Related papers: Constraints on $\mu$-distortion fluctuations and p…
Deviations from the blackbody spectral energy distribution of the CMB are a precise probe of physical processes active both in the early universe (such as those connected to particle decays and inflation) and at later times (e.g.…
Observational limits on $y$- and $\mu$-type distortions can constrain properties of magnetic fields in the early universe. For a Gaussian, random, and non-helical field, $\mu$ and $y$ are calculated a function of the present-day strength of…
We use the published Planck and SPT cluster catalogs and recently published $y$-distortion maps to put strong observational limits on the contribution of the fluctuating part of the $y$-type distortions to the $y$-distortion monopole. Our…
Primordial non-Gaussianity can source $\mu$-distortion anisotropies that are correlated with the large-scale temperature and polarization signals of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). A measurement of $\mu T$ and $\mu E$ correlations…
The non-resonant conversion of Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) photons into scalar as well as light pseudoscalar particles such as axion-like particles (ALPs) in the presence of turbulent magnetic fields can cause a unique, spatially…
We know very little about primordial curvature perturbations on scales smaller than about a Mpc. Measurements of the mu-type distortion of the CMB spectrum provide the unique opportunity to probe these scales over the unexplored range from…
Non-Gaussianity of the primordial density perturbations provides an important measure to constrain models of inflation. At cubic order the non-Gaussianity is captured by two parameters $\tau_{\rm NL}$ and $g_{\rm NL}$ that determine the…
A well-known route to form primordial black holes in the early universe relies on the existence of unusually large primordial curvature fluctuations, confined to a narrow range of wavelengths that would be too small to be constrained by…
We discuss the main uncertainties affecting estimates of small scale fluctuations due to extragalactic sources in the Planck Surveyor frequency bands. Conservative estimates allow us to confidently conclude that, in the frequency range…
Primordial magnetic fields (PMFs) create a large squeezed-type non-Gaussianity in tensor perturbation, which generates non-Gaussian temperature fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background (CMB). We for the first time derive an…
The small-scale crisis, discrepancies between observations and N-body simulations, may imply suppressed matter fluctuations on subgalactic distance scales. Such a suppression could be caused by some early-universe mechanism (e.g., broken…
The Planck nominal mission cosmic microwave background (CMB) maps yield unprecedented constraints on primordial non-Gaussianity (NG). Using three optimal bispectrum estimators, separable template-fitting (KSW), binned, and modal, we obtain…
In the early Universe, energy stored in small-scale density perturbations is quickly dissipated by Silk-damping, a process that inevitably generates mu- and y-type spectral distortions of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). These…
The Planck full mission cosmic microwave background(CMB) temperature and E-mode polarization maps are analysed to obtain constraints on primordial non-Gaussianity(NG). Using three classes of optimal bispectrum estimators - separable…
We calculate numerical solutions and analytic approximations for the intermediate-type spectral distortions. Detection of a \mu-type distortion (saturated comptonization) in the CMB will constrain the time of energy injection to be at a…
It is possible to classify pixels of a smoothed cosmic microwave background (CMB) fluctuation map according to their local curvature in ``hill'', ``lake'' and ``saddle'' regions. In the Gaussian case, fractional areas occupied by pixels of…
%The content of this replacement paper is identical to the original. %We have attempted to fix the postscript so that it will print out on %a larger number of printers. Using recent experimental limits on $\mu$ distortions from COBE FIRAS,…
The sky-averaged Compton-$y$ distortion in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) energy spectrum, $\langle y \rangle$, provides information about energy injection in the Universe occurring at $z \lesssim 5\times10^{4}$. It is primarily…
We use the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) anisotropy data from Planck to constrain the spatial fluctuations of the fine-structure constant \alpha. Through Thompson scattering of CMB photons, spatial anisotropies of \alpha lead to…
Silk damping at redshifts 1.5 x 10^4 < z < 2 x 10^6 erases CMB anisotropies on scales corresponding to the comoving wavenumbers 8 < k < 10^4 Mpc^-1 (10^5 < \ell < 10^8). This dissipated energy is gained by the CMB monopole, creating…