Investigating the source of Planck-detected AME: high resolution observations at 15 GHz

The Planck 28.5 GHz maps were searched for potential Anomalous Microwave Emission (AME) regions on the scale of $\sim3^{\circ}$ or smaller, and several new regions of interest were selected. Ancillary data at both lower and higher frequencies were used to construct spectral energy distributions (SEDs), which seem to confirm an excess consistent with spinning dust models. Here we present higher resolution observations of two of these new regions with the Arcminute Microkelvin Imager Small Array (AMI SA) between 14 and 18 GHz to test for the presence of a compact ($\sim$10 arcmin or smaller) component. For AME-G107.1+5.2, dominated by the {\sc Hii} region S140, we find evidence for the characteristic rising spectrum associated with the either the spinning dust mechanism for AME or an ultra/hyper-compact \textsc{Hii} region across the AMI frequency band, however for AME-G173.6+2.8 we find no evidence for AME on scales of $\sim 2-10$ arcmin.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, 4 tables. Submitted to Advances in Astronomy AME Special Issu

Observational constraints on braneworld inflation: the effect of a Gauss-Bonnet term

High-energy modifications to general relativity introduce changes to the perturbations generated during inflation, and the latest high-precision cosmological data can be used to place constraints on such modified inflation models. Recently it was shown that Randall-Sundrum type braneworld inflation leads to tighter constraints on quadratic and quartic potentials than in general relativity. We investigate how this changes with a Gauss-Bonnet correction term, which can be motivated by string theory. Randall-Sundrum models preserve the standard consistency relation between the tensor spectral index and the tensor-to-scalar ratio. The Gauss-Bonnet term breaks this relation, and also modifies the dynamics and perturbation amplitudes at high energies. We find that the Gauss-Bonnet term tends to soften the Randall-Sundrum constraints. The observational compatibility of the quadratic potential is strongly improved. For a broad range of energy scales, the quartic potential is rescued from marginal rejection. Steep inflation driven by an exponential potential is excluded in the Randall-Sundrum case, but the Gauss-Bonnet term leads to marginal compatibility for sufficient e-folds.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures, version to appear in Physical Review

Cosmology from Cluster SZ and Weak Lensing Data

Weak gravitational lensing and the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect provide complementary information on the composition of clusters of galaxies. Preliminary results from cluster SZ observations with the Very Small Array are presented. A Bayesian approach to combining this data with wide field lensing data is then outlined; this allows the relative probabilities of cluster models of varying complexity to be computed. A simple simulation is used to demonstrate the importance of cluster model selection in cosmological parameter determination.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, to appear in proceedings of XXXVIIth Rencontres de Moriond, "The Cosmological Model"; h-depebndence corrected, typos fixe

Bayes-X: a Bayesian inference tool for the analysis of X-ray observations of galaxy clusters

We present the first public release of our Bayesian inference tool, Bayes-X, for the analysis of X-ray observations of galaxy clusters. We illustrate the use of Bayes-X by analysing a set of four simulated clusters at z=0.2-0.9 as they would be observed by a Chandra-like X-ray observatory. In both the simulations and the analysis pipeline we assume that the dark matter density follows a spherically-symmetric Navarro, Frenk and White (NFW) profile and that the gas pressure is described by a generalised NFW (GNFW) profile. We then perform four sets of analyses. By numerically exploring the joint probability distribution of the cluster parameters given simulated Chandra-like data, we show that the model and analysis technique can robustly return the simulated cluster input quantities, constrain the cluster physical parameters and reveal the degeneracies among the model parameters and cluster physical parameters. We then analyse Chandra data on the nearby cluster, A262, and derive the cluster physical profiles. To illustrate the performance of the Bayesian model selection, we also carried out analyses assuming an Einasto profile for the matter density and calculated the Bayes factor. The results of the model selection analyses for the simulated data favour the NFW model as expected. However, we find that the Einasto profile is preferred in the analysis of A262. The Bayes-X software, which is implemented in Fortran 90, is available at http://www.mrao.cam.ac.uk/facilities/software/bayesx/.Comment: 22 pages, 11 figure

A 6-12 GHz Analogue Lag-Correlator for Radio Interferometry

Aims: We describe a 6-12 GHz analogue correlator that has been developed for use in radio interferometers. Methods: We use a lag-correlator technique to synthesis eight complex spectral channels. Two schemes were considered for sampling the cross-correlation function, using either real or complex correlations, and we developed prototypes for both of them. We opted for the ``add and square'' detection scheme using Schottky diodes over the more commonly used active multipliers because the stability of the device is less critical. Results: We encountered an unexpected problem, in that there were errors in the lag spacings of up to ten percent of the unit spacing. To overcome this, we developed a calibration method using astronomical sources which corrects the effects of the non-uniform sampling as well as gain error and dispersion in the correlator.Comment: 14 pages, 21 figures, accepted for publication in A&

