Transfer matrices for magnetized CMB anisotropies

Abstract

Large-scale magnetic fields can affect scalar cosmological perturbations whose evolution is described in the conformally Newtonian gauge and within the tight coupling approximation. The magnetized curvature perturbations present after matter radiation equality (and prior to decoupling) are computed in terms of an appropriate transfer matrix allowing a general estimate of the Sachs-Wolfe plateau. From the observation that CMB initial conditions should be (predominantly) adiabatic, the contribution of the magnetic field intensity can be constrained.