A Comptonization model for the submillimeter background

Journal Article · Sun Apr 01 04:00:00 EDT 1990 · Astrophysical Journal; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/168625· OSTI ID:7040688

Bartlett, J G; Silk, J ^[1]

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1. California Univ., Berkeley (USA)

A new measurement of the submillimeter portion of the cosmic microwave background by Matsumoto et al. (1988) indicates that there may be a large excess of energy over that of a blackbody spectrum of temperature 2.74 K. Several models are presented with cosmological heat sources which produce Compton y-distortions large enough to fit the submillimeter background. The models adopt generic forms for these heat sources in terms of the expansion rate and the energy density of other forms of matter in the universe. A specific realization of the models in terms of a decaying vacuum is presented. Unique thermal histories are predicted in which the universe does not globally recombine. A rise in the spectrum at long wavelengths due to free-free emission of the hot intergalactic medium is predicted, and the accompanying mu-distortions are estimated. 24 refs.

• OSTI ID: 7040688
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal; (USA), Journal Name: Astrophysical Journal; (USA) Vol. 353; ISSN ASJOA; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640106* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Cosmology
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
BASIC INTERACTIONS
BLACKBODY RADIATION
COMPTON EFFECT
COSMOLOGY
DENSITY
ELASTIC SCATTERING
ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERACTIONS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
EXPANSION
HEAT SOURCES
INTERACTIONS
INTERGALACTIC SPACE
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MICROWAVE RADIATION
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
RADIATIONS
RELICT RADIATION
SCATTERING
SPACE
UNIVERSE
VACUUM STATES