CMB Spectral Distortions: Status and Prospects

Kogut, A ; Abitbol, M H ; Chluba, J ; Delabrouille, J ; Fixsen, D ; Hill, J C ; Patil, S P ; Rotti, A

关键词: ASTRONOMICAL MODELS;    ATMOSPHERIC PHYSICS;    BLACK HOLES (ASTRONOMY);    COMPTON EFFECT;    COSMIC MICROWAVE BACKGROUND RADIATION;    COSMOLOGY;    DISTORTION;    ELECTRON SCATTERING;    FAR INFRARED RADIATION;    GRAVITATIONAL WAVES;    HELIUM PLASMA;    HYDROGEN PLASMA;    INFRARED SPECTROPHOTOMETERS;    LASER INTERFEROMETRY;    PARTICLE INTERACTIONS;    PHOTONS;    SCATTERING;    SPECTRAL SENSITIVITY;    TIME DEPENDENCE;    TIME MEASUREMENT;   

RP-ID  :  GSFC-E-DAA-TN71012

学科分类：天体物理学

美国|英语

来源: NASA Technical Reports Server

【 摘 要 】

Departures of the energy spectrum of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) from a perfect blackbody probe a fundamental property of the universe - its thermal history. Current upper limits, dating back some 25 years, limit such spectral distortions to 50 parts per million and provide a foundation for the Hot Big Bang model of the early universe. Modern upgrades to the 1980's-era technology behind these limits enable three orders of magnitude or greater improvement in sensitivity. The standard cosmological model provides compelling targets at this sensitivity, spanning cosmic history from the decay of primordial density perturbations to the role of baryonic feedback in structure formation. Fully utilizing this sensitivity requires concurrent improvements in our understanding of competing astrophysical foregrounds. We outline a program using proven technologies capable of detecting the minimal predicted distortions even for worst-case foreground scenarios.