17131606
Calibration of the Far Infrared Absolute Spectrophotometer ( FIRAS ) on the Cosmic Background Explorer ( COBE 1 )
The FIRAS instrument on the COBE satellite was designed to accurately measure the spectrum of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) in the frequency range 1 to 95 cm ?1 with an angular resolution of 7. We describe the calibration of this instrument, including the method of obtaining calibration data, reduction of data, the instrument model, tting the model to the calibration data, and application of the resulting model solution to sky observations. The instrument model ts well for calibration data which resemble sky conditions. The method of propagating detector noise through the calibration process to yield a covariance matrix of the calibrated sky data is described. The nal uncertainties are variable both in frequency and position, but for a typical calibrated sky 2:6 square pixel and 0.7 cm ?1 spectral element the random detector noise limit is of order of a few times 1 The National Aeronautics and Space Administration/Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA/GSFC) is responsible for the design, development, and operation of the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE). Scientiic guidance is provided by the COBE Science Working Group. GSFC is also responsible for the development of the analysis software and for the production of the mission data sets. { 2 { 10 ?7 erg cm ?2 s ?1 sr ?1 cm for 2 to 20 cm ?1 , and the diierence between the sky and the best t cosmic blackbody can be measured with a gain uncertainty of less than 3%.
9602876
Five-Year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe Observations: Galactic Foreground Emission
We present a new estimate of foreground emission in the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) data, using a Markov chain Monte Carlo method. The new technique delivers maps of each foreground component for a variety of foreground models with estimates of the uncertainty of each foreground component, and it provides an overall goodness-of-fit estimate. The resulting foreground maps are in broad agreement with those from previous techniques used both within the collaboration and by other authors. We find that for WMAP data, a simple model with power-law synchrotron, free-free, and thermal dust components fits 90% of the sky with a reduced χ2 ν of 1.14. However, the model does not work well inside the Galactic plane. The addition of either synchrotron steepening or a modified spinning dust model improves the fit. This component may account for up to 14% of the total flux at the Ka band (33 GHz). We find no evidence for foreground contamination of the cosmic microwave background temperature map in the 85% of the sky used for cosmological analysis.
37132863
Nine-year wilkinson microwave anisotropy probe (WMAP) observations: Cosmological parameter results
We present cosmological parameter constraints based on the final nine-year WMAP data, in conjunction with a number of additional cosmological data sets. The WMAP data alone, and in combination, continue to be remarkably well fit by a six-parameter CDM model. When WMAP data are combined with measurements of the high-l cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy, the baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) scale, and the Hubble constant, the matter and energy densities, bh 2 , ch 2 , and , are each determined to a precision of 1.5%. The amplitude of the primordial spectrum is measured to within 3%, and there is now evidence for a tilt in the primordial spectrum at the 5 level, confirming the first detection of tilt based on the five-year WMAP data. At the end of the WMAP mission, the nine-year data decrease the allowable volume of the six-dimensional CDM parameter space by a factor of 68,000 relative to pre-WMAP measurements. We investigate a number of data combinations and show that their CDM parameter fits are consistent. New limits on deviations from the six-parameter model are presented, for example: the fractional contribution of tensor modes is limited to r < 0.13 (95% CL); the spatial curvature parameter is limited to k = 0.0027 +0.0039 0.0038 ; the summed mass of neutrinos is limited to P m < 0.44 eV (95% CL); and the number of relativistic species is found to lie within Ne = 3.84±0.40, when the full data are analyzed. The joint constraint on Ne and the primordial helium abundance, YHe, agrees with the prediction of standard Big Bang nucleosynthesis. We compare recent Planck measurements of the Sunyaev‐Zel’dovich eect with our seven-year measurements, and show their mutual agreement. Our analysis of the polarization pattern around temperature extrema is updated. This confirms a fundamental prediction of the standard cosmological model and provides a striking illustration of acoustic oscillations and adiabatic initial conditions in the early universe. Subject headings: cosmic microwave background, cosmology: observations, early universe, dark matter, space vehicles, space vehicles: instruments, instrumentation: detectors, telescopes
6629905
THE OPTICAL DESIGN AND CHARACTERIZATION OF THE MICROWAVE ANISOTROPY PROBE
The primary goal of theMAP satellite, now in orbit, is to make high fidelity polarizatio n sensitive maps of the full sky in five frequency bands between 20 and 100 GHz. From th ese maps we will characterize the properties of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy and Galac tic nd extragalactic emission on angular scales ranging from the effective beam size, < 0: Æ23, to the full sky. MAP is a differential microwave radiometer. Two back-to-back shaped offset Gregorian telescopes feed t wo mirror symmetric arrays of ten corrugated feeds. We describe the prelaunch design and characterization of th e optical system, compare the optical models to the measurements, and consider multiple possible sources of sy stematic error.
