Measurements of the anisotropy of the cosmic background radiation and diffuse galactic emission at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths

Journal Article · Thu Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1988 · Astrophys. J.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/166679· OSTI ID:6575461

Halpern, M; Benford, R; Meyer, S; Muehlner, D; Weiss, R

The results of a balloon-borne observing program to measure the large angular scale brightness distribution of the 2.7 K cosmic background radiation (CBR) at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths are reported. A new determination of the dipole anisotropy of the CBR is found with 3.40 + or - 0.42 mK toward alpha = 12.1 + or - 0.24 hr, delta = - 23 + or - 5 deg in a 1.2 to 8/cm band and 4.7 + or - 1.4 mK toward alpha = 9.9 + 1.7 or - 1.1 hr, delta = - 38 + or - 21 deg between 5 and 18/cm, where the amplitudes are listed as thermodynamic temperatures. New estimates of the absolute temperature in these two bands of 2.86 + or - 0.26 K and 3.01 + or - 0.31 are obtained under the assumption that the CBR has a Planck spectrum. The diffuse Galactic emission is fitted by a secant distribution in Galactic latitude, and the resulting Galactic pole antenna temperatures are given. Maps of sky brightness, measurements of zodiacal emission, and measurements of fluctuations of the atmospheric emission which dominates the noise budget are also presented. 40 references.

• Research Organization: British Columbia Univ., Vancouver (Canada); MIT, Cambridge, MA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6575461
• Journal Information: Astrophys. J.; (United States), Journal Name: Astrophys. J.; (United States) Vol. 332; ISSN ASJOA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640101 -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Cosmic Radiation
640106* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Cosmology
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
AIRSHIPS
ANISOTROPY
BALLOONS
COSMIC RADIATION
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
IONIZING RADIATIONS
MICROWAVE RADIATION
RADIATIONS
RELICT RADIATION
SPECTROSCOPY
ZODIACAL LIGHT