes the CMB power spectra, induces non-Gaussianities, and generates a B-mode polarization signal that is an important source of…