2015/12/31 by J. P. Zibin, D. Contreras
Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Anisotropy #Astrophysics #Asymmetry #Cosmic background radiation #Cosmic microwave background #Cosmology and Gravitation Theories #Dipole #Mathematics #Optics #Particle physics #Physics #Planck #Polarization (electrochemistry) #Quantum mechanics #Relativity and Gravitational Theory #Scalar (mathematics) #Scientific Research and Discoveries #Statistical physics #astro-ph.CO
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevd.95.063011
published as Phys. Rev. D 95, 063011 (2017) · 15 pages, 5 figures; max likelihood values corrected, conclusions unchanged; version published in Phys. Rev. D
openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex publication_date 2017/03/20 · arxiv created 2017/03/22 · arxiv updated 2017/03/23 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
One of the most intriguing hints of a departure from the standard cosmological model is a large-scale dipolar power asymmetry in the cosmic microwave background (CMB). If not a statistical fluke, its origins must lie in the modulation of the position-space fluctuations via a physical mechanism, which requires the observation of new modes to confirm or refute. We introduce an approach to describe such a modulation in k space and calculate its effects on the CMB temperature and lensing. We fit the k-space modulation parameters to Planck 2015 temperature data and show that CMB lensing will not provide us with enough independent information to confirm or refute such a mechanism. However, our approach elucidates some poorly understood aspects of the asymmetry, in particular that it is weakly constrained. Also, it will be particularly useful in predicting the effectiveness of polarization in testing a physical modulation.