We estimate the power spectra of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) temperature anisotropy in localized regions of the sky using the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) 7-year data. We find that the north and south hat regions at high Galactic latitude (|b| ≥ 30°) show an anomaly in the power spectrum amplitude around the third peak, which is statistically significant up to 3. We try to explain the cause of the observed anomaly by analyzing the low Galactic latitude (|b| < 30°) regions where the galaxy contamination is expected to be stronger, and the regions weakly or strongly dominated byWMAP instrument noise. We also consider the possible effect of unresolved radio point sources. We find another but less statistically significant anomaly in the low Galactic latitude north and south regions whose behavior is opposite to the one at high latitude. Our analysis shows that the observed north-south anomaly at high latitude becomes weaker on regions with high number of observations (weak instrument noise), suggesting that the anomaly is significant at sky regions that are dominated by the WMAP instrument noise. We have checked that the observed north-south anomaly has weak dependences on the bin-width used in the power spectrum estimation, and on the Galactic latitude cut. We also discuss the possibility that the detected anomaly may hinge on the particular choice of the multipole bin around the third peak. We anticipate that the issue of whether or not the anomaly is intrinsic one or due to WMAP instrument noise will be resolved by the forthcoming Planck data.

Physical cosmology tries to understand the Universe at large with its origin and evolution. Observational and experimental situations in cosmology do not allow us to proceed purely based on the empirical means. We examine in which sense our cosmological assumptions in fact have shaped our current cosmological worldview with consequent inevitable limits. Cosmology, as other branches of science and knowledge, is a construct of human imagination reflecting the popular belief system of the era. The question at issue deserves further philosophic discussions. In Whitehead’s words, “philosophy, in one of its functions, is the critic of cosmologies.” (Whitehead 1925).

Cosmological linear perturbation theory has fundamental importance in securing the current cosmological paradigm by connecting theories with observations. Here we present an explanation of the method used in relativistic cosmological perturbation theory and show the derivation of basic perturbation equations.

This paper presents a cosmological perturbation analysis in a Newtonian framework, using the Newtonian multi component version of the relativistic covariant equations. This work considers the fully nonlinear evolution of the perturbations, and is generalized to multicomponent systems and imperfect fluids. Known nonlinear solutions are presented in a general framework. Quasi-nonlinear analysis, considering both the compressible and rotational modes, is presented, including cases already known in the literature. The Fourier space representation of the conservation equations is also derived in a general context, with various decompositions of the velocity field. Commonly accepted cosmogonical frameworks are critically examined in the context of nonlinear evolution. This work may be regarded as the Newtonian counterpart of a recently presented general relativistic covariant formulation.