2,602 research outputs found
Spatial variations in the spectral index of polarized synchrotron emission in the 9 yr WMAP sky maps
We estimate the spectral index, beta, of polarized synchrotron emission as
observed in the 9 yr WMAP sky maps using two methods, linear regression ("T-T
plot") and maximum likelihood. We partition the sky into 24 disjoint sky
regions, and evaluate the spectral index for all polarization angles between 0
deg and 85 deg in steps of 5. Averaging over polarization angles, we derive a
mean spectral index of beta_all-sky=-2.99+-0.01 in the frequency range of 23-33
GHz. We find that the synchrotron spectral index steepens by 0.14 from low to
high Galactic latitudes, in agreement with previous studies, with mean spectral
indices of beta_plane=-2.98+-0.01 and beta_high-lat=-3.12+-0.04. In addition,
we find a significant longitudinal variation along the Galactic plane with a
steeper spectral index toward the Galactic center and anticenter than toward
the Galactic spiral arms. This can be well modeled by an offset sinusoidal,
beta(l)=-2.85+0.17sin(2l-90). Finally, we study synchrotron emission in the
BICEP2 field, in an attempt to understand whether the claimed detection of
large-scale B-mode polarization could be explained in terms of synchrotron
contamination. Adopting a spectral index of beta=-3.12, typical for high
Galactic latitudes, we find that the most likely bias corresponds to about 2%
of the reported signal (r=0.003). The flattest index allowed by the data in
this region is beta=-2.5, and under the assumption of a straight power-law
frequency spectrum, we find that synchrotron emission can account for at most
20% of the reported BICEP2 signal.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, updated to match version published in Ap
Optimized Large-Scale CMB Likelihood And Quadratic Maximum Likelihood Power Spectrum Estimation
We revisit the problem of exact CMB likelihood and power spectrum estimation
with the goal of minimizing computational cost through linear compression. This
idea was originally proposed for CMB purposes by Tegmark et al.\ (1997), and
here we develop it into a fully working computational framework for large-scale
polarization analysis, adopting \WMAP\ as a worked example. We compare five
different linear bases (pixel space, harmonic space, noise covariance
eigenvectors, signal-to-noise covariance eigenvectors and signal-plus-noise
covariance eigenvectors) in terms of compression efficiency, and find that the
computationally most efficient basis is the signal-to-noise eigenvector basis,
which is closely related to the Karhunen-Loeve and Principal Component
transforms, in agreement with previous suggestions. For this basis, the
information in 6836 unmasked \WMAP\ sky map pixels can be compressed into a
smaller set of 3102 modes, with a maximum error increase of any single
multipole of 3.8\% at , and a maximum shift in the mean values of a
joint distribution of an amplitude--tilt model of 0.006. This
compression reduces the computational cost of a single likelihood evaluation by
a factor of 5, from 38 to 7.5 CPU seconds, and it also results in a more robust
likelihood by implicitly regularizing nearly degenerate modes. Finally, we use
the same compression framework to formulate a numerically stable and
computationally efficient variation of the Quadratic Maximum Likelihood
implementation that requires less than 3 GB of memory and 2 CPU minutes per
iteration for , rendering low- QML CMB power spectrum
analysis fully tractable on a standard laptop.Comment: 13 pages, 13 figures, accepted by ApJ
Matrix Factorizations, Minimal Models and Massey Products
We present a method to compute the full non-linear deformations of matrix
factorizations for ADE minimal models. This method is based on the calculation
of higher products in the cohomology, called Massey products. The algorithm
yields a polynomial ring whose vanishing relations encode the obstructions of
the deformations of the D-branes characterized by these matrix factorizations.
This coincides with the critical locus of the effective superpotential which
can be computed by integrating these relations. Our results for the effective
superpotential are in agreement with those obtained from solving the A-infinity
relations. We point out a relation to the superpotentials of Kazama-Suzuki
models. We will illustrate our findings by various examples, putting emphasis
on the E_6 minimal model.Comment: 32 pages, v2: typos corrected, v3: additional comments concerning the
bulk-boundary crossing constraint, some small clarifications, typo
Bayesian Power Spectrum Analysis of the First-Year WMAP data
We present the first results from a Bayesian analysis of the WMAP first year
data using a Gibbs sampling technique. Using two independent, parallel
supercomputer codes we analyze the WMAP Q, V and W bands. The analysis results
in a full probabilistic description of the information the WMAP data set
contains about the power spectrum and the all-sky map of the cosmic microwave
background anisotropies. We present the complete probability distributions for
each C_l including any non-Gaussianities of the power spectrum likelihood.
While we find good overall agreement with the previously published WMAP
spectrum, our analysis uncovers discrepancies in the power spectrum estimates
at low l multipoles. For example we claim the best-fit Lambda-CDM model is
consistent with the C_2 inferred from our combined Q+V+W analysis with a 10%
probability of an even larger theoretical C_2. Based on our exact analysis we
can therefore attribute the "low quadrupole issue" to a statistical
fluctuation.Comment: 5 pages. 4 figures. For additional information and data see
http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~iodwyer/research#wma
Rotating optical soliton clusters
We introduce the concept of soliton clusters -- multi-soliton bound states in
a homogeneous bulk optical medium, and reveal a key physical mechanism for
their stabilization associated with a staircase-like phase distribution that
induces a net angular momentum and leads to cluster rotation. The ringlike
soliton clusters provide a nontrivial generalization of the concepts of
two-soliton spiraling, optical vortex solitons, and necklace-type optical
beams.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
Quantum creation of an Inhomogeneous universe
In this paper we study a class of inhomogeneous cosmological models which is
a modified version of what is usually called the Lema\^itre-Tolman model. We
assume that we have a space with 2-dimensional locally homogeneous spacelike
surfaces. In addition we assume they are compact. Classically we investigate
both homogeneous and inhomogeneous spacetimes which this model describe. For
instance one is a quotient of the AdS space which resembles the BTZ black
hole in AdS.
Due to the complexity of the model we indicate a simpler model which can be
quantized easily. This model still has the feature that it is in general
inhomogeneous. How this model could describe a spontaneous creation of a
universe through a tunneling event is emphasized.Comment: 21 pages, 5 ps figures, REVTeX, new subsection include
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