Imprints of a Priomordial Preferred Direction on the Microwave Background

Mark Wise

Caltech

Abstract:

The possibility that rotational invariance is broken by a small amount during the inflationary era (but restored after) is explored. A violation of rotational invariance during inflation induces a characteristic change in the microwave background anisotropy. This change is parametrized by just three quantities; a strength parameter and two angles specifying a direction in the sky. An inflationary model is constructed that supports this picture. (For reference see astro-ph/0701357)