In this work we effectively calculated the two-dimensional Minkowski functionals for cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature maps generated by single field models of inflation with a standard kinetic term. We started with calculation of the bispectrum of initial perturbations and then calculated the two-dimensional configuration space cubic moments for temperature fluctuations. These cubic moments give rise to first order non-Gaussian correction terms to the Minkowski functionals. Thus, we developed a robust mechanism to predict the amount of non-Gaussianity generated by inflation in the CMB temperature maps using Minkowski functionals.
In this paper we present a simple, toy model of single field inflation in which the standard non-Gaussianity consistency condition is violated. In this model the curvature perturbations on super-horizon scales are not conserved and the decaying modes of perturbations are not negligible in the non-atractor phase. As a result a large local non-Gaussianity can be obtained in the squeezed limit which violates the standard non-Gaussianity consistency condition for the single field models.
The Hamilton-Jacobi (HJ) approach for exploring inflationary trajectories is employed in the generation of generalised inflationary non-Gaussian signals arising from single field inflation. Scale dependent solutions for $f_{NL}$ are determined via the numerical integration of the three--point function in the curvature perturbation. This allows the full exploration of single field inflationary dynamics in the out-of-slow-roll regime and opens up the possibility of using future observations of non-Gaussianity to constraint the inflationary potential using model-independent methods. The distribut…
The observed hemispherical asymmetry in CMB map can be explained by modulation from a long wavelength super horizon mode which non-linearly couples to the CMB modes. We address the criticism in [1] about the role of non-Gaussianities in squeezed and equilateral configurations in generating hemispherical asymmetry from the long mode modulation. We stress that the modulation is sensitive to the non-Gaussianity in the squeezed limit. In addition, we demonstrate the validity of our approach in providing a consistency condition relating the amplitude of dipole asymmetry to f_{NL} in the squeezed li…
We have calculated the third order moments of scalar curvature perturbations in configuration space for different inflationary models. We developed a robust numerical technique to compute the bispectrum for different models that have some features in the inflationary potential. From the bispectrum we evaluated moments analytically in the slow roll regime while we devised a numerical mechanism to calculated these moments for non slow roll single field inflationary models with standard kinetic term that are minimally coupled to gravity. With help of these third order moments one can directly pre…
Primordial non-Gaussianity generated in an inflationary model where inflation is preceded by a radiation era is discussed. It is shown that both bispectrum and trispectrum non-Gaussianities are enhanced due to the presence of pre-inflationary radiation era. One distinguishing feature of such a scenario is that the trispectrum non-Gaussianity is larger than the bispectrum one.
We introduce an alternative parametrisation for the scale dependence of the non-linearity parameter $f_{\rm NL}$ in quasi-local models of non-Gaussianity. Our parametrisation remains valid when $f_{\rm NL}$ changes sign, unlike the commonly adopted power law ansatz $f_{\rm NL}(k) \propto k^{ n_{f_{\rm NL}} }$. We motivate our alternative parametrisation by appealing to the self-interacting curvaton scenario, and as an application, we apply it to the CMB power asymmetry. Explaining the power asymmetry requires a strongly scale dependent non-Gaussianity. We show that regimes of model parameter s…
Single field inflationary models predict nearly Gaussian initial conditions and hence a detection of non-Gaussianity would be a signature of the more complex inflationary scenarios. In this paper we study the effect on the cosmic microwave background and on large scale structure from primordial non-Gaussianity in a two-field inflationary model in which both the inflaton and curvaton contribute to the density perturbations. We show that in addition to the previously described enhancement of the galaxy bias on large scales, this setup results in large-scale stochasticity. We provide joint constr…
A detection of the level of non-Gaussianity in the CMB data is essential to discriminate among inflationary models and also to test alternative primordial scenarios. However, the extraction of primordial non-Gaussianity is a difficult endeavor since several effects of non-primordial nature can produce non-Gaussianity. On the other hand, different statistical tools can in principle provide information about distinct forms of non-Gaussianity. Thus, any single statistical estimator cannot be sensitive to all possible forms of non-Gaussianity. In this context, to shed some light in the potential s…
