arXiv subjects

G. Hinshaw

Publications and source records attributed to G. Hinshaw.

84 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv1995

Three-Point Correlations in the COBE-DMR Two-Year Anisotropy Maps

We compute the three-point temperature correlation function of the COBE Differential Microwave Radiometer (DMR) two-year sky maps to search for evidence of non-Gaussian temperature fluctuations. We detect three-point correlations in our sky with a substantially higher signal-to-noise ratio than from the first year data. However, the magnitude of the signal is consistent with the level of cosmic variance expected from Gaussian fluctuations, even when the low order multipole moments, up to l = 9, are filtered from the data. These results do not strongly constrain most existing models of structure formation, but the absence of intrinsic three-point correlations on large angular scales is an important consistency test for such models.

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arXiv1994

On the RMS Anisotropy at 7 degrees and 10 degrees Observed in the COBE-DMR Two Year Sky Maps

The frequency-independent RMS temperature fluctuations determined from the COBE-DMR two year sky maps are used to infer the parameter Q_{rms-PS}, which characterizes the normalization of power law models of primordial cosmological temperature anisotropy. In particular, a 'cross'-RMS statistic is used to determine Q_{rms-PS} for a forced fit to a scale-invariant Harrison-Zel'dovich (n = 1) spectral model. Using a joint analysis of the 7 degree and 10 degree RMS temperature derived from both the 53 and 90 GHz sky maps, we find Q_{rms-PS} = 17.0^{+2.5}_{-2.1} uK when the low quadrupole is included, and Q_{rms-PS} = 19.4^{+2.3}_{-2.1} uK excluding the quadrupole. These results are consistent with the n = 1 fits from more sensitive methods (e.g. power spectrum, correlation function). The effect of the low quadrupole derived from the COBE-DMR data on the inferred Q_{rms-PS} normalization is investigated. A bias to lower Q_{rms-PS} is found when the quadrupole is included. The higher normalization for a forced n = 1 fit is then favored by the cross-RMS technique. As initially pointed out in Wright et al. (1994a) and further discussed here, analytic formulae for the RMS sky temperature fluctuations will NOT provide the correct normalization amplitude.

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arXiv1994

Gaussian Statistics of the Cosmic Microwave Background: Correlation of Temperature Extrema In the COBE DMR Two-Year Sky Maps

We use the two-point correlation function of the extrema points (peaks and valleys) in the COBE Differential Microwave Radiometers (DMR) 2-year sky maps as a test for non-Gaussian temperature distribution in the cosmic microwave background anisotropy. A maximum likelihood analysis compares the DMR data to n=1 toy models whose random-phase spherical harmonic components $a_{\ell m}$ are drawn from either Gaussian, $χ^2$, or log-normal parent populations. The likelihood of the 53 GHz (A+B)/2 data is greatest for the exact Gaussian model. All non-Gaussian models tested are ruled out at 90\% confidence, limited by type II errors in the statistical inference. The extrema correlation function is a stronger test for this class of non-Gaussian models than topological statistics such as the genus.

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arXiv1994

CMB Maps at 0.5 degree Resolution I: Full-Sky Simulations and Basic Results

We have simulated full-sky maps of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) anisotropy expected from Cold Dark Matter (CDM) models at 0.5 and 1.0 degree angular resolution. Statistical properties of the maps are presented as a function of sky coverage, angular resolution, and instrument noise, and the implications of these results for observability of the Doppler peak are discussed. The rms fluctuations in a map are not a particularly robust probe of the existence of a Doppler peak, however, a full correlation analysis can provide reasonable sensitivity. We find that sensitivity to the Doppler peak depends primarily on the fraction of sky covered, and only secondarily on the angular resolution and noise level. Color plates and one-dimensional scans of the maps are presented to visually illustrate the anisotropies.

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arXiv1994

CMB Maps at 0.5 Degree Resolution II: Unresolved Features

High-contrast peaks in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy can appear as unresolved sources to observers. We fit simulated CMB maps generated with a cold dark matter model to a set of unresolved features at instrumental resolution 0.5 degrees to 1.5 degrees and present the integral density per steradian n(>|T|) of unresolved features brighter than threshold temperature |T|. A typical medium-scale experiment observing 0.001 sr at 0.5 degree resolution would expect to observe one unresolved feature brighter than 85 \muK after convolution with the beam profile, with less than 5% probability to observe a source brighter than 150 \muK. Increasing the power-law index of primordial density perturbations n from 1 to 1.5 raises these temperature limits |T| by a factor of 2. The results are only weakly dependent on the assumed values of the Hubble constant and baryon density.

