Using several cosmological observations, i.e. the cosmic microwave background anisotropies (WMAP), the weak gravitational lensing (CFHTLS), the measurements of baryon acoustic oscillations (SDSS+WiggleZ), the most recent observational Hubble parameter data, the Union2.1 compilation of type Ia supernovae, and the HST prior, we impose constraints on the sum of neutrino masses ($\mnu$), the effective number of neutrino species ($\neff$) and dark energy equation of state ($w$), individually and collectively. We find that a tight upper limit on $\mnu$ can be extracted from the full data combination, if $\neff$ and $w$ are fixed. However this upper bound is severely weakened if $\neff$ and $w$ are allowed to vary. This result naturally raises questions on the robustness of previous strict upper bounds on $\mnu$, ever reported in the literature. The best-fit values from our most generalized constraint read $\mnu=0.556^{+0.231}_{-0.288}\rm eV$, $\neff=3.839\pm0.452$, and $w=-1.058\pm0.088$ at 68% confidence level, which shows a firm lower limit on total neutrino mass, favors an extra light degree of freedom, and supports the cosmological constant model. The current weak lensing data are already helpful in constraining cosmological model parameters for fixed $w$. The dataset of Hubble parameter gains numerous advantages over supernovae when $w=-1$, particularly its illuminating power in constraining $\neff$. As long as $w$ is included as a free parameter, it is still the standardizable candles of type Ia supernovae that play the most dominant role in the parameter constraints.
Magnetic fluctuations in a non-magnetized gaseous plasma is revisited and calculated without approximations, based on the fluctuation-dissipation theorem. It is argued that the present results are qualitative and quantitative different form previous one based on the same theorem. In particular, it is shown that it is not correct that the spectral intensity does not vary sensitively with $k_{cut}$. Also the simultaneous dependence of this intensity on the plasma and on the collisional frequencies are discussed.
We briefly discuss constraints on supersymmetric hybrid inflation models and examine the consistency of brane inflation models. We then address the implications for inflationary scenarios resulting from the strong constraints on the cosmic (super)string tension imposed from the most recent cosmic microwave background temperature anisotropies data.
Because of an old quasar APM 08279+5255 at $z=3.91$, some dark energy models face the challenge of the cosmic age problem. It has been shown by Wei and Zhang [Phys. Rev. D {\bf 76}, 063003 (2007)] that the holographic dark energy model is also troubled with such a cosmic age problem. In order to accommodate this old quasar and solve the age problem, we propose in this Letter to consider the interacting holographic dark energy in a non-flat universe. We show that the cosmic age problem can be eliminated when the interaction and spatial curvature are both involved in the holographic dark energy …
The delensing procedure is an effective tool for removing lensing-induced $B$-mode polarization in the Cosmic Microwave Background to allow for deep searches of primordial $B$-modes. However, the delensing algorithm existing in the literature breaks down if the target $B$-mode signals overlap significantly with the lensing $B$-mode ($\sim 300<l<2000$) in multipole-$l$ space. In this paper, we identify the cause of the breakdown to be correlations between the input $B$-map and the deflection field estimator ($EB$). The amplitude of this bias is quantified by numerical simulations and compared t…
We calculate the spectral distortions from Hawking evaporation of primordial black holes before the epoch of recombination, taking into account emission of all standard model particles, including quark and gluons, and evolving the resulting particle cascades in the expanding Universe. We show that the constraints on the abundance of primordial black holes are stronger by more than an order of magnitude compared to the previous calculations which take only the primary photon emission into account. We also show that the shapes of the spectral distortions is different from the $y$ or $i$-type dis…
The reported association of high-energy neutrino event IceCube-170922A and blazar TXS 0506+056 has sparkled discussion about blazars as sources of cosmic neutrinos. In this paper, we use publicly released IceCube data and blazar locations from Roma-BzCat to test spacial correlation between neutrino events and blazar locations. We also scrutinize the correlation between $γ$-ray flux and neutrino flux of blazars by applying a temporal filter onto the data based on Fermi monitored source list. We find no compelling evidence to prove blazars as the main source of cosmic neutrinos, as known before …
We investigate the nonlinear evolution of cosmic morphologies of the large-scale structure by examining the Lagrangian dynamics of various tensors of a cosmic fluid element, including the velocity gradient tensor, the Hessian matrix of the gravitational potential as well as the deformation tensor. Instead of the eigenvalue representation, the first two tensors, which associate with the "kinematic" and "dynamical" cosmic web classification algorithm respectively, are studied in a more convenient parameter space. These parameters are defined as the rotational invariant coefficients of the charac…
