Hiranya V. Peiris

Comparing infrared Dirac-Born-Infeld brane inflation to observations

We compare the infrared Dirac-Born-Infeld brane inflation model to observations using a Bayesian analysis. The current data cannot distinguish it from the

Cosmological Constraints on f(R) Acceleration Models

ensuremath{Lambda}mathrm{CDM}

CMB polarization features from inflation versus reionization

model but is able to give interesting constraints on various microscopic parameters including the mass of the brane moduli potential, the fundamental string scale, the charge or warp factor of throats, and the number of the mobile branes. We quantify some distinctive testable predictions with stringy signatures, such as the large non-Gaussianity, and the large, but regional, running of the spectral index. These results illustrate how we may be able to probe aspects of string theory using cosmological observations.

Phenomenology of D-Brane Inflation with General Speed of Sound

Models which accelerate the expansion of the universe through the addition of a function of the Ricci scalar f(R) leave a characteristic signature in the large-scale structure of the universe at the Compton wavelength scale of the extra scalar degree of freedom. We search for such a signature in current cosmological data sets: the WMAP cosmic microwave background (CMB) power spectrum, Supernovae Legacy Survey supernovae distance measures, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey luminous red galaxy power spectrum, and galaxy-CMB angular correlations. Because of theoretical uncertainties in the nonlinear evolution of f(R) models, the galaxy power spectrum conservatively yields only weak constraints on the models despite the strong predicted signature in the linear matter power spectrum. Currently the tightest constraints involve the modification to the integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect from growth of gravitational potentials during the acceleration epoch. This effect is manifest for large Compton wavelengths in enhanced low multipole power in the CMB and anticorrelation between the CMB and tracers of the potential. They place a bound on the Compton wavelength of the field to be less than of order the Hubble scale.

First observational tests of eternal inflation.

The angular power spectrum of the cosmic microwave background temperature anisotropy observed by WMAP has an anomalous dip at l{approx}20 and a bump at l{approx}40. One explanation for this structure is the presence of features in the primordial curvature power spectrum, possibly caused by a step in the inflationary potential. The detection of these features is only marginally significant from temperature data alone. However, the inflationary feature hypothesis predicts a specific shape for the E-mode polarization power spectrum with a structure similar to that observed in temperature at l{approx}20-40. Measurement of the CMB polarization on few-degree scales can therefore be used as a consistency check of the hypothesis. The Planck satellite has the statistical sensitivity to confirm or rule out the model that best fits the temperature features with 3{sigma} significance, assuming all other parameters are known. With a cosmic variance limited experiment, this significance improves to 8{sigma}. For tests of inflationary models that can explain both the dip and the bump in temperature, the primary source of uncertainty is confusion with polarization features created by a complex reionization history, which, at most, reduces the significance to 2.5{sigma} for Planck and 5{sigma}-6{sigma} for an ideal experiment. Smoothing of the polarizationmorexa0» spectrum by a large tensor component only slightly reduces the ability of polarization to test for inflationary features, as does requiring that polarization is consistent with the observed temperature spectrum, given the expected low level of TE correlation on few-degree scales. If polarized foregrounds can be adequately subtracted, Planck will supply valuable evidence for or against features in the primordial power spectrum. A future high-sensitivity polarization satellite would enable a decisive test of the feature hypothesis and provide complementary information about the shape of a possible step in the inflationary potential.«xa0less

The shape of the primordial power spectrum: A last stand before Planck data

A characteristic of D-brane inflation is that fluctuations in the inflaton field can propagate at a speed significantly less than the speed of light. This yields observable effects that are distinct from those of single-field slow-roll inflation, such as a modification of the inflationary consistency relation and a potentially large level of non-Gaussianities. We present a numerical algorithm that extends the inflationary flow formalism to models with general speed of sound. For an ensemble of D-brane-inflation models parametrized by the Hubble parameter and the speed of sound as polynomial functions of the inflaton field, we give qualitative predictions for the key inflationary observables. We discuss various consistency relations for D-brane inflation, and compare the qualitative shapes of the warp factors we derive from the numerical models with analytical warp factors considered in the literature. Finally, we derive and apply a generalized microphysical bound on the inflaton field variation during brane inflation. While a large number of models are consistent with current cosmological constraints, almost all of these models violate the compactification constraint on the field range in four-dimensional Planck units. If the field range bound is to hold, then models with a detectable level of non-Gaussianity predict a blue scalar spectral index, and a tensor component that is far below the detection limit of any future experiment.

