arXiv subjects

Levon Pogosian

Publications and source records attributed to Levon Pogosian.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2009

Searching for modified growth patterns with tomographic surveys

In alternative theories of gravity, designed to produce cosmic acceleration at the current epoch, the growth of large scale structure can be modified. We study the potential of upcoming and future tomographic surveys such as DES and LSST, with the aid of CMB and supernovae data, to detect departures from the growth of cosmic structure expected within General Relativity. We employ parametric forms to quantify the potential time- and scale-dependent variation of the effective gravitational constant, and the differences between the two Newtonian potentials. We then apply the Fisher matrix technique to forecast the errors on the modified growth parameters from galaxy clustering, weak lensing, CMB, and their cross-correlations across multiple photometric redshift bins. We find that even with conservative assumptions about the data, DES will produce non-trivial constraints on modified growth, and that LSST will do significantly better.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2009

CMBPol Mission Concept Study: Probing Inflation with CMB Polarization

We summarize the utility of precise cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization measurements as probes of the physics of inflation. We focus on the prospects for using CMB measurements to differentiate various inflationary mechanisms. In particular, a detection of primordial B-mode polarization would demonstrate that inflation occurred at a very high energy scale, and that the inflaton traversed a super-Planckian distance in field space. We explain how such a detection or constraint would illuminate aspects of physics at the Planck scale. Moreover, CMB measurements can constrain the scale-dependence and non-Gaussianity of the primordial fluctuations and limit the possibility of a significant isocurvature contribution. Each such limit provides crucial information on the underlying inflationary dynamics. Finally, we quantify these considerations by presenting forecasts for the sensitivities of a future satellite experiment to the inflationary parameters.

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arXiv2008

B-modes from Cosmic Strings

Detecting the parity-odd, or B-mode, polarization pattern in the cosmic microwave background radiation due to primordial gravity waves is considered to be the final observational key to confirming the inflationary paradigm. The search for viable models of inflation from particle physics and string theory has (re)discovered another source for B-modes: cosmic strings. Strings naturally generate as much vector mode perturbation as they do scalar, producing B-mode polarization with a spectrum distinct from that expected from inflation itself. In a large set of models, B-modes arising from cosmic strings are more prominent than those expected from primordial gravity waves. In light of this, we study the physical underpinnings of string-sourced B-modes and the model dependence of the amplitude and shape of the $C_l^{BB}$ power spectrum. Observational detection of a string-sourced B-mode spectrum would be a direct probe of post-inflationary physics near the GUT scale. Conversely, non-detection would put an upper limit on a possible cosmic string tension of Gμ< 10^{-7} within the next three years.

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arXiv2007

Dynamics of Linear Perturbations in f(R) Gravity

We consider predictions for structure formation from modifications to general relativity in which the Einstein-Hilbert action is replaced by a general function of the Ricci scalar. We work without fixing a gauge, as well as in explicit popular coordinate choices, appropriate for the modification of existing cosmological code. We present the framework in a comprehensive and practical form that can be directly compared to standard perturbation analyses. By considering the full evolution equations, we resolve perceived instabilities previously suggested, and instead find a suppression of perturbations. This result presents significant challenges for agreement with current cosmological structure formation observations. The findings apply to a broad range of forms of f(R) for which the modification becomes important at low curvatures, disfavoring them in comparison with the LCDM scenario. As such, these results provide a powerful method to rule out a wide class of modified gravity models aimed at providing an alternative explanation to the dark energy problem.

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arXiv2006

Anthropic predictions for vacuum energy and neutrino masses in the light of WMAP-3

Anthropic probability distributions for the cosmological constant and for the sum of neutrino masses are updated using the WMAP-3 data release. The new distribution for Lambda is in a better agreement with observation than the earlier one. The typicality of the observed value, defined as the combined probability of all values less likely than the observed, is no less than 22%. We discuss the dependence of our results on the simplifying assumptions used in deriving the distribution for Lambda and show that the agreement of the anthropic prediction with the data is rather robust. The distribution for the sum of the neutrino masses is peaked at 1 eV, suggesting degenerate masses, but a hierarchical mass pattern is still marginally allowed at a 2 sigma level.

