Constraining the Topology of the Universe

Abstract

The first year data from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe are used to place stringent constraints on the topology of the Universe. We search for pairs of circles on the sky with similar temperature patterns along each circle. We restrict the search to back-to-back circle pairs, and to nearly back-to-back circle pairs, as this covers the majority of the topologies that one might hope to detect in a nearly flat universe. We do not find any matched circles with radius greater than $25\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$. For a wide class of models, the nondetection rules out the possibility that we live in a universe with topology scale smaller than 24 Gpc.

Locations

• Physical Review Letters - View
• PubMed - View
• CERN Document Server (European Organization for Nuclear Research) - View - PDF
• DataCite API - View