Large angular scale CMB anisotropy from an excited initial mode

According to inflationary cosmology, the CMB anisotropy gives an opportunity to test predictions of new physics hypotheses. The initial state of quantum fluctuations is one of the important options at high energy scale, as it can affect observables such as the CMB power spectrum. In this study a quasi-de Sitter inflationary background with approximate de Sitter mode function built over the Bunch-Davies mode is applied to investigate the scale-dependency of the CMB anisotropy. The recent Planck constraint on spectral index motivated us to examine the effect of a new excited mode function(instead of pure de Sitter mode) on the CMB anisotropy at large angular scales. In so doing, it is found that the angular scale-invariance in the CMB temperature fluctuations is broken and in the limit 200 a tiny deviation appears. Also, it is shown that the power spectrum of CMB anisotropy is dependent on a free parameter with mass dimension H M* Mp and on the slow-roll parameter.     

Precision cosmology and the density of baryons in the universe

Big-bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) and cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy measurements give independent, accurate measurements of the baryon density and can test the framework of the standard cosmology. Early CMB data are consistent with the long-standing conclusion from BBN that baryons constitute a small fraction of matter in the Universe, but may indicate a slightly higher value for the baryon density. We clarify precisely what the two methods determine and point out that differing values for the baryon density can indicate either an inconsistency or physics beyond the standard models of cosmology and particle physics. We discuss other signatures of the new physics in CMB anisotropy.     

Anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background: Theoretical foundations

The analysis of anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) has become an extremely valuable tool for cosmology. There is even hope that planned CMB anisotropy experiments may revolutionize cosmology. Together with determinations of the CMB spectrum, they represent the first precise cosmological measurements. The value of CMB anisotropies lies in large part in the simplicity of the theoretical analysis. Fluctuations in the CMB can be determined almost fully within linear cosmological perturbation theory and are not severely influenced by complicated nonlinear physics. In this contribution the different physical processes causing or influencing anisotropies in the CMB are discussed: the geometry perturbations at and after last scattering, the acoustic oscillations in the baryon-photon plasma prior to recombination, and the diffusion damping during the process of recombination. The perturbations due to the fluctuating gravitational field, the so-called Sachs-Wolfe contribution, is described in a very general form using the Weyl tensor of the perturbed geometry.     

Spatial curvature and large scale Lorentz violation

The tension between the Hubble constant values obtained from local measurements and cosmic microwave background (CMB) measurements has motivated us to consider the cosmological model beyond ΛCDM. We investigate the cosmology in the large scale Lorentz violation model with a non-vanishing spatial curvature. The degeneracy among spatial curvature, cosmological constant, and cosmological contortion distribution makes the model viable in describing the known observational data. We obtain some constraints on the spatial curvature by comparing the relationship between measured distance modulus and red-shift with the predicted one, the evolution of matter density over time, and the evolution of effective cosmological constant. The implications of the large scale Lorentz violation model with the non-vanishing spatial curvature under these constrains are discussed.     

Systematic distortion in cosmic microwave background maps

To minimize instrumentally the induced systematic errors, cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy experiments measure temperature differences across the sky using pairs of horn antennas, temperature map is recovered from temperature difference obtained in sky survey through a map-making procedure. To inspect and calibrate residual systematic errors in the recovered temperature maps is important as most previous studies of cosmology are based on these maps. By analyzing pixel-ring coupling and latitude dependence of CMB temperatures, we find notable systematic deviation from CMB Gaussianity in released Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) maps. The detected deviation cannot be explained by the best-fit LCDM cosmological model at a confidence level above 99% and cannot be ignored for a precision cosmology study. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 10533020), the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2009CB-824800), and the Directional Research Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KJCX2-YW-T03) Contributed by LI TiPei     

A cosmological concordance model with dynamical vacuum term

We demonstrate that creation of dark-matter particles at a constant rate implies the existence of a cosmological term that decays linearly with the Hubble rate. We discuss the cosmological model that arises in this context and test it against observations of the first acoustic peak in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy spectrum, the Hubble diagram for supernovas of type Ia (SNIa), the distance scale of baryonic acoustic oscillations (BAO) and the distribution of large scale structures (LSS). We show that a good concordance is obtained, albeit with a higher value of the present matter abundance than in the ΛCDM model. We also comment on general features of the CMB anisotropy spectrum and on the cosmic coincidence problem.     

