Forecasting foreground impact on cosmic microwave background measurements

We explore the possible impact of galactic and extragalactic foregrounds on measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). We find that, given our present understanding of the foregrounds, they are unlikely to qualitatively affect the ability of the MAP and Planck satellites to determine the angular power spectrum of the CMB, the key statistic for constraining cosmological parameters. Sufficiently far from the galactic plane, the only foregrounds that will affect power spectrum determination with any significance are the extragalactic ones. For MAP we find the most troublesome foregrounds are radio point sources and the thermal Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) effect. For Planck they are these same radio point sources and the Far Infrared Background. Prior knowledge of the statistics of the SZ component (either via theoretical calculation, or higher frequency observations of just a few percent of the sky, such as will be done by balloon-borne experiments) may significantly improve MAP's determination of the CMB power spectrum. We also explore the foreground impact on MAP and Planck polarization power spectrum measurements.

[1]  Max Tegmark,et al.  Removing Point Sources from Cosmic Microwave Background Maps , 1998 .

[2]  Max Tegmark.  Removing Real-World Foregrounds from Cosmic Microwave Background Maps , 1998 .

[3]  D. Schlegel,et al.  Maps of Dust IR Emission for Use in Estimation of Reddening and CMBR Foregrounds , 1997, astro-ph/9710327.

[4]  K. Gorski,et al.  Noncosmological Signal Contributions to the COBE DMR 4 Year Sky Maps , 1996, astro-ph/9601064.

[5]  Simon Prunet,et al.  Multifrequency Wiener filtering of cosmic microwave background data with polarization , 1999 .

[6]  A. Lasenby,et al.  Foreground separation methods for satellite observations of the cosmic microwave background , 1998, astro-ph/9806387.

[7]  Separation of foregrounds from cosmic microwave background observations with the MAP satellite , 1998, astro-ph/9810236.

[8]  U. Seljak,et al.  A Line of sight integration approach to cosmic microwave background anisotropies , 1996, astro-ph/9603033.

[9]  T. N. Gautier,et al.  A calculation of confusion noise due to infrared cirrus , 1992 .

[10]  R. B. Barreiro,et al.  The effect of point sources on satellite observations of the cosmic microwave background , 1998, astro-ph/9810241.

[11]  D. Schlegel,et al.  Maps of Dust Infrared Emission for Use in Estimation of Reddening and Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation Foregrounds , 1998 .

[12]  E. Hivon,et al.  Semi‐analytic modelling of galaxy evolution in the IR/submm range , 1997, astro-ph/9710340.

[13]  Scott Dodelson,et al.  Determining Cosmic Microwave Background Anisotropies in the Presence of Foregrounds , 1995, astro-ph/9512021.

[14]  A. Lazarian,et al.  Electric Dipole Radiation from Spinning Dust Grains , 1998, astro-ph/9802239.

[15]  Max Tegmark,et al.  A method for subtracting foregrounds from multifrequency CMB sky maps , 1996 .

[16]  Brian Keating,et al.  LARGE ANGULAR SCALE POLARIZATION OF THE COSMIC MICROWAVE BACKGROUND RADIATION AND THE FEASIBILITY OF ITS DETECTION , 1997 .

[17]  Albert Stebbins,et al.  A Probe of Primordial Gravity Waves and Vorticity , 1997 .

[18]  Edward L. Wright.  Angular Power Spectra of the COBE DIRBE Maps , 1998 .

[19]  Albert Stebbins,et al.  Statistics of cosmic microwave background polarization , 1997 .

[20]  U. Seljak,et al.  Signature of gravity waves in polarization of the microwave background , 1996, astro-ph/9609169.

[21]  Weighing the universe with the cosmic microwave background. , 1995, Physical review letters.

[22]  Edward J. Wollack,et al.  Galactic Microwave Emission at Degree Angular Scales , 1997, astro-ph/9702172.

[23]  U. Seljak,et al.  An all sky analysis of polarization in the microwave background , 1996, astro-ph/9609170.

[24]  Mark Dragovan,et al.  The Shapes and Alignment Properties of Interstellar Dust Grains , 1995 .

[25]  L. Toffolatti,et al.  Extragalactic source counts and contributions to the anisotropies of the cosmic microwave background: predictions for the Planck Surveyor mission , 1998 .

[26]  AN ANOMALOUS COMPONENT OF GALACTIC EMISSION , 1997, astro-ph/9705241.

[27]  W. N. Brandt,et al.  Separation of Foreground Radiation from Cosmic Microwave Background Anisotropy Using Multifrequency Measurements , 1994 .

[28]  E. L. Wright,et al.  Power Spectrum of Primordial Inhomogeneity Determined from the FOUR-Year COBE DMR Sky Maps , 1996, astro-ph/9601063.

[29]  M. Zaldarriaga,et al.  Microwave Background Constraints on Cosmological Parameters , 1997, astro-ph/9702157.