https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/685594/file/1130605.pdf

Review of Particle Physics

We present full sky microwave maps in five frequency bands (23 to 94 GHz) from the WMAP first year sky survey. Calibration errors are less than 0.5% and the low systematic error level is well specified. The cosmic microwave background (CMB) is separated from the foregrounds using multifrequency data. The sky maps are consistent with the 7 in. full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) maps. We report more precise, but consistent, dipole and quadrupole values. The CMB anisotropy obeys Gaussian statistics with -58 less than f(sub NL) less than 134 (95% CL). The 2 less than or = l less than or = 900 anisotropy power spectrum is cosmic variance limited for l less than 354 with a signal-to-noise ratio greater than 1 per mode to l = 658. The temperature-polarization cross-power spectrum reveals both acoustic features and a large angle correlation from reionization. The optical depth of reionization is tau = 0.17 +/- 0.04, which implies a reionization epoch of t(sub r) = 180(sup +220, sub -80) Myr (95% CL) after the Big Bang at a redshift of z(sub r) = 20(sup +10, sub -9) (95% CL) for a range of ionization scenarios. This early reionization is incompatible with the presence of a significant warm dark matter density. A best-fit cosmological model to the CMB and other measures of large scale structure works remarkably well with only a few parameters. The age of the best-fit universe is t(sub 0) = 13.7 +/- 0.2 Gyr old. Decoupling was t(sub dec) = 379(sup +8, sub -7)kyr after the Big Bang at a redshift of z(sub dec) = 1089 +/- 1. The thickness of the decoupling surface was Delta(sub z(sub dec)) = 195 +/- 2. The matter density of the universe is Omega(sub m)h(sup 2) = 0.135(sup +0.008, sub -0.009) the baryon density is Omega(sub b)h(sup 2) = 0.0224 +/- 0.0009, and the total mass-energy of the universe is Omega(sub tot) = 1.02 +/- 0.02. There is progressively less fluctuation power on smaller scales, from WMAP to fine scale CMB measurements to galaxies and finally to the Ly-alpha forest. This is accounted for with a running spectral index, significant at the approx. 2(sigma) level. The spectral index of scalar fluctuations is fit as n(sub s) = 0.93 +/-0.03 at wavenumber k(sub o) = 0.05/Mpc ((sub eff) approx. = 700), with a slope of dn(sub s)/d I(sub nk) = -0.031(sup + 0.016, sub -0.018) in the best-fit model.

/pdf/first-year-wilkinson-microwave-anisotropy-probe-wmap-qhs01ypx6q.pdf

First year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) observations: Preliminary maps and basic results

/pdf/review-of-particle-physics-1996-1997-jeg703df6k.pdf

Review of Particle Physics, 1996-1997

The purpose of the MAP mission is to determine the geometry, content, and evolution of the universe via a 13' full width half-maximum (FWHM) resolution full-sky map of the temperature anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation with uncorrelated pixel noise, minimal systematic errors, multifrequency observations, and accurate calibration. These attributes were key factors in the success of NASA's Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) mission, which made a 7° FWHM resolution full sky map, discovered temperature anisotropy, and characterized the fluctuations with two parameters, a power spectral index and a primordial amplitude. Following COBE, considerable progress has been made in higher resolution measurements of the temperature anisotropy. With 45 times the sensitivity and 33 times the angular resolution of the COBE mission, MAP will vastly extend our knowledge of cosmology. MAP will measure the physics of the photon-baryon fluid at recombination. From this, MAP measurements will constrain models of structure formation, the geometry of the universe, and inflation. In this paper we present a prelaunch overview of the design and characteristics of the MAP mission. This information will be necessary for a full understanding of the MAP data and results, and will also be of interest to scientists involved in the design of future cosmic microwave background experiments and/or space science missions.

http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1086/345346/pdf

The Microwave Anisotropy Probe* Mission

Powerful constraints on theories can already be inferred from existing CMB anisotropy data. But performing an exact analysis of available data is a complicated task and may become prohibitively so for upcoming experiments with 104 pixels. We present a method for approximating the likelihood that takes power spectrum constraints, e.g., "band-powers," as inputs. We identify a bias which results if one approximates the probability distribution of the band-power errors as Gaussian—as is the usual practice. This bias can be eliminated by using specific approximations to the non-Gaussian form for the distribution specified by three parameters (the maximum likelihood or mode, curvature or variance, and a third quantity). We advocate the calculation of this third quantity by experimenters, to be presented along with the maximum-likelihood band-power and variance. We use this non-Gaussian form to estimate the power spectrum of the CMB in 11 bands from multipole moment l = 2 (the quadrupole) to l = 3000 from all published band-power data. We investigate the robustness of our power spectrum estimate to changes in these approximations as well as to selective editing of the data.

Radical Compression of Cosmic Microwave Background Data

Degree-scale observations of cosmic microwave background anisotropies

We discuss the ultimate limits posed by atmospheric fluctuations to observations of cosmic background anisotropies (CBAs) in ground-based and balloon-borne experiments both in the radio and millimetric regions. We present correlation techniques useful in separating CBAs from atmospheric fluctuations. An experimental procedure is discussed for testing a site in view of possible CBA observations. Four sites with altitudes ranging from 0 up to 3.5 km have been tested.

Gerardo D'Andreta

Papers

Degree-scale observations of cosmic microwave background anisotropies

Limitations to the Accuracy of Cosmic Background Radiation Anisotropy Measurements: Atmospheric Fluctuations

A far infrared photometer for characterization of stratospheric perturbations