CLOVER - A new instrument for measuring the B-mode polarization of the CMB

We describe the design and expected performance of Clover, a new instrument designed to measure the B-mode polarization of the cosmic microwave background. The proposed instrument will comprise three independent telescopes operating at 90, 150 and 220 GHz and is planned to be sited at Dome C, Antarctica. Each telescope will feed a focal plane array of 128 background-limited detectors and will measure polarized signals over angular multipoles 20 < l < 1000. The unique design of the telescope and careful control of systematics should enable the B-mode signature of gravitational waves to be measured to a lensing-confusion-limited tensor-to-scalar ratio r~0.005.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures. To appear in the proceedings of the XXXVIXth Rencontres de Moriond "Exploring the Universe

A 6-12 GHz Analogue Lag-Correlator for Radio Interferometry

Aims: We describe a 6-12 GHz analogue correlator that has been developed for use in radio interferometers. Methods: We use a lag-correlator technique to synthesis eight complex spectral channels. Two schemes were considered for sampling the cross-correlation function, using either real or complex correlations, and we developed prototypes for both of them. We opted for the ``add and square'' detection scheme using Schottky diodes over the more commonly used active multipliers because the stability of the device is less critical. Results: We encountered an unexpected problem, in that there were errors in the lag spacings of up to ten percent of the unit spacing. To overcome this, we developed a calibration method using astronomical sources which corrects the effects of the non-uniform sampling as well as gain error and dispersion in the correlator.Comment: 14 pages, 21 figures, accepted for publication in A&

Detection of Cosmic Microwave Background Structure in a Second Field with the Cosmic Anisotropy Telescope

We describe observations at frequencies near 15 GHz of the second 2x2 degree field imaged with the Cambridge Cosmic Anisotropy Telescope (CAT). After the removal of discrete radio sources, structure is detected in the images on characteristic scales of about half a degree, corresponding to spherical harmonic multipoles in the approximate range l= 330--680. A Bayesian analysis confirms that the signal arises predominantly from the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation for multipoles in the lower half of this range; the average broad-band power in a bin with centroid l=422 (theta = 51') is estimated to be Delta_T/T=2.1^{+0.4}_{-0.5} x 10^{-5}. For multipoles centred on l=615 (theta =35'), we find contamination from Galactic emission is significant, and constrain the CMB contribution to the measured power in this bin to be Delta_T/T <2.0 x 10^{-5} (1-sigma upper limit). These new results are consistent with the first detection made by CAT in a completely different area of sky. Together with data from other experiments, this new CAT detection adds weight to earlier evidence from CAT for a downturn in the CMB power spectrum on scales smaller than 1 degree. Improved limits on the values of H_0 and Omega are determined using the new CAT data.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures (gif), submitted to MNRA

Observational constraints on patch inflation in noncommutative spacetime

We study constraints on a number of patch inflationary models in noncommutative spacetime using a compilation of recent high-precision observational data. In particular, the four-dimensional General Relativistic (GR) case, the Randall-Sundrum (RS) and Gauss-Bonnet (GB) braneworld scenarios are investigated by extending previous commutative analyses to the infrared limit of a maximally symmetric realization of the stringy uncertainty principle. The effect of spacetime noncommutativity modifies the standard consistency relation between the tensor spectral index and the tensor-to-scalar ratio. We perform likelihood analyses in terms of inflationary observables using new consistency relations and confront them with large-field inflationary models with potential V \propto \vp^p in two classes of noncommutative scenarios. We find a number of interesting results: (i) the quartic potential (p=4) is rescued from marginal rejection in the class 2 GR case, and (ii) steep inflation driven by an exponential potential (p \to \infty) is allowed in the class 1 RS case. Spacetime noncommutativity can lead to blue-tilted scalar and tensor spectra even for monomial potentials, thus opening up a possibility to explain the loss of power observed in the cosmic microwave background anisotropies. We also explore patch inflation with a Dirac-Born-Infeld tachyon field and explicitly show that the associated likelihood analysis is equivalent to the one in the ordinary scalar field case by using horizon-flow parameters. It turns out that tachyon inflation is compatible with observations in all patch cosmologies even for large p.Comment: 16 pages, 11 figures; v2: updated references, minor corrections to match the Phys. Rev. D versio

A close-pair binary in a distant triple supermassive black-hole system

Galaxies are believed to evolve through merging, which should lead to multiple supermassive black holes in some. There are four known triple black hole systems, with the closest pair being 2.4 kiloparsecs apart (the third component is more distant at 3 kiloparsecs), which is far from the gravitational sphere of influence of a black hole with mass $\sim$10$^9$ M$_\odot$ (about 100 parsecs). Previous searches for compact black hole systems concluded that they were rare, with the tightest binary system having a separation of 7 parsecs. Here we report observations of a triple black hole system at redshift z=0.39, with the closest pair separated by $\sim$140 parsecs. The presence of the tight pair is imprinted onto the properties of the large-scale radio jets, as a rotationally-symmetric helical modulation, which provides a useful way to search for other tight pairs without needing extremely high resolution observations. As we found this tight pair after searching only six galaxies, we conclude that tight pairs are more common than hitherto believed, which is an important observational constraint for low-frequency gravitational wave experiments.Comment: 21 pages, 6 figures. Published online by Nature on 25 June 2014. Extremely minor differences with published version exis