Evidence for Scale-Scale Correlations in the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation

Abstract

We perform a discrete wavelet analysis of the Cosmic Background Explorer differential microwave radiometer (DMR) 4-yr sky maps and find a significant scale-scale correlation on angular scales from about 11\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} to 22\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}, only in the DMR face centered on the north galactic pole. This non-Gaussian signature does not arise either from the known foregrounds or the correlated noise maps, nor is it consistent with upper limits on the residual systematic errors in the DMR maps. Either the scale-scale correlations are caused by an unknown foreground contaminate or systematic errors on angular scales as large as 22\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}, or the standard inflation plus cold dark matter paradigm is ruled out at the $>99%$ confidence level.