Cosmology Intertwined IV: The Age of the Universe and its Curvature. (arXiv:2008.11286v4 [astro-ph.CO] UPDATED)

Cosmology Intertwined IV: The Age of the Universe and its Curvature. (arXiv:2008.11286v4 [astro-ph.CO] UPDATED)
<a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Valentino_E/0/1/0/all/0/1">Eleonora Di Valentino</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Anchordoqui_L/0/1/0/all/0/1">Luis A. Anchordoqui</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Akarsu_O/0/1/0/all/0/1">Ozgur Akarsu</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Ali_Haimoud_Y/0/1/0/all/0/1">Yacine Ali-Haimoud</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Amendola_L/0/1/0/all/0/1">Luca Amendola</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Arendse_N/0/1/0/all/0/1">Nikki Arendse</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Asgari_M/0/1/0/all/0/1">Marika Asgari</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Ballardini_M/0/1/0/all/0/1">Mario Ballardini</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Basilakos_S/0/1/0/all/0/1">Spyros Basilakos</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Battistelli_E/0/1/0/all/0/1">Elia Battistelli</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Benetti_M/0/1/0/all/0/1">Micol Benetti</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Birrer_S/0/1/0/all/0/1">Simon Birrer</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Bouchet_F/0/1/0/all/0/1">François R. Bouchet</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Bruni_M/0/1/0/all/0/1">Marco Bruni</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Calabrese_E/0/1/0/all/0/1">Erminia Calabrese</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Camarena_D/0/1/0/all/0/1">David Camarena</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Capozziello_S/0/1/0/all/0/1">Salvatore Capozziello</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Chen_A/0/1/0/all/0/1">Angela Chen</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Chluba_J/0/1/0/all/0/1">Jens Chluba</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Chudaykin_A/0/1/0/all/0/1">Anton Chudaykin</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Colgain_E/0/1/0/all/0/1">Eoin Ó Colgáin</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Cyr_Racine_F/0/1/0/all/0/1">Francis-Yan Cyr-Racine</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Bernardis_P/0/1/0/all/0/1">Paolo de Bernardis</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Perez_J/0/1/0/all/0/1">Javier de Cruz Pérez</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Delabrouille_J/0/1/0/all/0/1">Jacques Delabrouille</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Escamilla_Rivera_C/0/1/0/all/0/1">Celia Escamilla-Rivera</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Ferte_A/0/1/0/all/0/1">Agnès Ferté</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Finelli_F/0/1/0/all/0/1">Fabio Finelli</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Freedman_W/0/1/0/all/0/1">Wendy Freedman</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Frusciante_N/0/1/0/all/0/1">Noemi Frusciante</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Giusarma_E/0/1/0/all/0/1">Elena Giusarma</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Gomez_Valent_A/0/1/0/all/0/1">Adrià Gómez-Valent</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Handley_W/0/1/0/all/0/1">Will Handley</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Harrison_I/0/1/0/all/0/1">Ian Harrison</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Hart_L/0/1/0/all/0/1">Luke Hart</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Heavens_A/0/1/0/all/0/1">Alan Heavens</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Hildebrandt_H/0/1/0/all/0/1">Hendrik Hildebrandt</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Holz_D/0/1/0/all/0/1">Daniel Holz</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Huterer_D/0/1/0/all/0/1">Dragan Huterer</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Ivanov_M/0/1/0/all/0/1">Mikhail M. Ivanov</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Joudaki_S/0/1/0/all/0/1">Shahab Joudaki</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Kamionkowski_M/0/1/0/all/0/1">Marc Kamionkowski</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Karwal_T/0/1/0/all/0/1">Tanvi Karwal</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Knox_L/0/1/0/all/0/1">Lloyd Knox</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Kumar_S/0/1/0/all/0/1">Suresh Kumar</a>, et al. (46 additional authors not shown)

A precise measurement of the curvature of the Universe is of primeval
importance for cosmology since it could not only confirm the paradigm of
primordial inflation but also help in discriminating between different early
Universe scenarios. The recent observations, while broadly consistent with a
spatially flat standard $Lambda$ Cold Dark Matter ($Lambda$CDM) model, are
showing tensions that still allow (and, in some cases, even suggest) a few
percent deviations from a flat universe. In particular, the Planck Cosmic
Microwave Background power spectra, assuming the nominal likelihood, prefer a
closed universe at more than 99% confidence level. While new physics could be
in action, this anomaly may be the result of an unresolved systematic error or
just a statistical fluctuation. However, since a positive curvature allows a
larger age of the Universe, an accurate determination of the age of the oldest
objects provides a smoking gun in confirming or falsifying the current flat
$Lambda$CDM model.

http://arxiv.org/icons/sfx.gif