CMB Dipole Research Articles

Constraints on preinflation fluctuations in a nearly flat openΛCDMcosmology

We analyze constraints on parameters characterizing the pre-inflating universe in an open inflation model with a present slightly open $\Lambda$CDM universe. We employ an analytic model to show that for a broad class of inflation-generating effective potentials, the simple requirement that some fraction of the observed dipole moment represents a pre-inflation isocurvature fluctuation allows one to set upper and lower limits on the magnitude and wavelength scale of pre-inflation fluctuations in the inflaton field, and the curvature of the pre-inflation universe, as a function of the fraction of the total initial energy density in the inflaton field as inflation begins. We estimate that if the pre-inflation contribution to the current CMB dipole is near the upper limit set by the {\it Planck} Collaboration then the current constraints on $\Lambda$CDM cosmological parameters allow for the possibility of a significantly open $\Omega_{i} \le 0.4$ pre-inflating universe for a broad range of the fraction of the total energy in the inflaton field at the onset of inflation. This limit to $\Omega_{i}$ is even smaller if a larger dark-flow tilt is allowed.

CONSTRAINTS ON PRE-INFLATION COSMOLOGY AND DARK FLOW

If the present universe is slightly open then pre-inflation curvature would appear as a cosmic dark-flow component of the CMB dipole moment. We summarize current cosmological constraints on this cosmic dark flow and analyze the possible constraints on parameters characterizing the pre-inflating universe in an inflation model with a present-day very slightly open ΛCDM cosmology. We employ an analytic model to show that for a broad class of inflation-generating effective potentials, the simple requirement that the observed dipole moment represents the pre-inflation curvature as it enters the horizon allows one to set upper and lower limits on the magnitude and wavelength scale of pre-inflation fluctuations in the inflaton field and the curvature parameter of the pre-inflation universe, as a function of the fraction of the total initial energy density in the inflaton field. We estimate that if the current CMB dipole is a universal dark flow (or if it is near the upper limit set by the Planck Collaboration) then the present constraints on ΛCDM cosmological parameters imply rather small curvature Ω k ~ 0:1 for the pre-inflating universe for a broad range of the fraction of the total energy in the inflaton field at the onset of inflation. Such small pre-inflation curvature might be indicative of open-inflation models in which there are two epochs of inflation.

Cosmic Bulk Flow and the Local motions from CosmicFlows-2 dataset

AbstractUsing the largest and most accurate ever catalog of galaxy peculiar velocities Cosmicflows-2, the large scale structure has been reconstructed by means of the Wiener filter and constrained realizations assuming as a Bayesian prior model the LCDM standard model of cosmology. Our main result is that the estimated bulk flow is consistent with the LCDM model with the WMAP inferred cosmological parameters. At R=50 (150)Mpc/h the estimated bulk velocity is 250 ± 21 (239 ± 38) km/s. The SGX and SGY components of the CMB dipole velocity are recovered by the Wiener Filter (WF) velocity field down to a very few km/s. The SGZ component of the estimated velocity, the one that is most affected by the Zone of Avoidance, is off by 126 km/s (an almost 2 sigma discrepancy).

On the proper kinetic quadrupole CMB removal and the quadrupole anomalies

It has been pointed out recently that the quadrupole-octupole alignment in the CMB data is significantly affected by the so-called kinetic Doppler quadrupole (DQ), which is the temperature quadrupole induced by our proper motion. Assuming our velocity is the dominant contribution to the CMB dipole we have v/c=β=(1.231 ± 0.003) × 10−3, which leads to a non-negligible DQ of \U0001d4aa(β2). Here we stress that one should properly take into account that CMB data are usually not presented in true thermodynamic temperature, which induces a frequency dependent boost correction. The DQ must therefore be multiplied by a frequency-averaged factor, which we explicitly compute for several Planck CMB maps finding that it varies between 1.67 and 2.47. This is often neglected in the literature and turns out to cause a small but non-negligible difference in the significance levels of some quadrupole-related statistics. For instance the alignment significance in the SMICA 2013 map goes from 2.3σ to 3.3σ with the frequency dependent DQ, instead of 2.9σ ignoring the frequency dependence in the DQ. Moreover as a result of a proper DQ removal, the agreement across different map-making techniques is improved.