Working group report: Astroparticle and neutrino physics

The working group on astroparticle and neutrino physics at WHEPP-9 covered a wide range of topics. The main topics were neutrino physics at INO, neutrino astronomy and recent constraints on dark energy coming from cosmological observations of large scale structure and CMB anisotropy.     

Temperature effect on the power spectrum in inflation

We examine the effect of the thermal vacuum on the power spectrum of inflation by using the thermal field dynamics. We find that the thermal effect influences the CMB anisotropy at large length scale. After removing the divergence by using the holographic cutoff, we observe that the thermal vacuum explains well the observational CMB result at low multipoles. This shows that the temperature dependent factor should be considered in the study of power spectrum in inflation, especially at large length scale.     

Statistical isotropy of the cosmic microwave background

The breakdown of statistical homogeneity and isotropy of cosmic perturbations is a generic feature of ultra-large scale structure of the cosmos, in particular, of non-trivial cosmic topology. The statistical isotropy (SI) of the cosmic microwave background temperature fluctuations (CMB anisotropy) is sensitive to this breakdown on the largest scales comparable to, and even beyond the cosmic horizon. We propose a set of measures,K _l (l = 1, 2,3,...) which for non-zero values indicate and quantify statistical isotropy violations in a CMB map. We numerically compute the predictedK _l spectra for CMB anisotropy in flat torus universe models. Characteristic signatures of different models in theK _l spectrum are noted.     

Large-Scale Corrections to the CMB Anisotropy from Asymptotic de Sitter Mode

In this study, large-scale effects from asymptotic de Sitter mode on the CMB anisotropy are investigated. Besides the slow variation of the Hubble parameter onset of the last stage of inflation, the recent observational constraints from Planck and WMAP on spectral index confirm that the geometry of the universe can not be pure de Sitter in this era. Motivated by these evidences, we use this mode to calculate the power spectrum of the CMB anisotropy on the large scale. It is found that the CMB spectrum is dependent on the index of Hankel function ν which in the de Sitter limit \(\nu \rightarrow \frac {3}{2}\), the power spectrum reduces to the scale invariant result. Also, the result shows that the spectrum of anisotropy is dependent on angular scale and slow-roll parameter and these additional corrections are swept away by a cutoff scale parameter H ? M_? < M _P .     

Gravity,antimatter and the Dirac-Milne universe

We review the main arguments against antigravity, a different acceleration of antimatter relative to matter in a gravitational field, discussing and challenging Morrison’s, Good’s and Schiff’s arguments. Following Price, we show that, very surprisingly, the usual expression of the Equivalence Principle is violated by General Relativity when particles of negative mass are supposed to exist, which may provide a fundamental explanation of MOND phenomenology, obviating the need for Dark Matter. Motivated by the observation of repulsive gravity under the form of Dark Energy, and by the fact that our universe looks very similar to a coasting (neither decelerating nor accelerating) universe, we study the Dirac-Milne cosmology, a symmetric matter-antimatter cosmology where antiparticles have the same gravitational properties as holes in a semiconductor. Noting the similarities with our universe (age, SN1a luminosity distance, nucleosynthesis, CMB angular scale), we focus our attention on structure formation mechanisms, finding strong similarities with our universe. Additional tests of the Dirac-Milne cosmology are briefly reviewed, and we finally note that a crucial test of the Dirac-Milne cosmology will be soon realized at CERN next to the ELENA antiproton decelerator, possibly as early as fall 2018, with the AEgIS, ALPHA-g and Gbar antihydrogen gravity experiments.     

On the Einstein-Cartan cosmology vs. Planck data

The first comprehensive analyses of Planck data reveal that the cosmological model with dark energy and cold dark matter can satisfactorily explain the essential physical features of the expanding Universe. However, the inability to simultaneously fit the large and small scale TT power spectrum, the scalar power index smaller than unity, and the observations of the violation of the isotropy found by few statistical indicators of the CMB urge theorists to search for explanations. We show that the model of the Einstein-Cartan cosmology with clustered dark matter halos and their corresponding clustered angular momenta coupled to torsion can account for small-scale-large-scale discrepancy and larger peculiar velocities (bulk flows) for galaxy clusters. The nonvanishing total angular momentum (torsion) of the Universe enters as a negative effective density term in the Einstein-Cartan equations causing partial cancellation of the mass density. The integrated Sachs-Wolfe contribution of the Einstein-Cartan model is negative, and it can therefore provide partial cancellation of the large-scale power of the TT CMB spectrum. The observed violation of the isotropy appears as a natural ingredient of the Einstein-Cartan model caused by the spin densities of light Majorana neutrinos in the early stage of the evolution of the Universe and bound to the lepton CP violation and matter-antimatter asymmetry.     

