The cosmic background radiation circa ν2K

We describe the implications of cosmic microwave background (CMB) observations and galaxy and cluster surveys of large scale structure (LSS) for theories of cosmic structure formation, especially emphasizing the recent Boomerang and Maxima CMB balloon experiments. The inflation-based cosmic structure formation paradigm we have been operating with for two decades has never been in better shape. Here we primarily focus on a simplified inflation parameter set, {ω_b, ω_cdm, Ω_tot, Ω_Λ, n_s, τ_C, σ₈}. Combining all of the current CMB+LSS data points to the remarkable conclusion that the local Hubble patch we can access has little mean curvature (Ω_tot = 1.08 ± 0.06) and the initial fluctuations were nearly scale invariant (n_s = 1.03 ± 0.08), both predictions of (non-baroque) inflation theory. The baryon density is found to be slightly larger than that preferred by independent Big Bang Nucleosynthesis estimates (ω_b ≡ Ω_bh² = 0.030 ± 0.005 cf. 0.019 ± 0.002). The CDM density is in the expected range (ω_cdm = 0.17±0.02). Even stranger is the CMB+LSS evidence that the density of the universe is dominated by unclustered energy akin to the cosmological constant (Ω_Λ = 0.66 ± 0.06), at the same level as that inferred from high redshift supernova observations. We also sketch the CMB+LSS implications for massive neutrinos.