Model-independent Primordial Power Spectrum from MAXIMA, BOOMERANG, and DASI Data

A model-independent determination of the primordial power spectrum of matter density fluctuations could uniquely probe physics of the very early universe and provide powerful constraints on inflationary models. We parameterize the primordial power spectrum Aimg1.gif(k) as an arbitrary function and deduce its binned amplitude from the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation anisotropy measurements of MAXIMA, BOOMERANG, and DASI. We find that for a flat universe with Aimg1.gif(k) = 1 (scale-invariant) for scales k < 0.001 h Mpc-1, the primordial power spectrum is marginally consistent with a scale-invariant Harrison-Zeldovich spectrum. However, we deduce a rise in power compared to a scale-invariant power spectrum for 0.001 h Mpc-1 [?] k [?] 0.01 h Mpc-1. Our results are consistent with large-scale structure data and seem to suggest that the current observational data allow for the possibility of unusual physics in the very early universe.