Leakage of power from dipole to higher multipoles due to non-symmetric beam shape of the CMB missions

A number of studies of WMAP and Planck claimed the low multipole (specially quadrupole) power deficiency in CMB power spectrum. Anomaly in the orientations of the low multipoles have also been claimed. There is a possibility that the power deficiency at low multipoles may not be of primordial origin and is only an observation artifact coming from the scan procedure adapted in the WMAP or Planck satellites. Therefore, it is always important to investigate all the observational artifacts that can mimic them. The CMB dipole which is much higher than the quadrupole can leak to the higher multipoles due to the non-symmetric beam shape of the WMAP or Planck. We observe that a non-negligible amount of power from the dipole can get transferred to the quadrupole and the higher multipoles due to the non-symmetric beam shapes and contaminate the observed measurements. The orientation of the quadrupole generated by this power transfer is surprisingly very close to the quadrupole observed from the WMAP and Planck maps. However, our analysis shows that the orientation of the quadrupole can not be explained using only the dipole power leakage. In this paper we calculate the amount of quadrupole power leakage for different WMAP bands. For Planck we present the results in terms of upper limits on asymmetric beam parameters that can lead to significant amount of power leakage.

Cosmic bulk flow and the local motion from Cosmicflows-2

Full sky surveys of peculiar velocity are arguably the best way to map the large scale structure out to distances of a few times 100 Mpc/h. Using the largest and most accurate ever catalog of galaxy peculiar velocities "Cosmicflows-2", the large scale structure has been reconstructed by means of the Wiener filter and constrained realizations assuming as a Bayesian prior model the LCDM model with the WMAP inferred cosmological parameters. The present paper focuses on studying the bulk flow of the local flow field, defined as the mean velocity of top-hat spheres with radii ranging out to R=500 Mpc/h. The estimated large scale structures, in general, and the bulk flow, in particular, are determined by the tension between the observational data and the assumed prior model. A prerequisite for such an analysis is the requirement that the estimated bulk flow is consistent with the prior model. Such a consistency is found here. At R=50(150) Mpc/h the estimated bulk velocity is 250+/-21 (239+/-38) km/s. The corresponding cosmic variance at these radii is 126(60)km/s, which implies that these estimated bulk flows are dominated by the data and not by the assumed prior model. The estimated bulk velocity is dominated by the data out to R~200 Mpc/h, where the cosmic variance on the individual Supergalactic Cartesian components (of the r.m.s. values) exceeds the variance of the Constrained Realizations by at least a factor of 2. The supergalactic SGX and SGY components of the CMB dipole velocity are recovered by the Wiener filter velocity field down to a very few km/s. The SGZ component of the estimated velocity, the one that is most affected by the Zone of Avoidance, is off by 126 km/s (an almost 2 sigma discrepancy).

On how to extend the NIR Tully–Fisher relation to be truly all-sky

Dust extinction and stellar confusion by the Milky Way reduce the efficiency of detecting galaxies at low Galactic latitudes, creating the so-called Zone of Avoidance. This stands as a stumbling block in charting the distribution of galaxies and cosmic flow fields, and therewith our understanding of the local dynamics in the Universe (CMB dipole, convergence radius of bulk flows). For instance, ZoA galaxies are generally excluded from the whole-sky Tully-Fisher Surveys ($|b| \leq 5^\circ$) even if catalogued. We show here that by fine-tuning the near-infrared TF relation, there is no reason not to extend peculiar velocity surveys deeper into the ZoA. Accurate axial ratios ($b/a$) are crucial to both the TF sample selection and the resulting TF distances. We simulate the effect of dust extinction on the geometrical properties of galaxies. As expected, galaxies appear rounder with increasing obscuration level, even affecting existing TF samples. We derive correction models and demonstrate that we can reliably reproduce the intrinsic axial ratio from the observed value up to extinction level of about $A_J\simeq3$ mag ($A_V\sim11$ mag), we also recover a fair fraction of galaxies that otherwise would fall out of an uncorrected inclination limited galaxy sample. We present a re-calibration of the 2MTF relation in the NIR $J$, $H$, and $K_s$-bands for isophotal rather than total magnitudes, using their same calibration sample. Both TF relations exhibit similar scatter at high Galactic latitudes. However, the isophotal TF relation results in a significant improvement in the scatter for galaxies in the ZoA, and low surface brightness galaxies in general, because isophotal apertures are more robust in the face of significant stellar confusion.

