Work

What the small angle CMB really tells us about the curvature of the Universe

Year: 2009

Type: article

Abstract: It is well known that observations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) are highly sensitive to the spatial curvature of the Universe, k . Here we find that what is in fact being tightly constrained by small angle fluctuations is spatial curvature near the surface of last scattering, and that if we allow k to be a function of position, rather than taking a constant value everywhere, then considerable spatial curvature is permissible within our own locale. This result is of interest for the giant void models that attempt to explain the supernovae observations without Dark Energy. We find such voids to be compatible with the observed small angle CMB, but they must be either very deep (and unnaturally empty) or exist in a positively curved Universe.

Source: Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics

DOI: 10.1088/1475-7516/2009/07/029

Authors: Timothy Clifton, Pedro G Ferreira, Joe Zuntz

Institution: University of Oxford

Language: English

Topic: Cosmology and Gravitation Theories

Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: Science and Technology Facilities Council, Jesus College, University of Cambridge

Award: Theoretical Cosmology