[Abridged]: A detection or nondetection of primordial non-Gaussianity by using the CMB data is crucial not only to discriminate inflationary models but also to test alternative scenarios. Non-Gaussianity offers, therefore, a powerful probe of the physics of the primordial universe. The extraction of primordial non-Gaussianity is a difficult enterprise since several effects of non-primordial nature can produce non-Gaussianity. Most of the Gaussianity analyses of CMB data have been performed by using part-sky frequency, where masks are used to deal with the galactic diffuse foreground emission. …
A detection or nondetection of primordial non-Gaussianity in the CMB data is essential not only to test alternative models of the physics of the early universe but also to discriminate among classes of inflationary models. Given this far reaching consequences of such a non-Gaussianity detection for our understanding of the physics of the early universe, it is important to employ alternative indicators in order to have further information about the Gaussianity features of CMB that may be helpful for identifying their origins. In this way, a considerable effort has recently gone into the design …
A detection or nondetection of primordial non-Gaussianity by using the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) offers a way of discriminating inflationary scenarios and testing alternative models of the early universe. This has motivated the considerable effort that has recently gone into the study of theoretical features of primordial non-Gaussianity and its detection in CMB data. Among such attempts to detect non-Gaussianity, there is a procedure that is based upon two indicators constructed from the skewness and kurtosis of large-angle patches of CMB maps, which have been proposed and u…
We study the effects of non-trivial initial quantum states for inflationary fluctuations within the context of the effective field theory for inflation constructed by Cheung et al. which allows us to discriminate between different initial states in a model-independent way. We develop a Green's function/path integral based formulation that incorporates initial state effects and use it to address questions such as how state-dependent is the consistency relation for the bispectrum, how many e-folds beyond the minimum required to solve the cosmological fine tunings of the big bang are we allowed s…
We study squeezed limit $f_{NL}$ generation by excited initial inflationary states in a model independent way. We restrict "excited" to mean a Bogoliubov transformation of the Bunch Davies state. We simultaneously impose the constraints that the observable power spectrum is nearly scale invariant over at least three decades and that the observable modes today be subhorizon at the beginning of inflation while not causing significant backreaction. We show that most excited initial inflationary states for single field inflationary models with negligible superhorizon evolution do not produce an ob…
We study the non-Gaussianity generated during multiple-field inflation. We provide an exact expression for the bispectrum parameter f_NL which is valid beyond the slow-roll regime, valid for certain classes of inflationary models. We then study a new, exact multi-field inflationary model considering a case where the bispectrum grows to observable values at the end of inflation. We show that in this case the trispectrum is also large and may even provide the dominant signal of non-Gaussianity.
The detection of non-Gaussianity in the CMB data would rule out a number of inflationary models. A null detection of non-Gaussianity, instead, would exclude alternative models for the early universe. Thus, a detection or non-detection of primordial non-Gaussianity in the CMB data is crucial to discriminate among inflationary models, and to test alternative scenarios. However, there are various non-cosmological sources of non-Gaussianity. This makes important to employ different indicators in order to detect distinct forms of non-Gaussianity in CMB data. Recently, we proposed two new indicators…
In this paper we provide a prescription for obtaining a small non-Gaussianity and the observed dipole asymmetry in the cosmic microwave background radiation. The observations inevitably lead to multi-field inflationary dynamics, where each field can create positive or negative large non-Gaussianity, resulting a fine cancellation but with an observable imprint on the hemispherical asymmetry. We discuss this possibility within a simple slow-roll scenario and find that it is hard to explain the observed dipole asymmetry. We briefly discuss some speculative scenarios where one can explain dipole a…
