Detecting cosmic strings in the CMB with the Canny algorithm
- Department of Physics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 2T8 (Canada)
- Department of Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (United States)
Line discontinuities in cosmic microwave background anisotropy maps are a distinctive prediction of models with cosmic strings. These signatures are visible in anisotropy maps with good angular resolution and should be identifiable using edge-detection algorithms. One such algorithm is the Canny algorithm. We study the potential of this algorithm to pick out the line discontinuities generated by cosmic strings. By applying the algorithm to small-scale microwave anisotropy maps generated from theoretical models with and without cosmic strings, we find that, given an angular resolution of several minutes of arc, cosmic strings can be detected down to a limit of the mass per unit length of the string which is one order of magnitude lower than the current upper bounds.
- OSTI ID:
- 22137840
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, Vol. 2008, Issue 04; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1475-7516
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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