The Sunyaev-Zeldovic effect (SZ effect or Sunyaev-Zeldovic theory) is the phenonomenon that radiant cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) interacting with the Dirac sea of "electron" clouds distorts the spectrum of the radiation (analogous to the Compton effect for the photon). The high energy of the negative particles causes photons to receive energy. The background radiation's isotropy, such as that of a plasma state in all directions, increases this induction. When investigated, the Compton effect between the "photons" and the "electrons" alters the spectrum observed by the detectors, though the detectors are not sensitive enough for the small scale SZ effect. The plasmas of galaxies scatters the cosmic background radiation and relatively distorts the background spectrum, thus contributing to statistical uncertainties.
The Sunyaev-Zeldovic theory relies on:
Sunyaev and Zeldovich predicted the effect, and conducted research in 1969, 1972, and 1980. The Sunyaev-Zeldovic effect is a ajor astrophysical and cosmological interest. It determines disk accretion and photon-electron scattering. It can also help determine the value of the Hubble constant and universal motion parameters.
Observed distortions of the microwave background spectrum are used to detect the of density perturbations of the universe. Using the Sunyaev-Zeldovic theory, research on very large scale velocity fields has been carried out, and future CMB detection experiments will have to account for the contributions from various mediums generated through the effect. Current research is focused on the distinctive type of angular fluctuations from the effect in the microwave background, due to plasma galaxy clusters redshifts, to measure the scale of the universe. Hydrodynamic structure formation experiments are being studied to gain data on thermal and kinetic effects in the theory. Observations are difficult due to the size of the effect and other discrete electromagnetic fluctuations.
See also:
Background radiation,
Compton effect,
Cosmic background radiation,
Cosmic microwave background radiation,
Dirac sea,
Non-standard cosmology,
Quasar, Redshifts and Controversies,
Rashid Sunyaev
External links and references
- Birkinshaw, Mark, "The Sunyaev Zeldovic Effect", Department of Physics, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
- Ma, Chung-Pei, and J. N. Fry, "Nonlinear Kinetic Sunyaev-Zeldovich Effect". PRL. May 27 2002. (arXiv.org)
- Sunyaev, R. A. and Ya. B. Zeldovich, "Small-Scale Fluctuations of Relic Radiation". Astrophysics and Space Science, Vol. 7, p.3, 1970.
- Sunyaev, R. A.; Zeldovich, Ia. B. "Microwave background radiation as a probe of the contemporary structure and history of the universe". Annual review of astronomy and astrophysics. Volume 18. Palo Alto, California. 1980.