We consider the description of the clustering of halos for physically-motivated types of non-Gaussian initial conditions. In particular we include non-Gaussianity of the type arising from single field slow-roll, multi fields, curvaton (local type), higher-order derivative-type (equilateral), vacuum-state modifications (enfolded-type) and horizon-scale GR corrections type. We show that large-scale halo bias is a very sensitive tool to probe non-Gaussianity, potentially leading, for some planned surveys, to a detection of non-Gaussianity arising from horizon-scale GR corrections. In tandem with …
[Abridged] In recent works we have proposed two new large-angle non-Gaussianity indicators based on skewness and kurtosis of patches of CMB sky-sphere, and used them to find out significant deviation from Gaussianity in frequency bands and foreground-reduced CMB maps. Simulated CMB maps with assigned type and amplitude of primordial non-Gaussianity are important tools to determine the strength, sensitivity and limitations of non-Gaussian estimators. Here we investigate whether and to what extent our non-Gaussian indicators have sensitivity to detect non-Gaussianity of local type, particularly …
A detection or non detection of primordial non--Gaussianity (NG) by using the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) is a possible way to break the degeneracy of early universe models. Since a single statistical estimator hardly can be sensitive to all possible forms of NG which may be present in the data, it is important to use different statistical estimators to study NG in CMB. Recently, two new large-angle NG indicators based on skewness and kurtosis of spherical caps or spherical cells of CMB sky have been proposed and used in both CMB data and simulated maps. Here, we make a compara…
The skew-spectrum statistic introduced by Munshi & Heavens (2010) has recently been used in studies of non-Gaussianity from diverse cosmological data sets including the detection of primary and secondary non-Gaussianity of Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation. Extending previous work, focussed on independent estimation, here we deal with the question of joint estimation of multiple skew-spectra from the same or correlated data sets. We consider the optimum skew-spectra for various models of primordial non-Gaussianity as well as secondary bispectra that originate from the cross-correlati…
The generation of large-scale magnetic fields in inflationary cosmology is explored, in particular, in a kind of moduli inflation motivated by racetrack inflation in the context of the Type IIB string theory. In this model, the conformal invariance of the hypercharge electromagnetic fields is broken thanks to the coupling of both the scalar and pseudoscalar fields to the hypercharge electromagnetic fields. The following three cosmological observable quantities are first evaluated: The current magnetic field strength on the Hubble horizon scale, which is much smaller than the upper limit from t…
We calculate the scale dependence of the bispectrum and trispectrum in (quasi) local models of non-Gaussian primordial density perturbations, and characterize this scale dependence in terms of new observable parameters. They can help to discriminate between models of inflation, since they are sensitive to properties of the inflationary physics that are not probed by the standard observables. We find consistency relations between these parameters in certain classes of models. We apply our results to a scenario of modulated reheating, showing that the scale dependence of non-Gaussianity can be s…
We analyze statistical properties of the separate multipole moments of the CMB temperature maps and find that the distribution tails are slightly non-Gaussian. Moreover, the deviation from Gaussianity peaks sharply at around $l\sim45\pm10$. If the detected non-Gaussianities should be attributed to the remaining foreground contamination from the galactic plane, an appearance of a similar peak in different frequency bands is unexpected. The presence of the peak was also confirmed by the analysis of weighted multipoles which is less susceptible to the galactic noise. A separate analysis of the mu…
Local non-Gaussianity causes correlations between large scale perturbation modes and the small scale power. The large-scale CMB signal has contributions from the integrated Sachs Wolfe (ISW) effect, which does not correlate with the small scale power. If this ISW contribution can be removed, the sensitivity to local non-Gaussianity is improved. Gravitational lensing and galaxy counts can be used to trace the ISW contribution; in particular we show that the CMB lensing potential is highly correlated with the ISW signal. We construct a nearly-optimal estimator for the local non-Gaussianity param…
