Observational detection of correlation between galaxy spins and initial
  conditions
  Galaxy spins can be predicted from the initial conditions in the early
Universe through the tidal tensor twist. In simulations, their directions are
well preserved through cosmic time, consistent with expectations of angular
momentum conservation. We report a $\sim 3 \sigma$ detection of correlation
between observed oriented directions of galaxy angular momenta and their
predictions based on the initial density field reconstructed from the positions
of SDSS galaxies. The detection is driven by a group of spiral galaxies
classified by the Galaxy Zoo as (anti-)clockwise, with a modest improvement
from adding galaxies from MaNGA and SAMI surveys. This is the first such
detection of the oriented galaxy spin direction, which opens a way to use
measurements of galaxy spins to probe fundamental physics in the early
Universe.
