Is the Low CMB Quadrupole a Signature of Spatial Curvature?

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  • 6 March 2003
Abstract
The temperature anisotropy power spectrum measured with the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) at high multipoles is in spectacular agreement with an inflationary Lambda-dominated cold dark matter cosmology. However, the low order multipoles (especially the quadrupole) have lower amplitudes than expected from this cosmology, indicating a need for new physics. Here we speculate that the low quadrupole amplitude is associated with spatial curvature. We show that positively curved models are consistent with the WMAP data and that the quadrupole amplitude can be reproduced if the primordial spectrum truncates on scales comparable to the curvature scale.

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