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arXiv1994

Cosmic Temperature Fluctuations from Two Years of COBE DMR Observations

The first two years of COBE DMR observations of the CMB anisotropy are analyzed and compared with our previously published first year results. The results are consistent, but the addition of the second year of data increases the precision and accuracy of the detected CMB temperature fluctuations. The two-year 53 GHz data are characterized by RMS temperature fluctuations of DT=44+/-7 uK at 7 degrees and DT=30.5+/-2.7 uK at 10 degrees angular resolution. The 53X90 GHz cross-correlation amplitude at zero lag is C(0)^{1/2}=36+/-5 uK (68%CL) for the unsmoothed 7 degree DMR data. A likelihood analysis of the cross correlation function, including the quadrupole anisotropy, gives a most likely quadrupole-normalized amplitude Q_{rms-PS}=12.4^{+5.2}_{-3.3} uK (68% CL) and a spectral index n=1.59^{+0.49}_{-0.55} for a power law model of initial density fluctuations, P(k)~k^n. With n fixed to 1.0 the most likely amplitude is 17.4 +/-1.5 uK (68% CL). Excluding the quadrupole anisotropy we find Q_{rms-PS}= 16.0^{+7.5}_{-5.2} uK (68% CL), n=1.21^{+0.60}_{-0.55}, and, with n fixed to 1.0 the most likely amplitude is 18.2+/-1.6 uK (68% CL). Monte Carlo simulations indicate that these derived estimates of n may be biased by ~+0.3 (with the observed low value of the quadrupole included in the analysis) and {}~+0.1 (with the quadrupole excluded). Thus the most likely bias-corrected estimate of n is between 1.1 and 1.3. Our best estimate of the dipole from the two-year DMR data is 3.363+/-0.024 mK towards Galactic coordinates (l,b)= (264.4+/-0.2 degrees, +48.1+/-0.4 degrees), and our best estimate of the RMS quadrupole amplitude in our sky is 6+/-3 uK.

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arXiv1994

On Determining the Spectrum of Primordial Inhomogeneity from the COBE DMR Sky Maps: II. Results of Two Year Data Analysis

A new technique of Fourier analysis on a cut sky (Gorski, 1994) has been applied to the two year COBE DMR sky maps. The Bayesian power spectrum estimation results are consistent with the Harrison-Zel'dovich n=1 model. The maximum likelihood estimates of the parameters of the power spectrum of primordial perturbations are n=1.22 (1.02) and Q_{rms-PS}=17 (20) uK including (excluding) the quadrupole anisotropy. The marginal likelihood function on n renders n=1.10 \pm 0.32 (0.87 \pm 0.36).

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arXiv1994

Correlated Errors in the COBE DMR Sky Maps

The {\it COBE} DMR sky maps contain low-level correlated noise. We obtain estimates of the amplitude and pattern of the correlated noise from three techniques: angular averages of the covariance matrix, Monte Carlo simulations of two-point correlation functions, and direct analysis of the DMR maps. The results from the three methods are mutually consistent. The noise covariance matrix of a DMR sky map is diagonal to an accuracy of better than 1\%. For a given sky pixel, the dominant noise covariance occurs with the ring of pixels at an angular separation of $60 °$ due to the $60 °$ separation of the DMR horns. The mean covariance at $60 °$ is $0.45\% ^{+0.18}_{-0.14}$ of the mean variance. Additionally, the variance in a given pixel is $0.7\%$ greater than would be expected from a single beam experiment with the same noise properties. Auto-correlation functions suffer from a $\sim 1.5\; σ$ positive bias at $60 °$ while cross-correlations have no bias. Published {\it COBE} DMR results are not significantly affected by correlated noise. COBE pre-print 94-

