Improved method for detecting local discontinuities in CMB data by finite differencing
Abstract
An unexpected distribution of temperatures in the CMB could be a sign of new physics. In particular, the existence of cosmic defects could be indicated by temperature discontinuities via the Kaiser-Stebbins effect. In this paper, we show how performing finite differences on a CMB map, with the noise regularized in harmonic space, may expose such discontinuities, and we report the results of this process on the 7-year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe data.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review D
- Pub Date:
- January 2011
- DOI:
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1011.1791
- Bibcode:
- 2011PhRvD..83b3503B
- Keywords:
-
- 98.80.Es;
- 95.75.Pq;
- 98.70.Vc;
- 98.80.Cq;
- Observational cosmology;
- Mathematical procedures and computer techniques;
- Background radiations;
- Particle-theory and field-theory models of the early Universe;
- Astrophysics - Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics;
- High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
- E-Print:
- 5 pages, 6 figures