Peiris, HV;
(2014)
Considerations in the Interpretation of Cosmological Anomalies.
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union
, 10
(S306)
pp. 124-130.
10.1017/S1743921314011132.
Preview |
Text
1410.3837v1.pdf - Accepted Version Download (339kB) | Preview |
Abstract
Anomalies drive scientific discovery – they are associated with the cutting edge of the research frontier, and thus typically exploit data in the low signal-to-noise regime. In astronomy, the prevalence of systematics –- both “known unknowns” and “unknown unknowns” – combined with increasingly large datasets, the widespread use of ad hoc estimators for anomaly detection, and the “look-elsewhere” effect, can lead to spurious false detections. In this informal note, I argue that anomaly detection leading to discoveries of new physics requires a combination of physical understanding, careful experimental design to avoid confirmation bias, and self-consistent statistical methods. These points are illustrated with several concrete examples from cosmology.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Considerations in the Interpretation of Cosmological Anomalies |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1017/S1743921314011132 |
| Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1743921314011132 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This article has been published in a revised form in the Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1743921314011132. This version is free to view and download for private research and study only. Not for re-distribution, re-sale or use in derivative works. Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2015. |
| Keywords: | cosmic microwave background; cosmological parameters; early universe; cosmology: miscellaneous; methods: statistical; methods: data analysis |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > Dept of Physics and Astronomy |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1496045 |
Archive Staff Only
 |
View Item |
