Related papers: A very extended reionization epoch ?
We implement the theory of resonant scattering in the context of Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) polarisation anisotropies. We compute the changes in the E-mode polarisation (EE) and Temperature E-mode (TE) CMB power spectra introduced by…
The first generation (Pop-III) stars can ionize 1-10% of the universe by $z=15$, when the metal-enriched (Pop-II) stars may contribute negligibly to the ionization. This low ionization tail might leave detectable imprints on the large-scale…
The epoch of the end of reionization and the Thomson optical depth to the cosmic microwave background depend on the power spectrum amplitude on small scales and on the ionizing photon emissivity per unit mass in collapsed halos. In this…
The recent discovery of a Gunn--Peterson (GP) trough in the spectrum of the redshift 6.28 SDSS quasar has raised the tantalizing possibility that we have detected the reionization of the universe. However, a neutral fraction (of hydrogen)…
We study the effect of a prolonged epoch of reionization on the angular power spectrum of the Cosmic Microwave Background. Typically reionization studies assume a sudden phase transition, with the intergalactic gas moving from a fully…
Current cosmological constraints from Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) anisotropies are typically derived assuming a standard recombination scheme, however additional resonance and ionizing radiation sources can delay recombination,…
We present the first Bayesian constraints on the single field inflationary reheating era obtained from Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) data. After demonstrating that this epoch can be fully characterized by the so-called reheating…
The Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) is a relict of the early universe. Its perfect 2.725K blackbody spectrum demonstrates that the universe underwent a hot, ionized early phase; its anisotropy (about 80 \mu K rms) provides strong evidence…
The WMAP satellite has measured a large optical depth to electron scattering after cosmological recombination of 0.17+-0.04, implying significant reionization of the primordial gas only ~200 million years after the big bang. However, the…
With the recent measurement of full sky cosmic microwave background polarization from WMAP, key cosmological degeneracies have been broken, allowing tighter constraints to be placed on cosmological parameters inferred assuming a standard…
We review the current status and future plans for polarization measurements of the cosmic microwave background radiation, as well as the cosmology these measurements will address. After a long period of increasingly sensitive upper limits,…
We compute the imprints left on the CMB by two cosmic reionization models consistent with current observations but characterized by alternative radiative feedback prescriptions (suppression and filtering) resulting in a different…
We calculate the reionization history in Cold Dark Matter (CDM) models. The epoch of the end of reionization and the Thomson scattering optical depth to the cosmic microwave background depend on the power spectrum amplitude on small scales…
Future arcminute resolution polarization data from ground-based Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) observations can be used to estimate the contribution to the temperature power spectrum from the primary anisotropies and to uncover the…
The reionization optical depth is the most poorly determined of the six $\Lambda$CDM parameters fit to CMB anisotropy data. Instrumental noise and systematics have prevented uncertainties from reaching their cosmic variance limit. At…
The WMAP first year detection of a high redshift reionization through its imprints on CMB anisotropy T and TE mode angular power spectra calls for a better comprehension of the universe ionization and thermal history after the standard…
As cosmic microwave background (CMB) photons traverse the Universe, anisotropies can be induced via Thomson scattering (proportional to the integrated electron density; optical depth) and inverse Compton scattering (proportional to the…
Several recent papers have made claims about the detection of an asymmetric distribution of large scale power in the cosmic microwave background anisotropy as measured by the WMAP satellite. In this paper, we investigate how the estimates…
Measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation provide a unique opportunity for a direct study of the primordial cosmic plasma at redshift z ~1000. The angular power spectra of temperature and polarisation fluctuations are…
We investigate how much the ratio of cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization power spectra $C^{BB}_\ell/C^{EE}_\ell$ at low-$\ell$ ($\ell \lesssim 10$) depends on the process of reionization. Both such low-$\ell$ B-mode and E-mode…