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arXiv2006

Integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect in the era of precision cosmology

Recent detections of the Integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect through the correlation of the cosmic microwave background temperature anisotropy with traces of large scale structure provided independent evidence for the expansion of the universe being dominated by something other than matter. Even with perfect data, statistical errors will limit the accuracy of such measurements to worse than 10%. On the other hand, the extraordinary sensitivity of the ISW effect to the details of structure formation should help to make up for the lack of precision. In these conference proceedings I discuss the extent to which future ISW measurements can help in testing the physics responsible for the observed cosmic acceleration.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

Bounds on Cosmic Strings from WMAP and SDSS

We find the constraints from WMAP and SDSS data on the fraction of cosmological fluctuations sourced by local cosmic strings using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) analysis. In addition to varying the usual 6 cosmological parameters and the string tension ($μ$), we also varied the amount of small-scale structure on the strings. Our results indicate that cosmic strings can account for up to 7 (14)% of the total power of the microwave anisotropy at 68 (95)% confidence level. The corresponding bound on the string mass per unit length, within our string model, is $Gμ< 1.8 (2.7) \times 10^{-7}$ at 68 (95)% c.l., where this constraint has been altered from what appears below following the correction of errors in our cosmic string code outlined in a recent erratum, astro-ph/0604141. We also calculate the B-type polarization spectra sourced by cosmic strings and discuss the prospects of their detection.

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arXiv2006

On vector mode contribution to CMB temperature and polarization from local strings

In a recent publication, we used the data from WMAP and SDSS to constrain the primordial perturbations and to predict the B-mode polarization sourced by cosmic string networks. We have been alerted by A. Slosar to the existence of errors in the code we used to calculate the Cosmic Microwave Background anisotropies from cosmic strings. Correcting the errors leads to a significant increase in the vector mode contribution to the CMB temperature and polarization anisotropies as well as an overall renormalization of the various string spectra. In these notes we explain the nature of the errors and discuss their implications for previously published constraints on cosmic strings based on this code. The chief change in our results is that our derived limit for the cosmic string tension is strengthened: Gμ< 1.8 (2.7) * 10^{-7} at 68 (95)% confidence. We also note that the newly-enhanced vector mode contribution produces a greatly-increased amplitude for B-mode polarization in the CMB which could exceed the B-mode power produced by the lensing of primordial E-mode polarization into B-mode polarization.

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arXiv2006

Cosmic microwave background anisotropy from wiggly strings

We investigate the effect of wiggly cosmic strings on the cosmic microwave background radiation anisotropy and matter power spectrum by modifying the string network model used by Albrecht et al.. We employ the wiggly equation of state for strings and the one-scale model for the cosmological evolution of certain network characteristics. For the same choice of simulation parameters we compare the results with and without including wiggliness in the model and find that wiggliness together with the accompanying low string velocities lead to a significant peak in the microwave background anisotropy and to an enhancement in the matter power spectrum. For the cosmologies we have investigated (standard CDM, and, CDM plus cosmological constant), and within the limitations of our modeling of the string network, the anisotropy is in reasonable agreement with current observations but the COBE normalized amplitude of density perturbations is lower than what the data suggests. In the case of a cosmological constant and CDM model, a bias factor of about 2 is required.

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arXiv2006

Observational Constraints on Cosmic String Production During Brane Inflation

Overall, brane inflation is compatible with the recent analysis of the WMAP data. Here we explore the constraints of WMAP and 2dFGRS data on the various brane inflationary scenarios. Brane inflation naturally ends with the production of cosmic strings, which may provide a way to distinguish these models observationally. We argue that currently available data cannot exclude a non-negligible contribution from cosmic strings definitively. We perform a partial statistical analysis of mixed models that include a sub-dominant contribution from cosmic strings. Although the data favor models without cosmic strings, we conclude that they cannot definitively rule out a cosmic-string-induced contribution of $\sim 10 %$ to the observed temperature, polarization and galaxy density fluctuations. These results imply that $Gμ\lesssim 3.5\times 10^{-7}(λ/0.25)\sqrt{B/0.1}$, where $λ$ is a dimensionless parameter related to the interstring distance, and $B$ measures the importance of perturbations induced by cosmic strings. We argue that, conservatively, the data available currently still permit $B\lesssim 0.1$. Precision measurements sensitive to the B-mode polarization produced by vector density perturbation modes driven by the string network could provide evidence for these models. Accurate determinations of $n_s(k)$, the scalar fluctuation index, could also distinguish among various brane inflation models.

hep-th↗

arXiv2005

Tracking Dark Energy with the ISW effect: short and long-term predictions

We present an analysis of the constraining power of future measurements of the Integrated Sachs-Wolfe (ISW) effect on models of the equation of state of dark energy as a function of redshift, w(z). To achieve this, we employ a new parameterization of w, which utilizes the mean value of w(z) ( ) as an explicit parameter. This helps to separate the information contained in the estimation of the distance to the last scattering surface (from the CMB) from the information contained in the ISW effect. We then use Fisher analysis to forecast the expected uncertainties in the measured parameters from future ISW observations for two models of dark energy with very different time evolution properties. For example, we demonstrate that the cross-correlation of Planck CMB data and LSST galaxy catalogs will provide competitive constraints on w(z), compared to a SNAP-like SNe project, for models of dark energy with a rapidly changing equation of state (e.g. 'Kink' models). Our work confirms that, while SNe measurements are more suitable for constraining variations in w(z) at low redshift, the ISW effect can provide important independent constraints on w(z) at high z.

