Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2005-03-09
Astrophys.J.629:L1-L4,2005
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
4 pages, 3 figures; emulateapj.cls; ApJL accepted version plus fixed error in vorticity calculation (sqrt(2) off in Table 1, a
Scientific paper
10.1086/444454
Motivated by the large-scale asymmetry observed in the cosmic microwave background sky, we consider a specific class of anisotropic cosmological models -- Bianchi type VII_h -- and compare them to the WMAP first-year data on large angular scales. Remarkably, we find evidence of a correlation which is ruled out as a chance alignment at the 3sigma level. The best fit Bianchi model corresponds to x=0.55, Omega_0=0.5, a rotation axis in the direction (l,b)=(222degr,-62degr), shear (sigma/H)_0=2.4e-10 and a right--handed vorticity (omega/H)_0=6.1e-10. Correcting for this component greatly reduces the significance of the large-scale power asymmetry, resolves several anomalies detected on large angular scales (ie. the low quadrupole amplitude and quadrupole/octopole planarity and alignment), and can account for a non--Gaussian "cold spot" on the sky. Despite the apparent inconsistency with the best-fit parameters required in inflationary models to account for the acoustic peaks, we consider the results sufficiently provocative to merit further consideration.
Banday Anthony J.
Eriksen Hans Kristian
Górski Kris M.
Hansen Frode K.
Jaffe T. R.
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