We present a translation and analysis of a cosmic model published by Einstein in 1931. The paper, which is not widely known, features a model of a universe that undergoes an expansion followed by a contraction, quite different to his static model of 1917 or the monotonic Einstein-de Sitter model of 1932. The paper offers many insights into the cosmology of Albert Einstein in the light of the first evidence for an expanding universe, and we discuss his views of issues such as the curvature of space, the cosmological constant, the singularity and the timespan of the expansion. We argue that retr…
We investigate the impact of astrophysical systematics on cosmic shear cosmological parameter constraints from the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Lensing Survey (CFHTLenS), and the concordance with cosmic microwave background measurements by Planck. We present updated CFHTLenS cosmic shear tomography measurements extended to degree scales using a covariance calibrated by a new suite of N-body simulations. We analyze these measurements with a new model fitting pipeline, accounting for key systematic uncertainties arising from intrinsic galaxy alignments, baryonic effects in the nonlinear matter…
We reconsider an inflationary model that inflaton field is non-minimally coupled to gravity. We study parameter space of the model up to the second ( and in some cases third ) order of the slow-roll parameters. We calculate inflation parameters in both Jordan and Einstein frames and the results are compared in these two frames and also with observations. Using the recent observational data from combined WMAP5+SDSS+SNIa datasets, we study constraint imposed on our model parameters especially the nonminimal coupling $ξ$.
This paper is aimed at setting observational limits to the number of cosmic strings (Nambu-Goto, Abelian-Higgs, semilocal) and other topological defects (textures). Radio maps of CMB anisotropy, provided by the space mission Planck for various frequencies, were filtered and then processed by the method of convolution with modified Haar functions (MHF) to search for cosmic string candidates. This method was designed to search for solitary strings, without additional assumptions about the presence of networks of such objects. The sensitivity of the MHF method is $δT \approx 10 μK$ in a backgroun…
HD dominates the cooling of primordial clouds with enhanced ionization, e.g. shock-heated clouds in structure formation or supernova remnants, relic HII regions of Pop III stars, and clouds with cosmic-ray (CR) irradiation. There, the temperature decreases to several 10 K and the characteristic stellar mass decreases to $\sim 10\ {\rm M}_{\odot}$, in contrast with first stars formed from undisturbed pristine clouds ($\sim 100\ {\rm M}_{\odot}$). However, without CR irradiation, even weak far ultra-violet (FUV) irradiation suppresses HD formation/cooling. Here, we examine conditions for HD cool…
Radio observations prove the existence of relativistic particles and magnetic field associated with the intra-cluster-medium (ICM) through the presence of extended synchrotron emission in the form of radio halos and peripheral relics. This observational evidence has fundamental implications on the physics of the ICM. Non-thermal components in galaxy clusters are indeed unique probes of very energetic processes operating within clusters that drain gravitational and electromagnetic energy into cosmic rays and magnetic fields. These components strongly affect the (micro-)physical properties of th…
We review the well-known Peebles-Vilenkin (PV) quintessential inflation model and discuss its possible improvements in agreement with the recent observations. The improved PV model depends only on two parameters: the inflaton mass $m$, and another smaller mass $M$; where the latter has to be chosen in order to undertake that, at present time, the dark energy density of the universe is approximately about 70\% of the total energy budget of the universe. The value of the inflaton mass $m$ is calculated using the observational value of the power spectrum of the scalar perturbations, and the value…
By integration of generalized BSBM and Brans-Dicke cosmological models, in this article, we investigate the theoretical framework of fine structure constant variation and current cosmic acceleration. We first develop a mathematical formalism to analyse the stability of the model. By employing observational data to constrain the model parameters, phase space is performed and the attractor solutions of the model are detected. We then examine the model against observational data such as observational Hubble parameter dataset and quasar absorption spectra. The results confirms current universe acc…
