Constraining the shape of the CMB: a Peak-by-Peak analysis

Abstract

The recent measurements of the power spectrum of Cosmic Microwave Background anisotropies are consistent with the simplest inflationary scenario and big bang nucleosynthesis constraints. However, these results rely on the assumption of a class of models based on primordial adiabatic perturbations, cold dark matter and a cosmological constant. In this paper we investigate the need for deviations from the $\Lambda$-CDM scenario by first characterizing the spectrum using a phenomenological function in a 15 dimensional parameter space. Using a Monte Carlo Markov chain approach to Bayesian inference and a low curvature model template we then check for the presence of new physics and/or systematics in the CMB data. We find an almost perfect consistency between the phenomenological fits and the standard $\Lambda$-CDM models. The improved spectral resolution expected from future satellite experiments is warranted for a definitive test of the scenario.

11 pages, 9 figures. Revised version with results from latest Cosmic Microwave Background experiments. Version with High-Res figures from http://www.mrao.cam.ac.uk/~cjo25

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• Separating the Early Universe from the Late Universe: cosmological parameter estimation beyond the black box
• Sensitivity of the Cosmic Microwave Background Anisotropy to Initial Conditions in Quintessence Cosmology
• The Inflationary Gravity Waves in light of recent Cosmic Microwave Background Anisotropies data

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