Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jkksz Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T03:23:36.520Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The Impact of CN Line Profile Measurements on the Cosmic Microwave Background Temperature

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 February 2017

M. E. Kaiser
Affiliation:
University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles, California USA
E. L. Wright
Affiliation:
University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles, California USA

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

We present moderate to high signal-to-noise high-resolution (R ≈ 150,000–170,000) optical spectra toward ζ Oph. Gaussian fits to our data indicate a value of the line-width parameter b, of b = 1.4 ± 0.2 km s−1, along this line of sight. When CN is used as an indirect probe of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature, the line profile is used to determine saturation corrections in the line. This affects column density calculations, which are reflected in the excitation temperature. Current measurements of the b-value along this line of sight range from 0.88 ± 0.02 km s−1 (Crane et al. 1986) to 1.3 ± 0.1 km s−1 (Hegyi, Traub, and Carleton 1972). The extreme range of these b-values yield saturation corrections to the CMB temperature that differ by 0.05 K, which is equal to the quoted precision of current measurements. Preliminary analysis of observations toward HD 29647 indicate that TCMB = 2.70 ± 0.14 K at 2.64 mm toward this line of sight.

Type
IV. Extragalactic Background Radiation and Cosmology
Copyright
Copyright © Kluwer 1990 

References

REFERENCES

Crane, P., Hegyi, D. J., Mandolesi, N., and Danks, A. C. 1986, Ap. J., 309, 822.Google Scholar
Crutcher, R. M. 1985, Ap. J., 288, 604.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hegyi, D. J., Traub, W. A., and Carleton, N. P. 1972, Phys. Rev. Letters, 28, 1541.Google Scholar
Langer, W. D., Glassgold, A. E., and Wilson, R. W. 1987, Ap. J., 322, 450.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meyer, D. M., and Jura, M. 1985, Ap. J., 297, 119.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thaddeus, P. 1972, ARAA, 10, 305.Google Scholar