We have returned to our previous Bianchi VIIh analysis in light of the Cruz et al. suggestion that the cold spot observed near the Southern Galactic Pole may be a remnant temperature perturbation of a cosmic texture. Bridges et al. used two favoured left-handed Bianchi VIIh templates with restricted prior probabilities so that the template was centred close to the cold spot. Using Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) data ‘corrected’ for the texture fit we have now re-examined both models to assess any changes to these conclusions. We find that both models are left almost entirely unconstrained by the data and consequently exhibit significantly reduced Bayesian evidences. Both models are now disfavoured by the data. This result reinforces our previous assertion that the cold spot was significant in the detection of a Bianchi VIIh component.

JDM would like to acknowledge Clare College, Cambridge for a Research Fellowship. MB thanks the Ministerio de Educacion y Ciencia for a predoctoral FPU fellowship. PV thanks an I3P contract from the CSIC. MB, PV and EM-G thank the Ministerio de Educacion y Ciencia project AYA2007-68058-C03-02.

Peer reviewed