We propose a "feature-scattering" mechanism to explain the cosmic microwave background cold spot seen from WMAP and Planck maps. If there are hidden features in the potential of multi-field inflation, the inflationary trajectory can be scattered by such features. The scattering is controlled by the amount of isocurvature fluctuations, and thus can be considered as a mechanism to convert isocurvature fluctuations into curvature fluctuations. This mechanism predicts localized cold spots (instead of hot ones) on the CMB. In addition, it may also bridge a connection between the cold spot and a dip…
The cosmic microwave background radiation is supposed to be Gaussian and this hypothesis is in good agreement with the recent very accurate measurements. Nonetheless a tiny amount of non-Gaussianity is predicted by the standard inflation scenario, while more exotic models suggest a higher degree of non-Gaussianity. Tightly constraining the level of Gaussianity in the CMB data represents then a fundamental handle to understand the physics and the origin of our universe. By means of needlets, a novel rendition of wavelets, characterised by excellent properties of localisations both in harmonic a…
We develop a complete set of tools for CMB forecasting, simulation and estimation of primordial running bispectra, arising from a variety of curvaton and single-field (DBI) models of Inflation. We validate our pipeline using mock CMB running non-Gaussianity realizations and test it on real data by obtaining experimental constraints on the $f_{\rm NL}$ running spectral index, $n_{\rm NG}$, using WMAP 9-year data. Our final bounds (68\% C.L.) read $-0.6< n_{\rm NG}<1.4$, $-0.3< n_{\rm NG}<1.2$, $-1.1<n_{\rm NG}<0.7$ for the single-field curvaton, two-field curvaton and DBI scenarios, respectivel…
The extensive search for deviations from Gaussianity in cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) data is very important due to the information about the very early moments of the universe encoded there. Recent analyses from Planck CMB data do not exclude the presence of non-Gaussianity of small amplitude, although they are consistent with the Gaussian hypothesis. The use of different techniques is essential to provide information about types and amplitudes of non-Gaussianities in the CMB data. In particular, we find interesting to construct an estimator based upon the combination of two pow…
In this paper, we introduce the topological persistence diagram as a statistic for Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) temperature anisotropy maps. A central concept in `Topological Data Analysis' (TDA), the idea of persistence is to represent a data set by a family of topological spaces. One then examines how long topological features `persist' as the family of spaces is traversed. We compute persistence diagrams for simulated CMB temperature anisotropy maps featuring various levels of primordial non-Gaussianity of local type. Postponing the analysis of observational effects, we show that persi…
We provide analytic solutions for the power spectrum and bispectrum of curvature fluctuations produced by a step feature in the inflaton potential, valid in the limit that the step is short and sharp. In this limit, the bispectrum is strongly scale dependent and its effective non-linearity attains a large oscillatory amplitude. The perturbations to the curvature power spectrum, on the other hand, remain a small component on top of the usual spectrum of fluctuations generated by slow roll. We utilize our analytic solutions to assess the observability of the predicted non-Gaussian signatures and…
We study the effects of gravitational lensing on the estimation of non-Gaussianity from the bispectrum of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature anisotropies. We find that the effect of lensing on the bispectrum may qualitatively be described as a smoothing of the acoustic features analogous to the temperature power spectrum. In contrast to previous results, for a Planck-like experiment which is cosmic-variance limited to L=2000, we find that lensing causes no significant degradation of our ability to constrain the non-Gaussianity amplitude fNL for both local and equilateral configu…
Multi-field inflation models and non-Bunch-Davies vacuum initial conditions both predict sizeable non-Gaussian primordial perturbations and anisotropic $μ$-type spectral distortions of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) blackbody. While CMB anisotropies allow us to probe non-Gaussianity at wavenumbers $k\simeq 0.05\,{\rm Mpc^{-1}}$, $μ$-distortion anisotropies are related to non-Gaussianity of primordial perturbation modes with much larger wavenumbers, $k\simeq 740\,{\rm Mpc^{-1}}$. Through cross-correlations between CMB and $μ$-distortion anisotropies, one can therefore shed light on the a…