Dipole leakage and low CMB multipoles

A number of studies of WMAP-7 have highlighted that the power at the low multipoles in CMB power spectrum is lower than their theoretically predicted value. Angular correlation between the orientations of these low multipoles have also been discovered. While these observations may have cosmological ramification, it is important to investigate possible observational artifacts that can mimic them. The CMB dipole, which is much higher than the quadrupole, can get leaked to the higher multipoles due to the non-circular beam of the CMB experiment. In this paper, an analytical method has been developed and simulations are carried out to study the effect of the non-circular beam on power leakage from the dipole. It has been shown that the small, but non-negligible power from the dipole can get transferred to the quadrupole and the higher multipoles due to the non-circular beam. Simulations have also been carried out for Planck scan strategy, and comparative results between WMAP and Planck have been presented.

Measuring cosmic bulk flows with Type Ia supernovae from the Nearby Supernova Factory

Context. Our Local Group of galaxies appears to be moving relative to the cosmic microwave background with the source of the peculiar motion still uncertain. While in the past this has been studied mostly using galaxies as distance indicators, the weight of type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) has increased recently with the continuously improving statistics of available low-redshift supernovae. Aims. We measured the bulk flow in the nearby universe ($0.015 < z < 0.1$) using 117 SNe Ia observed by the Nearby Supernova Factory, as well as the Union2 compilation of SN Ia data already in the literature. Methods. The bulk flow velocity was determined from SN data binned in redshift shells by including a coherent motion (dipole) in a cosmological fit. Additionally, a method of spatially smoothing the Hubble residuals was used to verify the results of the dipole fit. To constrain the location and mass of a potential mass concentration (e.g., the Shapley supercluster) responsible for the peculiar motion, we fit a Hubble law modified by adding an additional mass concentration. Results. The analysis shows a bulk flow that is consistent with the direction of the CMB dipole up to $z \sim 0.06$, thereby doubling the volume over which conventional distance measures are sensitive to a bulk flow. We see no significant turnover behind the center of the Shapley supercluster. A simple attractor model in the proximity of the Shapley supercluster is only marginally consistent with our data, suggesting the need for another, more distant source. In the redshift shell $0.06 < z < 0.1$, we constrain the bulk flow velocity to $< 240~\textrm{km s}^{-1}$ (68% confidence level) for the direction of the CMB dipole, in contradiction to recent claims of the existence of a large-amplitude dark flow.

CMB dipoles and other low-order multipoles in the quasispherical Szekeres model

Several authors have previously shown that Gpc-scale void based on the spherically symmetric LTB model can provide a good fit to certain cosmological data, including the SNIa data, but it is only consistent with the observed CMB dipole if we are located very close to the center, in violation of the Copernican principle. In this work we investigate the more general quasispherical Szekeres model, which does not include spherical symmetry, in order to determine whether this option may be less constricting. We find that the observer is still constrained to a small region, but it is not as geometrically ``special'' as the center of an LTB void. Furthermore, whereas the quadrupole and octupole near the center of an LTB void are necessarily small, certain Szekeres models can include a significant quadrupole while still being consistent with the observed dipole, hinting that Szekeres models may be able give an explanation for the observed quadrupole/octupole anomalies.

THE INTERSTELLAR MAGNETIC FIELD CLOSE TO THE SUN. II.

