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First Observational Tests of Eternal Inflation

Stephen M. Feeney, Matthew C. Johnson, Daniel J. Mortlock, and Hiranya V. Peiris
Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 071301 – Published 8 August 2011
Physics logo See Synopsis: Collisions on the sky

Abstract

The eternal inflation scenario predicts that our observable Universe resides inside a single bubble embedded in a vast inflating multiverse. We present the first observational tests of eternal inflation, performing a search for cosmological signatures of collisions with other bubble universes in cosmic microwave background data from the WMAP satellite. We conclude that the WMAP 7-year data do not warrant augmenting the cold dark matter model with a cosmological constant with bubble collisions, constraining the average number of detectable bubble collisions on the full sky N¯s<1.6 at 68% C.L. Data from the Planck satellite can be used to more definitively test the bubble-collision hypothesis.

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  • Received 27 December 2010

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.071301

© 2011 American Physical Society

Synopsis

Key Image

Collisions on the sky

Published 8 August 2011

Cosmic microwave background data have been combed for evidence of bubble universe collisions that might signal the existence of eternal inflation.

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Authors & Affiliations

Stephen M. Feeney1,*, Matthew C. Johnson2,3,†, Daniel J. Mortlock4,‡, and Hiranya V. Peiris1,5,§

  • 1Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
  • 2Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 2Y5, Canada
  • 3California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
  • 4Astrophysics Group, Imperial College London, Blackett Laboratory, Prince Consort Road, London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
  • 5Institute of Astronomy and Kavli Institute for Cosmology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HA, United Kingdom

  • *stephen.feeney.09@ucl.ac.uk
  • mjohnson@perimeterinstitute.ca
  • mortlock@ic.ac.uk
  • §h.peiris@ucl.ac.uk

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Issue

Vol. 107, Iss. 7 — 12 August 2011

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