We forecast combined future constraints from the cosmic microwave background and large-scale structure on the models of primordial non-Gaussianity. We study the generalized local model of non-Gaussianity, where the parameter f_NL is promoted to a function of scale, and present the principal component analysis applicable to an arbitrary form of f_NL(k). We emphasize the complementarity between the CMB and LSS by using Planck, DES and BigBOSS surveys as examples, forecast constraints on the power-law f_NL(k) model, and introduce the figure of merit for measurements of scale-dependent non-Gaussia…
The primordial non-Gaussianity of local type affects the clustering of dark matter halos, and the planned deep and wide photometric surveys are suitable for examining this class of non-Gaussianity. In our previous paper, we investigated the constraint from the cross correlation between CMB lensing potential and galaxy angular distribution on the primordial non-Gaussianity, without taking into account redshift slicing. To improve our previous analysis, in this paper, we add the galaxy lensing shear into our analysis and take into account redshift slicing to follow the redshift evolution of the …
We present forecasts on the primordial non-Gaussianity parameter $f_\text{NL}$ of feature models for the future Cosmic Microwave Background Stage-4 (CMB-S4) experiments. The Fisher matrix of the bispectrum estimator was computed using noise covariances expected for preliminary CMB-S4 specifications including ones for the Simons Observatory. We introduce a novel method that improves the computation by orthonormalising the covariance matrix. The most sensitive CMB-S4 experiment with 1' beam and 1$μK$-arcmin noise would yield a factor of 1.7-2.2 times more stringent constraints compared to Planck…
The primordial non-Gaussian parameter fNL has been shown to be scale-dependent in several models of inflation with a variable speed of sound. Starting from a simple ansatz for a scale-dependent amplitude of the primordial curvature bispectrum for two common phenomenological models of primordial non-Gaussianity, we perform a Fisher matrix analysis of the bispectra of the temperature and polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation and derive the expected constraints on the parameter nNG that quantifies the running of fNL(k) for current and future CMB missions such as WMAP, Pl…
Two of the most commonly used tools to constrain the primordial non-Gaussianity are the bispectrum and the Minkowski functionals of CMB temperature anisotropies. These two measures of non-Gaussianity in principle provide distinct (though correlated) information, but in the past constraints from them have only been loosely compared, and not statistically combined. In this work we evaluate, for the first time, the covariance matrix between the local non-Gaussianity coefficient fnl estimated through the bispectrum and Minkowski functionals. We find that the estimators are positively correlated, w…
We develop a scenario of inflation with spontaneously broken time and space diffeomorphisms, with distinctive features for the primordial tensor modes. Inflationary tensor fluctuations are non adiabatic, and can acquire a mass during the inflationary epoch. They can evade the Higuchi bound around de Sitter space, thanks to interactions with the fields driving expansion. Correspondingly, the primordial stochastic gravitational wave background (SGWB) is characterised by a tuneable scale dependence, and can be detectable at interferometer scales. In this set-up, tensor non-Gaussianity can be para…
We extend the formalism of time-sliced perturbation theory (TSPT) for cosmological large-scale structure to include non-Gaussian initial conditions. We show that in such a case the TSPT interaction vertices acquire new contributions whose time-dependence factorizes for the Einstein-de Sitter cosmology. The new formulation is free from spurious infrared (IR) enhancements and reveals a clear IR structure of non-Gaussian vertices. We use the new technique to study the evolution of oscillating features in primordial statistics and show that they are damped due to non-linear effects of large bulk f…
We study CMB constraints on non-Gaussianity from isocurvature perturbations of general types. Specifically, we study CDM/neutrino isocurvature perturbations which are uncorrelated or totally correlated with adiabatic ones. Using the data from the WMAP 7-year observation at V and W bands, we obtained optimal constraints on the nonlinearity parameters of adiabatic and isocurvature perturbations. Our result shows that primordial perturbations are consistent with Gaussian ones at around 2 sigma level for above mentioned isocurvature modes.