A key indicator of the galactic environment of the Sun is provided by the magnetic field in the interstellar medium (ISM), which influences the shape of the heliosphere. The direction of the nearby interstellar magnetic field (ISMF) is determined from starlight polarized in the ISM. The local ISMF direction is found from the ISMF direction that provides the best fit to the polarization position angles of nearby stars, using weighted fits to the data. New polarization observations are included in the analysis. The best-fitting ISMF is close to the magnetic field direction traced by the center of the Ribbon of energetic neutral atoms, discovered by the Interstellar Boundary Explorer spacecraft. Both the magnetic field and kinematics of the local ISM are consistent with a scenario where the local ISM is a fragment of the Loop I superbubble. An ordered component of the local ISMF is found in a region where PlanetPol data show that polarization increases with distance. It extends to within 8 parsecs of the Sun and implies a weak curvature in the nearby ISMF. Variations from the ordered component indicate turbulence of +/-23 deg. The local ISMF is generally uniform in direction over spatial scales of 8-200 parsecs so that it appears similar to interarm magnetic fields. The best-fitting ISMF direction also agrees with the position of tail-in spatial asymmetries in GeV-TeV galactic cosmic rays. The peculiar geometrical relation between the CMB dipole moment, the heliosphere nose, and local ISMF is supported by these new results. Radiative torques are not likely to play a role in grain alignment for these polarizations.

Ultra-compact radio sources and the isotropy and homogeneity of the Universe

A 2.29 GHz VLBI all-sky survey of ultra-compact radio sources has formed the basis of a number of cosmological investigations, which examine the relationship between angular-size and redshift. Here I use a sample of 468 such sources with 0.5<z<=3.787, to investigate the isotropy of the Universe. The sample is divided into hemispherical sub-samples, over an all-sky 5 degree x 5 degree array, each of which is allowed to determine a value of Omega_m, assuming that we are living in a spatially flat homogeneous isotropic LambdaCDM model. If we regard the latter as a null hypothesis, then it fails the test -- the results show significant anisotropy, the smallest value of Omega_m being towards (l,b)=(253.9,24.1) degrees, the largest in the opposite direction. This is close to the CMB dipole axis, but in the obverse sense. This is interpreted as meaning that the Universe is not spatially homogeneous on the largest scales, and is better represented at late times by a spherically symmetric model with a density enhancement at its centre.

EVIDENCE FOR ANOMALOUS DUST-CORRELATED EMISSION AT 8 GHz

In 1969 Edward Conklin measured the anisotropy in celestial emission at 8 GHz with a resolution of 16.2 degrees and used the data to report a detection of the CMB dipole. Given the paucity of 8 GHz observations over large angular scales and the clear evidence for non-power law Galactic emission near 8 GHz, a new analysis of Conklin's data is informative. In this paper we compare Conklin's data to that from Haslam et al. (0.4 GHz), Reich and Reich (1.4 GHz), and WMAP (23-94 GHz). We show that the spectral index between Conklin's data and the 23 GHz WMAP data is beta=-1.7+-0.1, where we model the emission temperature as T \propto nu^beta. Free-free emission has beta \approx -2.15, synchrotron emission has beta \approx -2.7 to -3. Thermal dust emission (beta \approx1.7) is negligible at 8 GHz. We conclude that there must be another distinct non-power law component of diffuse foreground emission that emits near 10 GHz, consistent with other observations in this frequency range. By comparing to the full complement of data sets, we show that a model with an anomalous emission component, assumed to be spinning dust, is preferred over a model without spinning dust at 5 sigma (Delta chi2= 31). However, the source of the new component cannot be determined uniquely.

Allan Sandage and the cosmic expansion

This is an account of Allan Sandage's work on (1) The character of the expansion field. For many years he has been the strongest defender of an expanding Universe. He later explained the CMB dipole by a local velocity of 220 +/- 50 km/s toward the Virgo cluster and by a bulk motion of the Local supercluster (extending out to ~3500 km/s) of 450-500 km/s toward an apex at l=275, b=12. Allowing for these streaming velocities he found linear expansion to hold down to local scales (~300 km/s). (2) The calibration of the Hubble constant. Probing different methods he finally adopted - from Cepheid-calibrated SNe Ia and from independent RR Lyr-calibrated TRGBs - H_0 = 62.3 +/- 1.3 +/- 5.0 km/s/Mpc.