The abundance of dark matter satellites and subhalos, the existence of density cusps at the centers of dark matter halos, and problems producing realistic disk galaxies in simulations are issues that have raised concerns about the viability of the standard cold dark matter (LambdaCDM) scenario for galaxy formation. This article reviews these issues, and considers the implications for cold vs. various varieties of warm dark matter (WDM). The current evidence appears to be consistent with standard LambdaCDM, although improving data may point toward a rather tepid version of LambdaWDM -- tepid si…
Bird, et. al. and Sasaki, et. al. have recently proposed the intriguing possibility that the black holes detected by LIGO could be all or part of the cosmological dark matter. This offers an alternative to WIMPs and axions, where dark matter could be comprised solely of Standard Model particles. The mass range lies within an observationally viable window and the predicted merger rate can be tested by future LIGO observations. In this paper, we argue that non-thermal histories favor production of black holes near this mass range -- with heavier ones unlikely to form in the early universe and li…
We study the validity of cosmic distance duality relation between angular diameter and luminosity distances. To test this duality relation we use the latest Union2 Supernovae Type Ia (SNe Ia) data for estimating the luminosity distance. The estimation of angular diameter distance comes from the samples of galaxy clusters (real and mock) and FRIIb radio galaxies. We parameterize the distance duality relation as a function of redshift in six different ways. Our results rule out some of the parameterizations significantly.
We constrain the cosmological density of cosmic string loops using two observational signatures -- gravitational microlensing and the Kaiser-Stebbins effect. Photometry from RXTE and CoRoT space missions and pulsar timing from Parkes Pulsar Timing Array, Arecibo and Green Bank radio telescopes allow us to probe cosmic strings in a wide range of tensions $Gμ/c^2=10^{-16}\div10^{-10}$. We find that pulsar timing data provide the most stringent constraints on the abundance of light strings at the level $Ω_s \sim 10^{-3}$. Future observational facilities such as the Square Kilometer Array will all…
Cosmic strings are predicted in many models beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. In models which admit strings, a network of strings will inevitably be formed in a phase transition in the early universe and will persist to the present time. Strings leave behind distinctive features in cosmology. Searching for these signatures in new observational windows provides a way to constrain particle physics at the high energy scale and is thus complementary to searches for new physics at the low energy end, for example at the LHC. Specifically, I will discuss signatures of cosmic strings in c…
The high-redshift gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), GRBs 080913 and 090423, challenge the conventional GRB progenitor models by their short durations, typical for short GRBs, and their high energy releases, typical for long GRBs. Meanwhile, the GRB rate inferred from high-redshift GRBs also remarkably exceeds the prediction of the collapsar model, with an ordinary star formation history. We show that all these contradictions could be eliminated naturally, if we ascribe some high-redshift GRBs to electromagnetic bursts of superconducting cosmic strings. High-redshift GRBs could become a reasonable way t…
In this paper, we consider a simple form of expansion history of Universe referred to as the hybrid expansion law - a product of power-law and exponential type of functions. The ansatz by construction mimics the power-law and de Sitter cosmologies as special cases but also provides an elegant description of the transition from deceleration to cosmic acceleration. We point out the Brans-Dicke realization of the cosmic history under consideration. We construct potentials for quintessence, phantom and tachyon fields, which can give rise to the hybrid expansion law in general relativity. We invest…
We account for particle emission and gravitational radiation from cosmic string loops to determine their effect on the loop distribution and observational signatures of strings. The effect of particle emission is that the number density of loops no longer scales. This results in a high frequency cutoff on the stochastic gravitational wave background, but we show that the expected cutoff is outside the range of current and planned detectors. Particle emission from string loops also produces a diffuse gamma ray background that is sensitive to the presence of kinks and cusps on the loops. However…
Primordial magnetic fields (PMFs) create a large squeezed-type non-Gaussianity in tensor perturbation, which generates non-Gaussian temperature fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background (CMB). We for the first time derive an observational constraint on such a tensor non-Gaussianity from observed CMB maps. Analyzing temperature maps of the WMAP 7-year data, we find that such a tensor non-Gaussianity is consistent with zero. This gives an upper bound on PMF strength smoothed on $1 ~ {\rm Mpc}$ as $B_{1 ~ \rm Mpc} < 3.1 ~{\rm nG}$ at $95%$ C.L.