Narrowing the window for millicharged particles by CMB anisotropy

We calculate the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy spectrum in models with millicharged particles of electric charge q～10^?6?10^?1 in units of electron charge. We find that a large region of the parameter space for the millicharged particles exists where their effect on the CMB spectrum is similar to the effect of baryons. Using WMAP data on the CMB anisotropy and assuming the Big Bang nucleosynthesis value for the baryon abundance, we find that only a small fraction of cold dark matter, Ω_mcp<0.007 (at 95% CL), may consist of millicharged particles with the parameters (charge and mass) from this region. This bound significantly narrows the allowed range of the parameters of millicharged particles. In models without paraphotons, millicharged particles are now excluded as a dark matter candidate. We also speculate that recent observation of 511-keV γ rays from the Galactic bulge may be an indication that a (small) fraction of cold dark matter is comprised of millicharged particles.     

Inflation,quantum fields,and CMB anisotropies

Inflationary cosmology has proved to be the most successful at predicting the properties of the anisotropies observed in the cosmic microwave background (CMB). In this essay we show that quantum field renormalization significantly influences the generation of primordial perturbations and hence the expected measurable imprint of cosmological inflation on the CMB. However, the new predictions remain in agreement with observation, and in fact favor the simplest forms of inflation. In the near future, observations of the influence of gravitational waves from the early universe on the CMB will test our new predictions.     

Particle physics models of inflation and curvaton scenarios

We review the particle theory origin of inflation and curvaton mechanisms for generating large scale structures and the observed temperature anisotropy in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation. Since inflaton or curvaton energy density creates all matter, it is important to understand the process of reheating and preheating into the relevant degrees of freedom required for the success of Big Bang Nucleosynthesis. We discuss two distinct classes of models, one where inflaton and curvaton belong to the hidden sector, which are coupled to the Standard Model gauge sector very weakly. There is another class of models of inflaton and curvaton, which are embedded within Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) gauge group and beyond, and whose origins lie within gauge invariant combinations of supersymmetric quarks and leptons. Their masses and couplings are all well motivated from low energy physics, therefore such models provide us with a unique opportunity that they can be verified/falsified by the CMB data and also by the future collider and non-collider based experiments. We then briefly discuss the stringy origin of inflation, alternative cosmological scenarios, and bouncing universes.     

Consequences of a Cosmological Phase Transition at the TeV Scale

A finite vacuum energy density implies the existence of a UV scale for gravitational modes. This gives a phenomenological scale to the dynamical equations governing the cosmological expansion that must satisfy constraints consistent with quantum measurability and spatial flatness. Examination of these constraints for the observed dark energy density establishes a time interval from the transition to the present, suggesting major modifications from the thermal equations of state far from Planck density scales. The assumption that a phase transition initiates the radiation dominated epoch is shown under several scenarios to be able to produce fluctuations to the CMB of the order observed. Quantum measurability constraints (eg. uncertainly relations) define cosmological scales bounded by luminal expansion rates. It is shown that the dark energy can consistently be interpreted as being due to the vacuum energy of collective gravitational modes which manifest as the zero-point motions of coherent Planck scale mass units prior to the UV scale onset of gravitational quantum de-coherence for the cosmology. A cosmological model with multiple scales, one of which replaces an apparent cosmological “constant”, is shown to reproduce standard cosmology during intermediate times, while making the exploration of the early and late time cosmology more accessible. Talk presented at the 2006 biennial conference of the International Association for Relativistic Dynamics, June 12–14, University of Connecticut (Storrs).     

Cosmological magnetic fields

Magnetic fields are observed not only in stars, but in galaxies, clusters, and even high redshift Lyman-α systems. In principle, these fields could play an important role in structure formation and also affect the anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB). The study of cosmological magnetic fields aims not only to quantify these effects on large-scale structure and the CMB, but also to answer one of the outstanding puzzles of modern cosmology: when and how do magnetic fields originate? They are either primoridial, i.e. created before the onset of structure formation, or they are generated during the process of structure formation itself.     

Early reionization and its cosmological implications

We discuss how future CMB polarization measurements will provide detailed information about the reionization history and the implications of early reionization for cosmology.