title: Is the low-l microwave background cosmic?
abstract: The large-angle (low-l) correlations of the cosmic microwave background exhibit several statistically significant anomalies compared to the standard inflationary cosmology. We show that the quadrupole plane and the three octopole planes are far more aligned than previously thought (99.9% C.L.). Three of these planes are orthogonal to the ecliptic at 99.1% C.L., and the normals to these planes are aligned at 99.6% C.L. with the direction of the cosmological dipole and with the equinoxes. The remaining octopole plane is orthogonal to the supergalactic plane at 99.6% C.L.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, CERN, Theory Division, 1211 Geneva 23, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Dominik J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Schwarz
authors.forename: Glenn D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Starkman
authors.forename: Dragan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Huterer
authors.forename: Craig J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Copi