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Published Online October 25, 2007
Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1148694

Reports

Submitted on August 2, 2007
Accepted on October 15, 2007

A Cosmic Microwave Background Feature Consistent with a Cosmic Texture

M. Cruz 1*, N. Turok 2, P. Vielva 3, E. Martínez-González 3, M. Hobson 4

1 IFCA, CSIC-Univ. de Cantabria, Avda. los Castros, s/n, 39005-Santander, Spain.; Dpto. de Física Moderna, Univ. de Cantabria, Avda. los Castros, s/n, 39005-Santander, Spain.
2 DAMTP, CMS, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge, CB3 0WA, UK.
3 IFCA, CSIC-Univ. de Cantabria, Avda. los Castros, s/n, 39005-Santander, Spain.
4 Astrophysics Group, Cavendish Laboratory, J. J. Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 OHE, UK.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
M. Cruz , E-mail: cruz{at}ifca.unican.es

The Cosmic Microwave Background provides our most ancient image of the universe and our best tool for studying its early evolution. Theories of high-energy physics predict the formation of various types of topological defects in the very early universe, including cosmic texture, which would generate hot and cold spots in the Cosmic Microwave Background. We show through a Bayesian statistical analysis that the most prominent, 5° radius cold spot observed in all-sky images, which is otherwise hard to explain, is compatible with having being caused by a texture. From this model, we constrain the fundamental symmetry breaking energy scale to be phi0 {approx} 8.7 x 1015 GeV. If confirmed, this detection of a cosmic defect will probe physics at energies exceeding any conceivable terrestrial experiment.




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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)