$Π$ in the Sky ? Microwave Anisotropies from Cosmic Defects
ArXiv hep-ph/9310322 (1993)
Authors:
David Coulson, Pedro Ferreira, Paul Graham, Neil Turok
Abstract:
High resolution maps of the anisotropy of the microwave sky will yield
invaluable clues as to the mechanisms involved in cosmic structure formation.
One fundamental question they should answer is whether the fluctuations were
Gaussian random noise, as predicted in inflationary models, or were nonGaussian
as in theories based on symmetry breaking and cosmic defects. In the latter
case there is the prospect of obtaining information regarding symmetry breaking
at high energy scales, specifically the homotopy classes $\Pi_n$ of the vacuum
manifold. In this paper we report on detailed calculations of the degree scale
anisotropies predicted in the cosmic string, monopole texture and
nontopological texture theories of structure formation, emphasising their
distinct character from those predicted by inflation, and the bright prospects
for experimental tests.
