Cosmological Signature of New Parity-Violating Interactions

Abstract

Does Nature yield any manifestations of parity violation other than those observed in weak interactions? A map of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature and polarization will provide a new signature of P violation. We give two examples of new P violating interactions, which may have something to do with Planck-scale physics, inflation, and/or quintessence, that would give rise to such a signature. Although these effects would most likely elude detection by MAP and the Planck Surveyor, they may be detectable with a future dedicated CMB polarization experiment.

Comments: 4 pages, 2 figures. Origin of new terms clarified, to be published in Physical Review Letters