Related papers: The evidence for a spatially flat Universe
Bursts of particle production during inflation provide a well-motivated mechanism for creating bump like features in the primordial power spectrum. Current data constrains these features to be less than about 5% the size of the featureless…
The standard model of cosmology is based on the hot Big Bang theory and the inflationary paradigm. Recent precise observations of the temperature and polarization anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background and the matter distribution…
It is well known that observations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) are highly sensitive to the spatial curvature of the Universe, k. Here we find that what is in fact being tightly constrained by small angle fluctuations is spatial…
Recent studies of the detectability of cosmic topology of nearly flat universes have often concentrated on the range of values of $\Omega_{0}$ given by current observations. Here we study the consequences of taking the bounds on…
Modern observations based on general relativity indicate that the spatial geometry of the expanding, large-scale Universe is very nearly Euclidean. This basic empirical fact is at the core of the so-called "flatness problem", which is…
We discuss observational constraints on models of open inflation. Current data from large-scale structure and the cosmic microwave background prefer models with blue spectra and/or Omega_0 >= 0.3--0.5. Models with minimal anisotropy at…
The Planck satellite is expected to improve the measurement of most cosmological parameters by several factors with respect to current WMAP results. The actual performance may depend upon various aspects of the data analysis. In this paper…
While the topology of the Universe is at present not specified by any known fundamental theory, it may in principle be determined through observations. In particular, a non-trivial topology will generate pairs of matching circles of…
The periodic solution of the Friedmann equation in conformal time, implies that only cosmological perturbations exhibiting corresponding symmetries are physically permissible, leading to a discrete spectrum of allowed wave vectors.…
In this work we explore the possibility of variations in the primordial scalar power spectrum around the power-law shape, as predicted by single-field slow-roll inflationary scenarios. We search for the trace of these fluctuations in a…
Recent measurements of the cosmic microwave background radiation by the Boomerang experiment indicate that the universe is spatially flat. Here some simple back-of-the-envelope calculations are used to explain their result. The main result…
CMB angular spectrum measurements suggest a flat universe. This paper clarifies the relation between geometry and the spherical harmonic index of the first acoustic peak ($\ell_{peak}$). Numerical and analytic calculations show that…
If the recent detection of $B-$mode polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background by BICEP2 observations, withstand the test of time after the release of recent PLANCK dust polarisation data, then it would surprisingly put the…
The two fundamental assumptions in cosmology are that the Universe is statistically homogeneous and isotropic when averaged on large scales. Given the big implication of these assumptions, there has been a lot of statistical tests carried…
The recent measurements of Cosmic Microwave Background temperature and polarization anisotropies made by the Planck satellite have provided impressive confirmation of the $\Lambda$CDM cosmological model. However interesting hints of slight…
We propose a simple scenario which explains why our Universe appears spatially flat, homogeneous and isotropic. We use the Einstein-Cartan-Kibble-Sciama (ECKS) theory of gravity which naturally extends general relativity to include the spin…
Cosmological theories for the origin and evolution of structure in the Universe are highly predictive of the form of the angular power spectrum of cosmic microwave background fluctuations. We present new results from a comprehensive study…
Very small mean curvature is a robust prediction of inflation worth rigorous checking. Since current constraints are derived from determinations of the angular-diameter distance to the CMB last-scattering surface, which is also affected by…
We use current cosmic microwave background data to constrain cosmological parameters. The results are presented as confidence regions in the ($\Omega$--$H_o$) -- plane for both open and flat geometries, and are based on a $\chi^2$…
Best-fit values of the spectral index of the curvature perturbation are presented, assuming the $\Lambda$CDM cosmology. Apart from the spectral index, the parameters are the Hubble parameter, the total matter density and the baryon density.…