Related papers: Cosmic confusion
We study an M theory universe in the Loop Quantum Cosmology -- inspired models which involve a function, the choice of which leads to a variety of evolutions. The M theory universe is dominated by four stacks of intersecting…
We review the basic hypotheses which motivate the statistical framework used to analyze the cosmic microwave background, and how that framework can be enlarged as we relax those hypotheses. In particular, we try to separate as much as…
We propose a novel representation of cosmic microwave anisotropy maps, where each multipole order l is represented by l unit vectors pointing in directions on the sky and an overall magnitude. These "multipole vectors and scalars" transform…
One of the crucial aspects of density perturbations that are produced by the standard inflation scenario is that they are Gaussian where seeds produced by topological defects tend to be non-Gaussian. The three point correlation function of…
How to detect spacetime torsion? In this essay we provide the theoretical basis for an answer to this question. Multipolar equations of motion for a very general class of gravitational theories with nonminimal coupling in spacetimes…
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…
We describe an algorithm to generate temperature and polarization maps of the cosmic microwave background radiation containing non-Gaussianity of arbitrary local type. We apply an optimized quadrature scheme that allows us to predict and…
We generalize the treatment of inflationary perturbations to deal with the non-Markovian colored noise emerging from any realistic approach to stochastic inflation. We provide a calculation of the power-spectrum of the gauge-invariant…
The non-Gaussianity of inflationary perturbations, as encoded in the bispectrum (or 3-point correlator), has become an important additional way of distinguishing between inflation models, going beyond the linear Gaussian perturbation…
A detection of primordial non-Gaussianity could transform our understanding of the fundamental theory of inflation. The precision promised by upcoming CMB and large-scale structure surveys raises a natural question: if a detection given a…
Problem of cosmological singularity of general relativity theory is discussed. The possible resolution of this problem in the framework of inflationary cosmology is proposed. Physical conditions leading to bouncing inflationary solutions in…
We explore a systematic approach to the analysis of primordial non-Gaussianity using fluctuations in temperature and polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). Following Munshi & Heavens (2009), we define a set of power-spectra…
A theory of gravitation is constructed in which all homogeneous and isotropic solutions are nonsingular, and in which all curvature invariants are bounded. All solutions for which curvature invariants approach their limiting values approach…
The Cosmological Principle, that the Universe is homogeneous and isotropic on sufficiently large scales, underpins the standard model of cosmology. However, a recent analysis of 1.36 million infrared-selected quasars has identified a…
Over the last few years, it was realised that non-canonical scalar fields can lead to the accelerated expansion in the early universe. The primordial spectrum in these scenarios not only shows near scale-invariance consistent with CMB…
Linear perturbations of Friedmann-Robertson-Walker universes with any curvature and cosmological constant are studied in a general gauge without decomposition into harmonics. Desirable gauges are selected as those which embody best Mach's…
A new gauge-invariant approach for describing cosmological perturbations is developed. It is based on a physically motivated splitting of the stress-energy tensor of the perturbation into two parts - the bare perturbation and the…
In the framework of inflationary models with non-vacuum initial states for cosmological perturbations, we study non-Gaussian signatures on the cosmic microwave background radiation produced by a broken-scale-invariant model which…
The most direct probe of non-Gaussian initial conditions has come from bispectrum measurements of temperature fluctuations in the Cosmic Microwave Background and of the matter and galaxy distribution at large scales. Such bispectrum…
The presence of non--Gaussian features in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation maps represents one of the most long--awaited clues in the search for the actual structure of the primordial radiation, still needing confirmation.…