Related papers: Non Gaussian Minkowski functionals and extrema cou…
Probing the geometry of the universe is one of the most important endevours in cosmology. Current observational data from the Cosmic Microwave Background anisotropy (CMB), galaxy surveys and type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) strongly constrain…
The detection of the magnetic type $B$-mode polarization is the main goal of future cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiments. In the standard model, the $B$-mode map is a strongly non-gaussian field due to the lensed component. Besides…
In order to quantify higher-order correlations of the galaxy cluster distribution we use a complete family of additive measures which give scale-dependent morphological information. Minkowski functionals can be expressed analytically in…
Tensor Minkowski Functionals (TMFs) are tensorial generalizations of the usual Minkowski Functionals which are scalar quantities. We introduce them here for use in cosmological analysis, in particular to analyze CMB maps. They encapsulate…
After the precise observations of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) anisotropy power spectrum, attention is now being focused on the higher order statistics of the CMB anisotropies. Since linear evolution preserves the statistical…
We outline the expected constraints on non-Gaussianity from the cosmic microwave background (CMB) with current and future experiments, focusing on both the third (f_{NL}) and fourth-order (g_{NL} and \tau_{NL}) amplitudes of the local…
We use the local curvature to investigate the possible existence of non-Gaussianity/asymmetry in the WMAP data. Considering the full sky we find results which are consistent with the Gaussian assumption. However, strong non-Gaussian…
In this paper we present a complete computation of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) anisotropies up to third order from gravitational perturbations accounting for scalar, vector and tensor perturbations. We then specify our results to…
Spherical spin random fields are used to model the Cosmic Microwave Background polarization, the study of which is at the heart of modern Cosmology and will be the subject of the LITEBIRD mission, in the 2030s. Its scope is to collect datas…
We suggest a set of morphological measures that we believe can help in quantifying the shapes of two-dimensional cosmological images such as galaxies, clusters, and superclusters of galaxies. The method employs non-parametric morphological…
In this work we consider infinite dimensional extensions of some finite dimensional Gaussian geometric functionals called the Gaussian Minkowski functionals. These functionals appear as coefficients in the probability content of a tube…
Minkowski functionals have recently been introduced into cosmology as novel tools for studying the large-scale distribution of matter in the Universe. We present a brief overview of the method, including its mathematical foundations as well…
Two recent papers have claimed detection of non-Gaussian features in the COBE DMR sky maps of the cosmic microwave background. We confirm these results, but argue that Gaussianity is still not convincingly ruled out. Since a score of…
Inferring high-fidelity constraints on the spatial curvature parameter, $\Omega_{\rm K}$, under as few assumptions as possible, is of fundamental importance in cosmology. We propose a method to non-parametrically infer $\Omega_{\rm K}$ from…
Minkowski Functionals are a powerful tool for analyzing large scale structure, in particular if the distribution of matter is highly non-Gaussian, as it is in models in which cosmic strings contribute to structure formation. Here we apply…
While the probability density function (PDF) of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) convergence field approximately follows a Gaussian distribution, primordial non-Gaussianities and small contributions from structures at low redshifts…
We introduce an exact Bayesian approach to search for non-Gaussianity of local type in Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation data. Using simulated CMB temperature maps, the newly developed technique is compared against the…
The statistical properties of the temperature anisotropies and polarization of the of cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation offer a powerful probe of the physics of the early universe. In recent works a statistical procedure based…
We present measurements of the Minkowski functionals extracted from the SDSS-III BOSS catalogs. After defining the Minkowski functionals, we describe how an unbiased reconstruction of these statistics can be obtained from a field with…
We introduce a new mathematical tool (a direction-dependent probe) to analyse the randomness of purported isotropic Gaussian random fields on the sphere. We apply the probe to assess the full-sky cosmic microwave background (CMB)…