H. K. Eriksen et al 2007 ApJ 660 L81 doi:10.1086/518091
H. K. Eriksen1,2,3,4, A. J. Banday5, K. M. Górski3,4,6, F. K. Hansen1,2 and P. B. Lilje1,2
Show affiliationsWe consider the issue of hemispherical power asymmetry in the third-year WMAP data, adopting a previously introduced modulation framework. Computing both frequentist probabilities and Bayesian evidences, we find that the model consisting of an isotropic CMB sky modulated by a dipole field gives a substantially better fit to the observations than the purely isotropic model, even when accounting for the larger prior volume. For the ILC map, the Bayesian log-evidence difference is ~1.8 in favor of the modulated model, and the raw improvement in maximum log likelihood is 6.1. The best-fit modulation dipole axis points toward (l, b) = (225°, -27°), and the modulation amplitude is 0.114, in excellent agreement with the results from the first-year analyses. The frequentist probability of obtaining such a high modulation amplitude in an isotropic universe is ~1%. These results are not sensitive to data set or sky cut. Thus, the statistical evidence for a power asymmetry anomaly is both substantial and robust, although not decisive, for the currently available data. Increased sky coverage through better foreground handling and full-sky and high-sensitivity polarization maps may shed further light on this issue.
cosmic microwave background; cosmology: observations; methods: statistical
Issue 2 (2007 May 10)
Received 2007 January 4, accepted for publication 2007 March 14
Published 2007 April 10
H. K. Eriksen et al 2007 ApJ 660 L81
Karl Schoenbach et al 2008 Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 17 024010
Yuichi Togashi and Kunihiko Kaneko 2007 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 19 065150
Charles R Doering et al 2007 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 19 065145
Uwe C Täuber et al 2005 J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 38 R79
Koji Hashimoto JHEP04(2000)023
C Andreani et al 2006 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 18 5587
D Nemirovsky et al 1999 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 11 6653
Tom G Mackay et al 2005 New J. Phys. 7 171
Chris Jones et al 2009 IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci. 6 062017