15136222
DESIGN, IMPLEMENTATION AND TESTING OF THE MAP RADIOMETERS
The Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) satellite, launched June 30, 2001, will produce full sky maps of the cosmic microwave background radiation in 5 frequency bands spanning 20 106 GHz. MAP contains 20 differential radiometers built with High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT) amplifiers with passively cooled input stages. The design and test techniques used to evaluate and minimize systematic errors and the pre-launch performance of the radiometers for all five bands are presented. Subject headings: cosmology: cosmic microwave background—instrumentation: detectors—space vehicles: instruments
119350744
First Year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) Observations: Implications for Inflation
We confront predictions of inflationary scenarios with the WMAP data, in combination with complementary small-scale CMB measurements and large-scale structure data. The WMAP detection of a large-angle anti-correlation in the temperature--polarization cross-power spectrum is the signature of adiabatic superhorizon fluctuations at the time of decoupling. The WMAP data are described by pure adiabatic fluctuations: we place an upper limit on a correlated CDM isocurvature component. Using WMAP constraints on the shape of the scalar power spectrum and the amplitude of gravity waves, we explore the parameter space of inflationary models that is consistent with the data. We place limits on inflationary models; for example, a minimally-coupled lambda phi^4 is disfavored at more than 3-sigma using WMAP data in combination with smaller scale CMB and large scale structure survey data. The limits on the primordial parameters using WMAP data alone are: n_s(k_0=0.002 Mpc^{-1})=1.20_{-0.11}^{+0.12}, dn/dlnk=-0.077^{+0.050}_{- 0.052}, A(k_0=0.002 Mpc}^{-1})=0.71^{+0.10}_{-0.11} (68% CL), and r(k_0=0.002 Mpc^{-1})<1.28 (95% CL).
54619228
Joint reconstruction of galaxy clusters from gravitational lensing and thermal gas - I. Outline of a non-parametric method
We present a method to estimate the lensing potential from massive galaxy clusters for given observational X-ray data. The concepts developed and applied in this work can easily be combined with other techniques to infer the lensing potential, e.g. weak gravitational lensing or galaxy kinematics, to obtain an overall best fit model for the lensing potential. After elaborating on the physical details and assumptions the method is based on, we explain how the numerical algorithm itself is implemented with a Richardson-Lucy algorithm as a central part. Our reconstruction method is tested on simulated galaxy clusters with a spherically symmetric NFW density profile filled with gas in hydrostatic equilibrium. We describe in detail how these simulated observational data sets are created and how they need to be fed into our algorithm. We test the robustness of the algorithm against small parameter changes and estimate the quality of the reconstructed lensing potentials. As it turns out we achieve a very high degree of accuracy in reconstructing the lensing potential. The statistical errors remain below 2.0% whereas the systematical error does not exceed 1.0%.
118653169
Joint reconstruction of galaxy clusters from gravitational lensing and thermal gas II. Inversion of the thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect
This paper continues a series in which we intend to show how all observables of galaxy clusters can be combined to recover the twodimensional, projected gravitational potential of individual clusters. Our goal is to develop a non-parametric algorithm for joint cluster reconstruction taking all cluster observables into account. In this paper, we begin with the relation between the Compton-y parameter and the Newtonian gravitational potential, assuming hydrostatic equilibrium and a polytropic stratification of the intracluster gas. We show how Richardson-Lucy deconvolution can be used to convert the intensity change of the CMB due to the thermal SunyaevZel’dovich e ect into an estimate for the two-dimensional gravitational potential. Synthetic data simulated with characteristics of the ALMA telescope show that the two-dimensional potential of a cluster with mass 5 10 14 h 1 M at redshift 0:2 is possible with an error of . 5 % between the cluster centre and a radius r . 0:9h 1 Mpc.