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arXiv1994

Search For Unresolved Sources In The COBE-DMR Two-Year Sky Maps

We have searched the temperature maps from the COBE Differential Microwave Radiometers (DMR) first two years of data for evidence of unresolved sources. The high-latitude sky (|b| > 30°) contains no sources brighter than 192 uK thermodynamic temperature (322 Jy at 53 GHz). The cumulative count of sources brighter than threshold T, N(> T), is consistent with a superposition of instrument noise plus a scale-invariant spectrum of cosmic temperature fluctuations normalized to Qrms-PS = 17 uK. We examine the temperature maps toward nearby clusters and find no evidence for any Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect, Δy < 7.3 x 10^{-6} (95% CL) averaged over the DMR beam. We examine the temperature maps near the brightest expected radio sources and detect no evidence of significant emission. The lack of bright unresolved sources in the DMR maps, taken with anisotropy measurements on smaller angular scales, places a weak constraint on the integral number density of any unresolved Planck-spectrum sources brighter than flux density S, n(> S) < 2 x 10^4 (S/1 Jy)^{-2} sr^{-1}.

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arXiv1993

Statistics and Topology of the COBE DMR First Year Maps

We use statistical and topological quantities to test the COBE-DMR first year sky maps against the hypothesis that the observed temperature fluctuations reflect Gaussian initial density perturbations with random phases. Recent papers discuss specific quantities as discriminators between Gaussian and non-Gaussian behavior, but the treatment of instrumental noise on the data is largely ignored. The presence of noise in the data biases many statistical quantities in a manner dependent on both the noise properties and the unknown CMB temperature field. Appropriate weighting schemes can minimize this effect, but it cannot be completely eliminated. Analytic expressions are presented for these biases, and Monte Carlo simulations used to assess the best strategy for determining cosmologically interesting information from noisy data. The genus is a robust discriminator that can be used to estimate the power law quadrupole-normalized amplitude independently of the 2-point correlation function. The genus of the DMR data are consistent with Gaussian initial fluctuations with Q_rms = 15.7 +/- 2.2 - (6.6 +/- 0.3)(n - 1) uK where n is the power law index. Fitting the rms temperature variations at various smoothing angles gives Q_rms = 13.2 +/- 2.5 uK and n = 1.7 +0.3 -0.6. While consistent with Gaussian fluctuations, the first year data are only sufficient to rule out strongly non-Gaussian distributions of fluctuations.

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arXiv1993

Morphology of the Interstellar Cooling Lines Detected by COBE

The FIRAS instrument on the COBE satellite has conducted an unbiased survey of the far-infrared emission from our Galaxy. The first results of this survey were reported by Wright et al. (1991). We report the results of new analyses of this spectral survey, which includes emission lines from 158 um C+, 122 um and 205 um N+, 370 um and 609 um C, and CO J=2-1 through 5-4. We report the morphological distribution along the galactic plane (b=0) of the spectral line emission, and the high galactic latitude intensities of the C+ and 205 um N+ emission. The high galactic latitude intensity cosecant of the 158 um fine structure transition from C+ is presented, and C+ is seen to decrease more rapidly than the far infrared intensity with increasing galactic latitude. C+ and H I emission are closely correlated with a C+ cooling rate of (2.65 +/- 0.15)x10^{-26} erg/s/H-atom. We conclude that this emission arises almost entirely from the Cold Neutral Medium. The high galactic latitude intensity of the 205 um fine structure transition from N+ arises entirely from the Warm Ionized Medium, and its cosecant is presented. We estimate the total ionizing photon rate in the Galaxy to be 3.5x10^{53} ionizing photons per second, based on the 205 um N+ transition.

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arXiv1993

Limits on Three-Point Correlations in the COBE-DMR First Year Anisotropy Maps

We compute the three-point temperature correlation function of the {\it COBE} Differential Microwave Radiometer (DMR) first-year sky maps to search for non-Gaussian temperature fluctuations. The level of fluctuations seen in the computed correlation function are too large to be attributable solely to instrument noise. However the fluctuations are consistent with the level expected to result from a superposition of instrument noise and sky signal arising from a Gaussian power law model of initial fluctuations, with a quadrupole normalized amplitude of 17 $μ$K and a power law spectral index $n = 1$. We place limits on the amplitude of intrinsic three-point correlations with a variety of predicted functional forms.

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