After Planck 2013, a broad class of inflationary models called α-attractors was developed which has universal observational predictions. For small values of the parameter α, the models have good consistency with the recent CMB data. In this work, we first calculate analytically (and verify numerically) the predictions of these models for spectral index, n_s and tensor-to-scalar ratio, r and then using BICEP2/Keck 2015 data we impose constraints on α-attractors. Then, we study the reheating in α-attractors. The reheating temperature, T_{re} and the number of e-folds during reheating, N_{re} are…
We introduce the numbers of hot and cold spots, $n_h$ and $n_c$, of excursion sets of the CMB temperature anisotropy maps as statistical observables that can discriminate different non-Gaussian models. We numerically compute them from simulations of non-Gaussian CMB temperature fluctuation maps. The first kind of non-Gaussian model we study is the local type primordial non-Gaussianity. The second kind of models have some specific form of the probability distribution function from which the temperature fluctuation value at each pixel is drawn, obtained using HEALPIX. We find the characteristic …
We consider a cosmological model in which the tensor mode becomes massive during inflation, and study the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) temperature and polarization bispectra arising from the mixing between the scalar mode and the massive tensor mode during inflation. The model assumes the existence of a preferred spatial frame during inflation. The local Lorentz invariance is already broken in cosmology due to the existence of a preferred rest frame. The existence of a preferred spatial frame further breaks the remaining local SO(3) invariance and in particular gives rise to a mass in the…
In the current era of high-precision CMB experiments, the imprint of gravitational lensing on the CMB temperature is exploited as a source of valuable information. Especially the reconstruction of the lensing potential power spectrum is of great interest. The reconstruction from the optimal quadratic estimator of the lensing potential, though, is biased. As long as the intrinsic CMB fluctuations are Gaussian this bias is well understood and controlled. In the presence of non-Gaussian primordial curvature perturbations, however, the CMB also acquires a non-Gaussian structure mimicking the lensi…
We argue that the anomalous power asymmetry observed in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) may have originated in a cosmic bounce preceding inflation. In loop quantum cosmology (LQC) the big bang singularity is generically replaced by a bounce due to quantum gravitational effects. We compute the spectrum of inflationary non-Gaussianity and show that strong correlation between observable scales and modes with longer (super-horizon) wavelength arise as a consequence of the evolution of perturbations across the LQC bounce. These correlations are strongly scale dependent and induce a dipole-dom…
We analyze primordial non-Gaussianity in single field inflationary models when the tensor/scalar ratio is large. Our results show that detectable levels of non-Gaussianity $f_{NL} \sim 50$ are still possible in the simplest class of models described by the effective theory of inflation. However, the shape is very tightly constrained, making a sharp prediction that could be confirmed or falsified by a future detection of non-Gaussianity.
Next-generation galaxy surveys will be able to measure perturbations on scales beyond the equality scale. On these ultra-large scales, primordial non-Gaussianity leaves signatures that can shed light on the mechanism by which perturbations in the early Universe are generated. We perform a forecast analysis for constraining local type non-Gaussianity and its two-parameter extension with a simple scale-dependence. We combine different clustering measurements from future galaxy surveys -- a 21cm intensity mapping survey and two photometric galaxy surveys -- via the multi-tracer approach. Furtherm…
We present a review of vector field models of inflation and, in particular, of the statistical anisotropy and non-Gaussianity predictions of models with SU(2) vector multiplets. Non-Abelian gauge groups introduce a richer amount of predictions compared to the Abelian ones, mostly because of the presence of vector fields self-interactions. Primordial vector fields can violate isotropy leaving their imprint in the comoving curvature fluctuations zeta at late times. We provide the analytic expressions of the correlation functions of zeta up to fourth order and an analysis of their amplitudes and …
A convincing detection of primordial non-Gaussianity in the local form of the bispectrum, whose amplitude is given by the fNL parameter, offers a powerful test of inflation. In this paper we calculate the modification of two-point cross-correlation statistics of weak lensing - galaxy-galaxy lensing and galaxy-Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) cross-correlation - due to fNL. We derive and calculate the covariance matrix of galaxy-galaxy lensing including cosmic variance terms. We focus on large scales (l<100) for which the shape noise of the shear measurement becomes irrelevant and cosmic varia…