THE MICROLENSING PROPERTIES OF A SAMPLE OF 87 LENSED QUASARS

Gravitational microlensing is a powerful tool for probing the physical properties of quasar accretion disks and properties of the lens galaxy such as its dark matter fraction and mean stellar mass. Unfortunately the number of lensed quasars ($\sim 90$) exceeds our monitoring capabilities. Thus, estimating their microlensing properties is important for identifying good microlensing candidates as well as for the expectations of future surveys. In this work we estimate the microlensing properties of a sample of 87 lensed quasars. While the median Einstein radius crossing time scale is 20.6 years, the median source crossing time scale is 7.3 months. Broadly speaking, this means that on $\sim 10$ year timescales roughly half the lenses will be quiescent, with the source in a broad demagnified valley, and roughly half will be active with the source lying in the caustic ridges. We also found that the location of the lens system relative to the CMB dipole has a modest effect on microlensing timescales, and in theory microlensing could be used to confirm the kinematic origin of the dipole. As a corollary of our study we analyzed the accretion rate parameters in a sub-sample of 32 lensed quasars. At fixed black hole mass, it is possible to sample a broad range of luminosities (i.e., Eddington factors) if it becomes feasible to monitor fainter lenses.

Measuring our peculiar velocity on the CMB with high-multipole off-diagonal correlations

Our peculiar velocity with respect to the CMB rest frame is knownto induce a large dipole in the CMB. However, the motion of an observerhas also the effect of distorting the anisotropies at all scales,as shown by Challinor and Van Leeuwen (2002), due to aberration andDoppler effects. We propose to measure independently our local motionby using off-diagonal two-point correlation functions for high multipoles.We study the observability of the signal for temperature and polarizationanisotropies. We point out that Planck can measure the velocityβ with an error of about 30% and the direction with anerror of about 20°. This method constitutes a cross-check,which can be useful to verify that our CMB dipole is due mainly toour velocity or to disentangle the velocity from other possible intrinsicsources.Although in this paper we focus on our peculiar velocity, a similareffect would result also from other intrinsic vectorial distortion ofthe CMB which would induce a dipolar lensing. Measuringthe off-diagonal correlation terms is therefore a test for a preferreddirection on the CMB sky.

The Planck-ATCA Co-eval Observations project: the bright sample

The Planck-ATCA Co-eval Observations (PACO) have provided flux density measurements of well defined samples of AT20G radio sources at frequencies below and overlapping with Planck frequency bands, almost simultaneously with Planck observations. We have observed with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) a total of 482 sources in the frequency range between 4.5 and 40 GHz in the period between July 2009 and August 2010. Several sources were observed more than once. In this paper we present the aims of the project, the selection criteria, and the observation and data reduction procedures. We also discuss the data in total intensity for a complete sample of 189 sources with S(20 GHz)>500 mJy, Galactic latitude |b|>5deg, and declination <-30deg, and some statistical analysis of the spectral behaviour and variability of this sample, referred to as the "bright PACO sample". Finally we discuss how these data could be used to transfer absolute calibrations to ground based telescopes using the CMB dipole calibrated flux densities measured by the Planck satellite, and we provide some test fluxes on bright calibrators.

Testing the void against cosmological data: fitting CMB, BAO, SN and H0

In this paper, instead of invoking Dark Energy, we try and fit various cosmological observations with a large Gpc scale under-dense region (Void) which is modeled by a Lemaître-Tolman-Bondi metric that at large distances becomes a homogeneous FLRW metric.We improve on previous analyses by allowing for nonzero overall curvature, accurately computing the distance to the last-scattering surface and the observed scale of the Baryon Acoustic peaks, and investigating important effects that could arise from having nontrivial Void density profiles. We mainly focus on the WMAP 7-yr data (TT and TE), Supernova data (SDSS SN), Hubble constant measurements (HST) and Baryon Acoustic Oscillation data (SDSS and LRG). We find that the inclusion of a nonzero overall curvature drastically improves the goodness of fit of the Void model, bringing it very close to that of a homogeneous universe containing Dark Energy,while by varying the profile one can increase the value of the local Hubble parameter which has been a challenge for these models.We also try to gauge how well our model can fit thelarge-scale-structure data, but a comprehensive analysis will requirethe knowledge of perturbations on LTB metrics. The model is consistentwith the CMB dipole if the observer is about 15 Mpc off the centre of the Void. Remarkably, such an off-center position may be able to account for the recent anomalous measurements of a large bulk flow from kSZ data. Finally we provide several analytical approximations in different regimes for the LTB metric, and a numerical module for cosmomc, thus allowing for a MCMC exploration of the full parameter space.

