[Previous] | [Session 5] | [Next]
M. Zemcov, M. Halpern, D. Scott (The University of British Columbia), C. Borys, S. Chapman (The California Institute of Technology), W. Holland (ROE, UK)
We have detected the Sunyaev Zel'dovich Effect (SZE) increment at 850 microns in 2 galaxy clusters. The SZE is a distortion of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) due to inverse Compton Scattering of CMB photons by hot intra-cluster gas, which results in a decrement at radio wavelengths but an increment at sub-mm wavelengths. Measurement of the SZE complements X-ray data and provides information about cluster distance and other physical properties. Although there have been high S/N observations of the SZE decrement, the increment has proved more difficult to measure.
We have performed careful observations of three X-ray luminous clusters, (CL0016+16, MS1054, and MS0451) using SCUBA (Sub-millimetre Common User Bolometer Array) on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope. Positive average flux is detected in all three clusters; however, MS0451 contains a large gravitational lens which masks the SZE and MS1054 is now known to have a complex electron gas structure which makes analysis difficult.
There are possible biases associated with sources within and lensed by the clusters. In addition, this experiment has required very large chop throws and non-standard data analysis techniques. We discuss these effects and our results.
This work was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Coucil of Canada. The James Clerk Maxwell Telescope is operated on behalf of the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, and the National Research Council of Canada.
If you would like more information about this abstract, please follow the link to http://cmbr.physics.ubc.ca/sz. This link was provided by the author. When you follow it, you will leave the Web site for this meeting; to return, you should use the Back comand on your browser.
[Previous] | [Session 5] | [Next]
Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 34, #4
© 2002. The American Astronomical Soceity.