Cosmic Microwave Background Temperature at Galaxy Clusters

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  • 1 August 2002
Abstract
We have deduced the cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature in the Coma cluster (Abell 1656, z=0.0231), and in Abell 2163 (z=0.203) from spectral measurements of the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect over four passbands at radio and microwave frequencies. The resulting temperatures at these redshifts are T_{Coma} = 2.750^{+0.043}_{-0.032} K and T_{A2163} = 3.335^{+0.065}_{-0.066} K, respectively. These values are in good agreement with the basic relation T(z)=T_{0}(1+z), where T_{0} = (2.725 +/- 0.002) K as measured by the COBE/FIRAS experiment. Alternative scaling relations that are conjectured in non-standard cosmologies can be constrained by the data; for example, if T(z) = T_{0}(1+z)^{1-a} or T(z)=T_0[1+(1+d)z], then a=-0.07^{+0.12}_{-0.11} and d = 0.07 +/- 0.12. We briefly discuss future prospects for more precise SZ measurements of T(z) at higher redshifts.

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