We investigate the accuracy attainable by forthcoming space-based observations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature and polarization anisotropy in constraining the dark energy density parameter ΩQ and equation of state wQ = pQ/ρQ. Despite degeneracies among parameters, it is possible for high precision observations such as those from MAP and Planck to provide interesting informa...

I use the most recent cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy measurements to constrain the leading cold dark matter models in the Ωm − ΩΛ plane. A narrow triangular region is preferred. This triangle is elongated in such a way that its intersection with even conservative versions of recent supernovae, cluster mass-to-light ratios and double radio source constraints, is small and provides ...

The breakdown of statistical homogeneity and isotropy of cosmic perturbations is a generic feature of ultra large scale structure of the cosmos, in particular, of non trivial cosmic topology. The statistical isotropy (SI) of the Cosmic Microwave Background temperature fluctuations (CMB anisotropy) is sensitive to this breakdown on the largest scales comparable to, and even beyond the cosmic hor...

The COBE satellite, and the DMR experiment in particular, was extraordinarily successful. However, the DMR results were announced more than 6 years ago, during which time a great deal more has been learned about anisotropies in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). We assess the current state of knowledge, and discuss where we might be going. The CMB experiments currently being designed and bu...

I use the most recent cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy measurements to constrain the leading cold dark matter models in the Ωm − ΩΛ plane. A narrow triangular region is preferred. This triangle is elongated in such a way that its intersection with even conservative versions of recent supernovae, cluster mass-to-light ratios and double radio source constraints, is small and provides ...

The temperature anisotropies and polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation provide a window back to the physics of the early universe. They encode the nature of the initial fluctuations and so can reveal much about the physical mechanism that led to their generation. In this contribution we review what we have learnt so far about early-universe physics from CMB observation...

The WMAP satellite has completed one year of measurements of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation using 20 differential high-electron-mobility-transistor (HEMT) based radiometers. All the radiometers are functioning nominally, and characterizations of the on-orbit radiometer performance are presented, with an emphasis on properties that are required for the production of sky maps fro...

We study a specific correlation in the spherical harmonic multipole domain for cosmic microwave background (CMB) analysis. This group of correlations between l 1⁄4 2n, where n 1⁄4 1; 2; : : : , is caused by a symmetric signal in the Galactic coordinate system. A phase filter targeting such correlation therefore helps remove the localized bright pointlike sources in the Galactic plane and the st...

Large scale structure deflects cosmic microwave background (CMB) photons. Since large angular scales in the large scale structure contribute significantly to the gravitational lensing effect, a realistic simulation of CMB lensing requires a sufficiently large sky area. We describe simulations that include these effects, and present both effective and multiple plane ray-tracing versions of the a...

We present preliminary results of an analysis into the effects of primordial voids on the cosmic microwave background (CMB). We show that an inflationary bubble model of void formation predicts excess power in the CMB angular power spectrum that peaks between 2000 < < 3000. Therefore, voids that exist on or close to the last scattering surface at the epoch of decoupling can contribute significa...