Influence of the Local Void on measurements of the clustering dipole

In measurements of the clustering dipole from all-sky surveys, an important problem is the lack of information about galaxy distribution in the so-called Zone of Avoidance (ZoA). The existence of the Local Void (LV) has a systematic effect on these measurements. If the ZoA is randomly filled with mock galaxies, then the calculated acceleration of the Local Group of galaxies (LG) has a spurious component, resulting from the lack of real galaxies in the intersection of the LV with the ZoA. This component affects both the misalignment angle between the clustering dipole and the CMB dipole, and the inferred value of mean matter density Omega_m. We calculate the amplitude of the spurious acceleration acting on the LG due to the LV. Its value depends on the geometry and size of the LV, as well as on its density contrast. However, under the simplest assumption of the LV being spherical and completely empty, within the linear theory this amplitude amounts only to about 45 km/s in units of velocity. The resulting change in the misalignment angle is smaller than 1 degree, and the fractional change in the deduced value of Omega_m is about 5%. Accounting for observationally indicated elongation of the LV and maintaining the maximising assumption of a complete lack of galaxies inside increases these numbers only moderately. Specifically, the amplitude of the spurious acceleration rises to about 60 km/s, the misalignment angle remains still smaller than 1 degree, and the fractional change in the deduced value of Omega_m is enhanced to about 7%. Thus, despite the overall importance of the Local Void for the motion of the Local Group, the influence of the intersection of the LV with the ZoA on measurements of the clustering dipole is found to be only a minor systematic effect.

THE LINEARITY OF THE COSMIC EXPANSION FIELD FROM 300 TO 30, 000 km s–1AND THE BULK MOTION OF THE LOCAL SUPERCLUSTER WITH RESPECT TO THE COSMIC MICROWAVE BACKGROUND

The meaning of "linear expansion" is explained. Particularly accurate relative distances are compiled and homogenized a) for 246 SNe Ia and 35 clusters with v<30,000 km/s, and b) for relatively nearby galaxies with 176 TRGB and 30 Cepheid distances. The 487 objects define a tight Hubble diagram from 300-30,000 km/s implying individual distance errors of <7.5%. Here the velocities are corrected for Virgocentric steaming (locally 220 km/s) and - if v_220>3500 km/s - for a 495 km/s motion of the Local Supercluster towards the warm CMB pole at l=275, b=12; local peculiar motions are averaged out by large numbers. A test for linear expansion shows that the corrected velocities increase with distance as predicted by a standard model with q_0=-0.55 [corresponding to (Omega_M, Omega_Lambda)=(0.3,0.7)], but the same holds - due to the distance limitation of the present sample - for a range of models with q_0 between ~0.00 and -1.00. For these models H_0 does not vary systematically by more than +/-2.3% over the entire range. Local, distance-dependent variations are equally limited to 2.3% on average. In particular the proposed Hubble Bubble of Zehavi et al. and Jha et al. is rejected at the 4sigma level. - Velocity residuals in function of the angle from the CMB pole yield a satisfactory apex velocity of 448+/-73 km/s and a coherence radius of the Local Supercluster of ~3500 km/s (~56 Mpc), beyond which galaxies are seen on average at rest in co-moving coordinates with respect to the CMB. Since no obvious single accelerator of the Local Supercluster exists in the direction of the CMB dipole its motion must be due to the integral gravitational force of all surrounding structures. Most of the gravitational dipole comes probably from within 5000 km/s.