Could multiple voids explain the Cosmic Microwave Background Cold Spot
  anomaly?
  Understanding the observed Cold Spot (CS) (temperature of ~ -150 mu K at its
centre) on the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) is an outstanding problem.
Explanations vary from assuming it is just a > 3 sigma primordial Gaussian
fluctuation to the imprint of a supervoid via the Integrated Sachs-Wolfe and
Rees-Sciama (ISW+RS) effects. Since single spherical supervoids cannot account
for the full profile, the ISW+RS of multiple line-of-sight voids is studied
here to mimic the structure of the cosmic web. Two structure configurations are
considered. The first, through simulations of 20 voids, produces a central mean
temperature of ~-50 mu K. In this model the central CS temperature lies at ~ 2
sigma but fails to explain the CS hot ring. An alternative multi-void model
(using more pronounced compensated voids) produces much smaller temperature
profiles, but contains a prominent hot ring. Arrangements containing closely
placed voids at low redshift are found to be particularly well suited to
produce CS-like profiles. We then measure the significance of the CS if CS-like
profiles (which are fitted to the ISW+RS of multi-void scenarios) are removed.
The CS tension with the LCDM model can be reduced dramatically for an array of
temperature profiles smaller than the CS itself.