We investigate the dynamical behaviour of a general class of interacting models in the dark sector in which the phenomenological coupling between cold dark matter and dark energy is a power law of the cosmic scale factor. From numerical simulations we show that, in this background, dark energy always dominates the current composition cosmic. This behaviour may alleviate substantially the coincidence problem. By using current type Ia supernovae, baryonic acoustic oscillations and cosmic microwave background data, we perform a joint statistical analysis and obtain constraints on free parameters …
We employ the hemisphere comparison (HC) method and the dipole fitting (DF) method to investigate the cosmic anisotropy in the recently released Pantheon sample of type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) and five combinations among Pantheon. For the HC method, we find the maximum anisotropy level in the full Pantheon sample is $\mathrm{AL}_{max}=0.361\pm0.070$ and corresponding direction $(l,b)=({123.05^{\circ}}^{+11.25^{\circ}}_{-4.22^{\circ}}, {4.78^{\circ}}^{+1.80^{\circ}}_{-8.36^{\circ}})$. A robust check shows the statistical significance of maximum anisotropy level is about $2.1σ$. We also find that…
The consideration of the holographic dark energy approach and matter creation effects in a single cosmological model is carried out in this work accordingly, we discuss some cases of interest. We test this cosmological proposal against recent observations. Considering the best fit values obtained for the free cosmological parameters, the model exhibits a transition from a decelerated cosmic expansion to an accelerated one. The deceleration-acceleration transition can not be determined consistently from the coincidence parameter for this kind of model. At effective level the parameter state ass…
We obtain the general cosmological evolution equations for a classically consistent theory of bimetric gravity. Their analytic solutions are demonstrated to generically allow for a cosmic evolution starting out from a matter dominated FLRW universe while relaxing towards a de Sitter (anti-de Sitter) phase at late cosmic time. In particular, we examine a subclass of models which contain solutions that are able to reproduce the expansion history of the cosmic concordance model inspite of the nonlinear couplings of the two metrics. This is demonstrated explicitly by fitting these models to observ…
We study the cosmic expansion history by reconstructing the deceleration parameter $q(z)$ from the SDSS-II type Ia supernova sample (SNIa) with two different light curve fits (MLCS2k2 and SALT-II), the baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) distance ratio, the cosmic microwave background (CMB) shift parameter, and the lookback time-redshift (LT) from the age of old passive galaxies. Three parametrization forms for the equation of state of dark energy (CPL, JBP, and UIS) are considered. Our results show that, for the CPL and the UIS forms, MLCS2k2 SDSS-II SNIa+BAO+CMB and MLCS2k2 SDSS-II SNIa+BAO+CM…
We investigate the linear growth function for the large scale structures of the universe considering modified Chaplygin gas as dark energy. Taking into account observational growth data for a given range of redshift from the Wiggle-Z measurements and rms mass fluctuations from Ly-$α$ measurements we numerically analyze cosmological models to constrain the parameters of the MCG. The observational data of Hubble parameter with redshift ($Z$) is also considered. The Wang-Steinhardt ansatz for growth index $γ$ and growth function $f$ (defined as $f=Ω_{m}^γ (a)$) are considered for the numerical an…
In this paper, linear first order expansion of deceleration parameter $q(z)=q_0+q_1(1-a)$ ($M_1$), constant jerk $j=j_0$ ($M_2$) and third order expansion of luminosity distance ($M_3$) are confronted with cosmic observations: SCP 307 SN Ia, BAO and observational Hubble data (OHD). Likelihood is implemented to find the best fit model parameters. All these models give the same prediction of the evolution of the universe which is undergoing accelerated expansion currently and experiences a transition from decelerated expansion to accelerated expansion. But, the transition redshift depends on the…
We present an overview of future observational facilities that will significantly enhance our understanding of the fundamental nature of dark matter. These facilities span a range of observational techniques including optical/near-infrared imaging and spectroscopy, measurements of the cosmic microwave background, pulsar timing, 21-cm observations of neutral hydrogen at high redshift, and the measurement of gravitational waves. Such facilities are a critical component of a multi-pronged experimental program to uncover the nature of dark matter, while often providing complementary measurements o…
