Dr. Jo Dunkley
Title: Non-Adiabatic Models: CMB Constraints
Using Fast MCMC
The simplest
inflationary models predict purely adiabatic primordial density perturbations. I
will present constraints from the CMB and LSS on models with a non-adiabatic
contribution, allowing all combinations of isocurvature
modes. We find models with high non-adiabatic contributions (up to 60% of the
CMB power) to fit current data. I will discuss how future data will help
constrain the initial conditions. I will then describe the fast Markov Chain
Monte Carlo techniques we developed to allow reliable parameter estimation, and
discuss their application to diverse problems in cosmology and astronomy.