The Validity of the Cosmic String Pattern Search with the Cosmic Microwave Background

Abstract

We introduce a new technique to detect the discrete temperature steps that cosmic strings might have left in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy map. The technique provides a validity test on the pattern search of cosmic strings that could serve as the groundwork for future pattern searches. The detecting power of the technique is only constrained by two unavoidable features of CMB data: (1) the finite pixelization of the sky map and (2) the Gaussian fluctuation from instrumental noise and primordial anisotropy. We set the upper limit on the cosmic string parameter as $G\mu \lesssim 3.7\times 10^{-6}$ at the 95% confidence level (CL) and find that the amplitude of the temperature step has to be greater than $44\mu K$ in order to be detected for the {\it{Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP)}} 3 year data.

9 pages, 3 figures. Revised for publication

References in corpus (1)

• B polarization of cosmic microwave background as a tracer of strings

Cited by in corpus (6)

• Small-Angle CMB Temperature Anisotropies Induced by Cosmic Strings
• Detecting Cosmic Strings in the CMB with the Canny Algorithm
• Lensing and CMB Anisotropies by Cosmic Strings at a Junction
• Direct Observation of Cosmic Strings via their Strong Gravitational Lensing Effect: I. Predictions for High Resolution Imaging Surveys
• The model of dynamo with small number of modes and magnetic activity of T Tauri stars
• Periodic Gravitational Waves From Small Cosmic String Loops