Late-time cosmic acceleration is one of the most interesting unsolved puzzles in modern cosmology. The explanation most accepted nowadays, dark energy, raises questions about its own nature, e.g. what exactly is dark energy, and implications to the observations, e.g. how to handle fine tuning problem and coincidence problem. Hence, dark energy evolution through cosmic history, together with its equation of state, are subjects of research in many current experiments. In this dissertation, using Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling, we try to constrain the evolution of the dark energy equation of s…
It is necessary to make assumptions in order to derive models to be used for cosmological predictions and comparison with observational data. In particular, in standard cosmology the spatial curvature is assumed to be constant and zero (or at least very small). But there is, as yet, no fully independent constraint with an appropriate accuracy that gaurentees a value for the magnitude of the effective normalized spatial curvature $Ω_{k}$ of less than approximately $0.01$. Moreover, a small non-zero measurement of $Ω_{k}$ at such a level perhaps indicates that the assumptions in the standard mod…
First Observational Evidence for Split Infall Flow of Cosmic Filaments into Clusters
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院大学）；Department of Astronomy, School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University（上海交通大学物理与天文学院天文学系）；Tsung-Dao Lee Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University（上海交通大学李政道研究所）
The observational status of inflation after the Planck 2013 and 2015 results and the BICEP2/Keck Array and Planck joint analysis is discussed. These pedagogical lecture notes are intended to serve as a technical guide filling the gap between the theoretical articles on inflation and the experimental works on astrophysical and cosmological data. After a short discussion of the central tenets at the basis of inflation (negative self-gravitating pressure) and its experimental verifications, it reviews how the most recent Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) anisotropy measurements constrain cosmic i…
We present the first cosmological simulations of primordial magnetic fields derived from the constraints by the Cosmic Microwave Background observations, based on the fields' gravitational effect on cosmological perturbations. We evolved different primordial magnetic field models with the {\enzo} code and compared their observable signatures (and relative differences) in galaxy clusters, filaments and voids. The differences in synchrotron radio powers and Faraday Rotation measure from galaxy clusters are generally too small to be detected, whereas differences present in filaments will be testa…
Closing the Observational Gap in Cosmic Dynamics: AI-Enabled Reconstruction of the Universe's Vorticity and Rotational Flow Morphology
School of Physics and Astronomy, Sun Yat-Sen University（中山大学物理学院）；Purple Mountain Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院紫金山天文台）；School of Astronomy and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China（中国科学技术大学天文与空间科学学院）；South-Western Institute for Astronomy Research, Yunnan University（云南大学西南天文研究所）；Korea Institute of Advanced Studies (KIAS)（韩国高等科学研究院）；Institute for Astronomy, University of Edinburgh（爱丁堡大学天体物理研究所）；Peng Cheng Laboratory（鹏城实验室）；Institute for Astronomy, The school of Physics, Zhejiang University（浙江大学物理学院天体物理研究所）；Center for Cosmology and Computational Astrophysics, Zhejiang University（浙江大学宇宙学与计算天体物理学中心）；CSST Science Center for the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macau Greater Bay Area, SYSU（中山大学粤港澳大湾区嫦娥科学中心）
We compare the results from several sets of cosmological simulations of cosmic reionization, produced under Cosmic Reionization On Computers (CROC) project, with existing observational data on the high-redshift Ly-alpha forest and the abundance of Ly-alpha emitters. We find good consistency with the observational measurements and the previous simulation work. By virtue of having several independent realizations for each set of numerical parameters, we are able to explore the effect of cosmic variance on observable quantities. One unexpected conclusion we are forced into is that cosmic variance…
We revisit inflation with non-canonical scalar fields by applying deformed-steepness exponential potentials. We show that the resulting scenario can lead to inflationary observables, and in particular to scalar spectral index and tensor-to-scalar ratio, in remarkable agreement with observations. Additionally, a significant advantage of the scenario is that the required parameter values, such as the non-canonicality exponent and scale, as well as the potential exponent and scale, do not need to acquire unnatural values and hence can accept a theoretical justification. Hence, we obtain a signifi…