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arXiv2005

Evolving dark energy equation of state and CMB/LSS cross-correlation

CMB power spectra and the SNIa luminosity-redshift curves have difficulty distinguishing between models with the same average value of the dark energy equation of state. We propose using the cross-correlation of the CMB temperature anisotropy with large scale structure to help break this degeneracy.

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arXiv2005

Anthropic predictions for neutrino masses

It is argued that small values of the neutrino masses may be due to anthropic selection effects. If this is the case, then the combined mass of the three neutrino species is expected to be ~1eV, neutrinos causing a non-negligible suppression of galaxy formation.

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arXiv2005

Observational constraints on cosmic strings: Bayesian analysis in a three dimensional parameter space

Current data exclude cosmic strings as the primary source of primordial density fluctuations. However, in a wide class of inflationary models, strings can form at later stages of inflation and have potentially detectable observational signatures. We study the constraints from WMAP and SDSS data on the fraction of primordial fluctuations sourced by local cosmic strings. The Bayesian analysis presented in this brief report is restricted to the minimal number of parameters. Yet it is useful for two reasons. It confirms the results of Pogosian et al (2003) using an alternative statistical method. Secondly, it justifies the more costly multi-parameter analysis. Already, varying only three parameters -- the spectral index and the amplitudes of the adiabatic and string contributions -- we find that the upper bound on the cosmic string contribution is of order 10%. We expect that the full multi-parameter study, currently underway, will likely loosen this bound.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2004

Early reionization by cosmic strings revisited

Measurements of the CMB temperature anisotropy and the temperature-polarization cross correlation by WMAP suggest a reionization redshift of $z \sim 17 \pm 5$. On the other hand, observations of high redshift galaxies indicate a presence of a significant fraction of neutral hydrogen at redshift $z\sim 6-7$. We show that cosmic strings with tensions well within, but not far from, current observation bounds could cause early star formation at a level sufficient to explain the high reionization redshift.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2004

Anthropic predictions for vacuum energy and neutrino masses

It is argued that the observed vacuum energy density and the small values of the neutrino masses could be due to anthropic selection effects. Until now, these two quantities have been treated separately from each other and, in particular, anthropic predictions for the vacuum energy were made under the assumption of zero neutrino masses. Here we consider two cases. In the first, we calculate predictions for the vacuum energy for a fixed (generally non-zero) value of the neutrino mass. In the second we allow both quantities to vary from one part of the universe to another. We find that the anthropic predictions for the vacuum energy density are in a better agreement with observations when one allows for non-zero neutrino masses. We also find that the individual distributions for the vacuum energy and the neutrino masses are reasonably robust and do not change drastically when one adds the other variable.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2004

Large-scale power in the CMB and new physics: an analysis using Bayesian model comparison

One of the most tantalizing results from the WMAP experiment is the suggestion that the power at large scales is anomalously low when compared to the prediction of the ``standard'' Lambda-CDM model. The same anomaly, although with somewhat larger uncertainty, was also previously noted in the COBE data. In this work we discuss possible alternate models that give better fits on large scales and apply a model-comparison technique to select amongst them. We find that models with a cut off in the power spectrum at large scales are indeed preferred by data, but only by a factor of 3.6, at most, in the likelihood ratio, corresponding to about ``1.5 sigma'' if interpreted in the traditional manner. Using the same technique, we have also examined the possibility of a systematic error in the measurement (or prediction) of the large-scale power. Ignoring other evidence that the large-scale modes are properly measured and predicted, we find this possibility somewhat more likely, with roughly a 2.5 sigma evidence.

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arXiv2003

On formation of domain wall lattices

We study the formation of domain walls in a phase transition in which an S_5\times Z_2 symmetry is spontaneously broken to S_3\times S_2. In one compact spatial dimension we observe the formation of a stable domain wall lattice. In two spatial dimensions we find that the walls form a network with junctions, there being six walls to every junction. The network of domain walls evolves so that junctions annihilate anti-junctions. The final state of the evolution depends on the relative dimensions of the simulation domain. In particular we never observe the formation of a stable lattice of domain walls for the case of a square domain but we do observe a lattice if one dimension is somewhat smaller than the other. During the evolution, the total wall length in the network decays with time as t^{-0.71}, as opposed to the usual t^{-1} scaling typical of regular Z_2 networks.

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