We study nonlinear cosmological perturbations and their possible non-Gaussian character in an extended non-minimal inflation where gravity is coupled non-minimally to both the scalar field and its derivatives. By expansion of the action up to the third order, we focus on the non-linearity and non-Gaussianity of perturbations in comparison with recent observational data. By adopting an inflation potential of the form V(phi) = (1/n)(lambda)(phi)^n, we show that for n = 4, for instance, this extended model is consistent with observation if 0.013 <lambda< 0.095 in appropriate units. By restricting…
Anisotropies in distortions to the frequency spectrum of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) can be created through spatially varying heating processes in the early Universe. For instance, the dissipation of small-scale acoustic modes does create distortion anisotropies, in particular for non-Gaussian primordial perturbations. In this work, we derive approximations that allow describing the associated distortion field. We provide a systematic formulation of the problem using Fourier-space window functions, clarifying and generalizing previous approximations. Our expressions highlight the fac…
Despite the wealth of $Planck$ results, there are difficulties in disentangling the primordial non-Gaussianity of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) from the secondary and the foreground non-Gaussianity (NG). For each of these forms of NG the lack of complete data introduces model-dependencies. Aiming at detecting the NGs of the CMB temperature anisotropy $δT$, while paying particular attention to a model-independent quantification of NGs, our analysis is based upon statistical and morphological univariate descriptors, respectively: the probability density function $P(δT)$, related to ${\ma…
We study the degree to which the cosmic microwave background (CMB) can be used to constrain primordial non-Gaussianity involving one tensor and two scalar fluctuations, focusing on the correlation of one polarization $B$ mode with two temperature modes. In the simplest models of inflation, the tensor-scalar-scalar primordial bispectrum is non-vanishing and is of the same order in slow-roll parameters as the scalar-scalar-scalar bispectrum. We calculate the $\langle BTT\rangle$ correlation arising from a primordial tensor-scalar-scalar bispectrum, and show that constraints from an experiment li…
In this paper we present a new method to estimate a foreground cleaned Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) map at a resolution of $1^\circ$ by minimizing the non-Gaussian properties of the cleaned map which arise dominantly due to diffuse foreground emission components from the Milky Way. We employ simple kurtosis statistic as the measure of non-Gaussian properties and perform a linear combination of 5 frequency maps provided by Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) in its 7 year data release in such a way that the cleaned map has a minimum kurtosis which leads to a non-Gaussianity minimiz…
We study the CMB constraint on non-Gaussianity in CDM isocurvature perturbations. Non-Gaussian isocurvature perturbations can be produced in various models at the very early stage of the Universe. Since the isocurvature perturbations little affect the structure formation at late times, CMB is the best probe of isocurvature non-Gaussianity at least in the near future. In this paper, we focus on uncorrelated isocurvature perturbations and constrain their non-Gaussianity. For this purpose, we employ several state-of-art techniques for the analysis of CMB data and simulation. We use the WMAP 7 yea…
The leading candidate for the very early universe is described by a period of rapid expansion known as inflation. While the standard paradigm invokes a single slow-rolling field, many different models may be constructed which fit the current observational evidence. In this work we outline theoretical and observational studies of non-Gaussian fluctuations produced by models of inflation and by cosmic strings - topological defects that may be generated in the very early universe during a phase transition. In particular, we consider the imprint of cosmic strings on the cosmic microwave background…
Recent studies have shown that the primordial non-Gaussianity affects clustering of dark matter halos through a scale-dependent bias and various constraints on the non-Gaussianity through this scale-dependent bias have been placed. Here we introduce the cross-correlation between the CMB lensing potential and the galaxy angular distribution to effectively extract information about the bias from the galaxy distribution. Then, we estimate the error of non-linear parameter, f_NL, for the on-going CMB experiments and galaxy surveys, such as Planck and Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC). We found that for the …
The non-Gaussianity of inflationary perturbations, as encoded in the bispectrum (or 3-point correlator), has become an important additional way of distinguishing between inflation models, going beyond the linear Gaussian perturbation quantities of the power spectrum. This habilitation thesis provides a review of my work on both the theoretical and the observational aspects of these non-Gaussianities. In the first part a formalism is described, called the long-wavelength formalism, that provides a way to compute the non-Gaussianities in multiple-field inflation. Applications of this formalism t…