We measure the angular two-point correlation and angular power spectrum from the NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS) of radio galaxies. They are found to be consistent with the best-fit cosmological model from the Planck analysis, and with the redshift distribution obtained from the Combined EIS-NVSS Survey Of Radio Sources (CENSORS). Our analysis is based on an optimal estimation of the two-point correlation function and makes use of a new mask, that takes into account direction dependent effects of the observations, sidelobe effects of bright sources and galactic foreground. We also set a flux thresh…
We use the recently released cosmic chronometer data and the latest measured value of the local Hubble parameter, combined with the latest joint light curves of Supernovae Type Ia, and Baryon Acoustic Oscillation distance measurements, in order to impose constraints on the viable and most used $f(R)$ gravity models. We consider four $f(R)$ models, namely the Hu-Sawicki, the Starobinsky, the Tsujikawa, and the exponential one, and we parametrize them introducing a distortion parameter $b$ that quantifies the deviation from $Λ$CDM cosmology. Our analysis reveals that a small but non-zero deviati…
We revisit the possibility of light scalar dark matter, in the MeV to GeV mass bracket and coupled to electrons through fermion or vector mediators, in light of significant experimental and observational advances that probe new physics below the GeV-scale. We establish new limits from electron colliders and fixed-target beams, and derive the strength of loop-induced processes that are probed by precision physics, among other laboratory probes. In addition, we compute the cooling bound from SN1987A, consider self-scattering, structure formation, and cosmological constraints as well as the limit…
Directly comparing the 6 expansion rate measured by type Ia supernovae data and the lower bound on the expansion rate set by the strong energy conditions or the null hypothesis that there never exists cosmic acceleration, we see $3σ$ direct evidence of cosmic acceleration and the $Rh=ct$ model is strongly excluded by the type Ia supernovae data. We also use Gaussian process method to reconstruct the expansion rate and the deceleration parameter from the 31 cosmic chronometers data and the 6 data points on the expansion rate measured from type Ia supernoave data, the direct evidence of cosmic a…
The latest result in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Quasar Lens Search (SQLS) has set the first cosmological constraints on negative-mass compact objects and Ellis wormholes. There are no multiple images lensed by the above two exotic objects for $\sim 50000$ distant quasars in the SQLS data. Therefore, an upper bound is put on the cosmic abundances of these lenses. The number density of negative mass compact objects is $n<10^{-8} (10^{-4}) h^3 {\rm Mpc}^{-3}$ at the mass scale $|M| > 10^{15} (10^{12}) M_\odot$, which corresponds to the cosmological density parameter $|Ω| < 10^{-4}$ at the galax…
We investigate the recent - low redshift - expansion history of the universe using the most recent observational data. Using only data from 42 measurements of $f_{gas}$ in clusters, we found that cosmic acceleration could have already peaked and we are witnessing now its slowing down. This effect, found previously by Shafieloo, Sahni and Starobinsky in 2010 using supernova data (at that time the Constitution SNIa sample) appears again using an independent observational probe. We also discuss the result using the most recent Union 2.1 data set.
The universe goes through several phase transitions during its formative stages. Cosmic reionization is the last of them, where ultraviolet and X-ray radiation escape from the first generations of galaxies heating and ionizing their surroundings and subsequently the entire intergalactic medium. There is strong observational evidence that cosmic reionization ended approximately one billion years after the Big Bang, but there are still uncertainties that will be clarified with upcoming optical, infrared, and radio facilities in the next decade. This article gives an introduction to the theoretic…
We use the local value of the Hubble constant recently measured with 2.4% precision, as well as the latest compilation of cosmic chronometers data, together with standard probes such as Supernovae Type Ia and Baryon Acoustic Oscillation distance measurements, in order to impose constraints on the viable and most used f(T) gravity models, where T is the torsion scalar in teleparallel gravity. In particular, we consider three f(T) models with two parameters, out of which one is independent, and we quantify their deviation from $Λ$CDM cosmology through a sole parameter. Our analysis reveals that …
In this work, we consider a network of cosmic strings to explain possible deviation from ΛCDM behaviour. We use different observational data to constrain the model and show that a small but non zero contribution from the string network is allowed by the observational data which can result in a reasonable departure from ΛCDM evolution. But by calculating the Bayesian Evidence, we show that the present data still strongly favour the concordance ΛCDM model irrespective of the choice of the prior.
