Giant Rings in the Cosmic Microwave Background Sky
Abstract
We find a unique direction in the cosmic microwave background sky around which giant rings have an anomalous mean temperature profile. This direction is in very close alignment with the afore measured anomalously large bulk flow direction. Using Monte Carlo simulations, we estimate the significance of the giant rings at the 3σ level and the alignment with the bulk flow at 2.5σ. We argue that a cosmic defect seeded by a pre-inflationary particle could explain the giant rings, the large bulk flow, and their alignment.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- November 2010
- DOI:
- 10.1088/0004-637X/724/1/374
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1005.3923
- Bibcode:
- 2010ApJ...724..374K
- Keywords:
-
- cosmic background radiation;
- early universe;
- inflation;
- large-scale structure of universe;
- Astrophysics - Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics;
- General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology;
- High Energy Physics - Phenomenology;
- High Energy Physics - Theory
- E-Print:
- 6 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal