Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect
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{{cosmology}}
The '''Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect''' (often abbreviated as the '''SZ effect''') is the result of high energy [[electrons]] distorting the [[cosmic microwave background radiation]] (CMB) through [[Compton_scattering#Inverse_Compton_scattering|inverse Compton scattering]], in which some of the energy of the electrons is transferred to the low energy CMB [[photons]]. Observed distortions of the [[cosmic microwave background]] spectrum are used to detect the density perturbations of the universe. Using the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect, dense [[Groups and clusters of galaxies|clusters of galaxies]] have been observed.
== Introduction ==
The Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect can be divided into:
* [[thermal]] effects, where the CMB photons interact with electrons that have high energies due to their temperature
* [[kinematic]] effects, a second-order effect where the CMB photons interact with electrons that have high energies due to their bulk motion (also called the '''Ostriker-Vishniac effect''', after [[Jeremiah P. Ostriker]] and [[Ethan Vishniac]].<ref>Ostriker and Vishniac, '''Effect of gravitational lenses on the microwave background, and 1146+111B,C''' ''Nature'' (ISSN 0028-0836), vol. 322, Aug. 28, 1986, p. 804.</ref>)
* [[polarization]]
[[Rashid Sunyaev]] and [[Yakov Zel'dovich]] predicted the effect, and conducted research in [[1969]], [[1972]], and [[1980]]. The Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect is of major [[astrophysics|astrophysical]] and [[physical cosmology|cosmological]] interest. It can help determine the value of the [[Hubble's law|Hubble constant]]. To distinguish the SZ effect due to galaxy clusters from ordinary density perturbations, both the [[Electromagnetic spectrum|spectral]] dependence and the spatial dependence of fluctuations in the [[cosmic microwave background]] are used. Analysis of CMB data at higher angular resolution (high [[multipole|l]] values) requires taking into account the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect.
Current research is focused on modelling how the effect is generated by the intra-cluster plasma in [[galaxy cluster]]s, and on using the effect to estimate the [[Hubble constant]] and to separate different components in the angular average statistics of fluctuations in the background. Hydrodynamic structure formation simulations are being studied to gain data on thermal and kinetic effects in the theory. Observations are difficult due to the small amplitude of the effect and to confusion with experimental error and other sources of CMB temperature fluctuations. However, since the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect is a scattering effect, its magnitude is independent of redshift. This is very important: it means that clusters at high redshift can be detected just as easily as those at low redshift. Another factor which facilitates high-redshift cluster detection is the [[angular size redshift relation|angular scale versus redshift relation]]: it changes little between redshifts of 0.3 and 2, meaning that clusters between these redshifts have similar sizes on the sky.
== Timeline of observations ==
* [[1983]] — Researchers from the [[Cavendish Astrophysics Group|Cambridge Radio Astronomy Group]] and the [[Owens Valley Radio Observatory]] first detect the ''Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect'' from [[galaxy cluster|clusters of galaxies]].
* [[1993]] — The [[Ryle Telescope]] begins regular observations of the ''Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect'' from [[galaxy cluster|clusters of galaxies]]
* [[2003]] — The [[WMAP]] satellite maps the [[Cosmic microwave background radiation|Cosmic Microwave Background]] (CMB) over the whole sky with some (limited) sensitivity to the ''Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect''
* [[2005]] — The [[Arcminute Microkelvin Imager]] and the [[Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Array]] each begin surveys for very high redshift [[galaxy cluster|clusters of galaxies]] using the ''Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect''
* [[2007]] — The [[South Pole Telescope]] (SPT) saw first light on February 16, 2007, and began science observations in March of that same year.
* [[2007]] — The [[Atacama Cosmology Telescope]] (ACT) saw first light on June 8, and will soon begin an SZ survey of galaxy clusters
== See also ==
* [[Background radiation]]
* [[Compton effect]]
* [[Cosmic background radiation]]
* [[Cosmic microwave background radiation]]
* [[Rashid Sunyaev]]
* [[Yakov Zel'dovich]]
* [[Yoel Rephaeli]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
=== Journals ===
* {{cite journal | author = Birkinshaw | coauthors = et al. | url = http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1984Natur.309...34B | title = The Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect towards three clusters of galaxies | journal = Nature | volume = 309 | pages = 34–35| year = 1984 | doi = 10.1038/309034a0}}
* {{cite journal | last = Birkinshaw | first = Mark | url = http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/level5/Birkinshaw/Birk_contents.html | title = The Sunyaev Zel'dovich Effect | year = 1999 | journal = Physics Reports | volume = 310 | pages = 97 | doi = 10.1016/S0370-1573(98)00080-5}}
* {{cite journal | last = Cen | first = Renyue | coauthors = Jeremiah P. Ostriker | url = http://zeus.ncsa.uiuc.edu:8080/gc3/gc3013/mdm.html | title = A hydrodynamic approach to cosmology: the mixed dark matter cosmological scenario | journal = The Astrophysical Journal | volume = 431 | year = 1994 | pages = 1 | doi = 10.1086/174499}}
* {{cite journal | last = Hu | first = Jian | coauthors = Yu-Qing Lou | id = {{arxiv|archive=astro-ph|id=0402669}} | title = Magnetic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect in galaxy clusters | journal = ApJL}}
* {{cite journal | last = Ma | first = Chung-Pei | coauthors = J. N. Fry | title = Nonlinear Kinetic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect | journal = PRL | date = [[May 27]] [[2002]] | id = {{arxiv|archive=astro-ph|id=0106342}} }}
* {{cite journal | first = A. D. | last = Myers | coauthors = et al. | title = Evidence for an Extended SZ Effect in WMAP Data | journal = Astrophysics | id = {{arxiv|archive=astro-ph|id=0306180}} }}
* {{cite journal | first = Y. | last = Rephaeli | url = http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1995ARA&A..33..541R | title = Comptonization Of The Cosmic Microwave Background: The Sunyaev-Zeldovich Effect | journal = Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics | volume = 33 | year = 1995 | pages = 541–580 | doi = 10.1146/annurev.aa.33.090195.002545}}
* {{cite journal | last = Springel | first = Volker | coauthors = Martin White and Lars Hernquist | id = {{arxiv|archive = astro-ph | id = 0008133}} | title = Hydrodynamic Simulations of the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect(s) | journal = ApJ}}
* {{cite journal | last = Sunyaev | first = R. A. | coauthors = Ya. B. Zel'dovich | url = http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1970Ap&SS...7....3S | title = Small-Scale Fluctuations of Relic Radiation | journal = Astrophysics and Space Science | volume = 7 | pages = 3 | year = 1970 | doi = 10.1007/BF00653471 | doi_brokendate = 2008-06-20}}
* {{cite journal | last = Sunyaev | first = R. A. | coauthors = Ia. B Zel'dovich | url = http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1980ARA%26A..18..537S | title = Microwave background radiation as a probe of the contemporary structure and history of the universe | journal = Annual review of astronomy and astrophysics | volume = 18 |year = 1980 | pages = 537–560 | doi = 10.1146/annurev.aa.18.090180.002541}}
* {{cite journal | last = Diego | first = J.M | coauthors = E. Martinez, J.L. Sanz, N. Benitez, J. Silk | url = http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0103512| title = The Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect as a cosmological discriminator | journal = Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, | volume = 331 |year = 2002 | pages = 556–568| doi = 10.1046/j.1365-8711.2002.05039.x}}
==Further reading==
* Royal Astronomical Society, ''Corrupted echoes from the Big Bang?'' RAS Press Notice PN 04/01 <!--Was at : http://www.ras.org.uk/html/press/pn0401ras.html -->
== External links ==
* [http://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/physics_astronomy/report-25349.html Corrupted echoes from the Big Bang?] innovations-report.com.
[[Category:Radio astronomy]]
[[Category:Physical cosmology]]
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