First Observational Tests of Eternal Inflation: Analysis Methods and WMAP 7-Year Results

The eternal inflation scenario predicts that our observable Universe resides inside a single bubble embedded in a vast inflating multiverse. We present the first observational tests of eternal inflation, performing a search for cosmological signatures of collisions with other bubble universes in cosmic microwave background data from the WMAP satellite. We conclude that the WMAP 7-year data do not warrant augmenting the cold dark matter model with a cosmological constant with bubble collisions, constraining the average number of detectable bubble collisions on the full sky N(s) < 1.6 at 68% C.L. Data from the Planck satellite can be used to more definitively test the bubble-collision hypothesis.

Prospects for polarized foreground removal

We present a minimally parametric reconstruction of the primordial power spectrum using the most recent cosmic microwave background and large-scale structure data sets. Our goal is to constrain the shape of the power spectrum while simultaneously avoiding strong theoretical priors and over-fitting of the data. We find no evidence for any departure from a power-law spectral index. We also find that an exact scale-invariant power spectrum is disfavored by the data, but this conclusion is weaker than the corresponding result assuming a theoretically-motivated power-law spectral index prior. The reconstruction shows that better data are crucial to justify the adoption of such a strong theoretical prior observationally. These results can be used to determine the robustness of our present knowledge when compared with forthcoming precision data from Planck.

Eccentric-disk models for the nucleus of M31

In the picture of eternal inflation, our observable universe resides inside a single bubble nucleated from an inflating false vacuum. Many of the theories giving rise to eternal inflation predict that we have causal access to collisions with other bubble universes, providing an opportunity to confront these theories with observation. We present the results from the first observational search for the effects of bubble collisions, using cosmic microwave background data from the WMAP satellite. Our search targets a generic set of properties associated with a bubble-collision spacetime, which we describe in detail. We use a modular algorithm that is designed to avoid a posteriori selection effects, automatically picking out the most promising signals, performing a search for causal boundaries, and conducting a full Bayesian parameter estimation and model selection analysis. We outline each component of this algorithm, describing its response to simulated CMB skies with and without bubble collisions. Comparing the results for simulated bubble collisions to the results from an analysis of the WMAP 7-year data, we rule out bubble collisions over a range of parameter space. Our model selection results based on WMAP 7-year data do not warrant augmenting ΛCDM with bubble collisions. Data from the Planck satellite can be used to more definitively test the bubble-collision hypothesis.

On minimally parametric primordial power spectrum reconstruction and the evidence for a red tilt

In this report we discuss the impact of polarized foregrounds on a future CMBPol satellite mission. We review our current knowledge of Galactic polarized emission at microwave frequencies, including synchrotron and thermal dust emission. We use existing data and our understanding of the physical behavior of the sources of foreground emission to generate sky templates, and start to assess how well primordial gravitational wave signals can be separated from foreground contaminants for a CMBPol mission. At the estimated foreground minimum of ∼100 GHz, the polarized foregrounds are expected to be lower than a primordial polarization signal with tensor‐to‐scalar ratio r = 0.01, in a small patch (∼1%) of the sky known to have low Galactic emission. Over 75% of the sky we expect the foreground amplitude to exceed the primordial signal by about a factor of eight at the foreground minimum and on scales of two degrees. Only on the largest scales does the polarized foreground amplitude exceed the primordial signal by a larger factor of about 20. The prospects for detecting an r = 0.01 signal including degree‐scale measurements appear promising, with 5σ_r∼0.003 forecast from multiple methods. A mission that observes a range of scales offers better prospects from the foregrounds perspective than one targeting only the lowest few multipoles. We begin to explore how optimizing the composition of frequency channels in the focal plane can maximize our ability to perform component separation, with a range of typically 40 ≲ ν ≲ 300 GHz preferred for ten channels. Foreground cleaning methods are already in place to tackle a CMBPol mission data set, and further investigation of the optimization and detectability of the primordial signal will be useful for mission design.