MEASUREMENT OF THE COSMIC MICROWAVE BACKGROUND SPECTRUM BY THE COBE FIRAS INSTRUMENT

Authors
MATHER JC CHENG ES COTTINGHAM DA EPLEE RE FIXSEN DJ HEWAGAMA T ISAACMAN RB JENSEN KA MEYER SS NOERDLINGER PD READ SM ROSEN LP SHAFER RA WRIGHT EL BENNETT CL BOGGESS NW HAUSER MG KELSALL T MOSELEY SH SILVERBERG RF SMOOT GF WEISS R WILKINSON DT
Citation
Jc. Mather et al., MEASUREMENT OF THE COSMIC MICROWAVE BACKGROUND SPECTRUM BY THE COBE FIRAS INSTRUMENT, The Astrophysical journal, 420(2), 1994, pp. 439-444
Citations number
35
Categorie Soggetti
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Journal title
The Astrophysical journal → ACNP
ISSN journal
0004637X
Volume
420
Issue
2
Year of publication
1994
Part
1
Pages
439 - 444
Database
ISI
SICI code
0004-637X(1994)420:2<439:MOTCMB>2.0.ZU;2-L
Abstract
The cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) has a blackbody spect rum within 3.4x10(-8) ergs cm(-2)s(-1)sr(-1) cm over the frequency ran ge from 2 to 20 cm(-1) (5-0.5 mm). These measurements, derived sr from the FIRAS instrument on the COBE satellite, imply stringent limits on energy release in the early universe after t similar to 1 year and re dshift z similar to 3x10(6). The deviations are less than 0.03% of the peak brightness, with an rms value of 0.01%, and the dimensionless co smological distortion parameters are limited to y<2.5x10(-5) and mu <3.3x10(-4) (95% confidence level). The temperature of the CMBR is 2. 726+/-0.010 K (95% confidence level systematic).