The 3K Cosmic Background Radiation

The blackbody radiation is seen as a remnant of the transparency point at

which the expanding universe dropped below about 3000K so that
radiation could escape.
22 September 2011

Quantum Physics / ZAIS

The 3K Background Radiation

A uniform background radiation in the microwave region of the spectrum is
observed in all directions in the sky. It shows the wavelength dependence of a
"blackbody" radiator at about 3 Kelvin temperature. It is considered to be the
remnant of the radiation emitted at the time the expanding universe became
transparent at about 3000 K temperature. The discovery of the 3K microwave
background radiation was one of the crucial steps leading to the calculation of
the standard "Big Bang" model of cosmology, its role being that of providing
estimates of relative populations of particles and photons. Recent research
using the Far Infrared Absolute Spectrophotometer (FIRAS) onboard the
COBE satellite have given a temperature of 2.725 +/- 0.002 K. Previous
experiments had shown some anisotropy of the background radiation due to
the motion of the solar system, but COBE collected data showing fluctuations
in the background. Some fluctuations in the background are necessary in big
bang cosmology to give enough non-uniformity for galaxies to form. The
apparent uniformity of the background radiation is the basis for the "galaxy
formation problem" in big bang cosmology.
22 September 2011

Quantum Physics / ZAIS

The 3K Background Radiation

The data for the round figure of 109 photons per nuclear particle is the "most
important quantitative conclusion to be drawn from the measurements of the
microwave radiation background ..."(Weinberg p66-70). This allowed the
conclusion that galaxies and stars could not have started forming until the
temperature dropped below 3000K. Then atoms could form and remove the
opacity of the expanding universe; light could get out and relieve the radiation
pressure. Star and galaxy formation could not occur until the gravitational
attraction could overcome the outward radiation pressure, and at 109
photons/baryon a critical "Jean's mass" of about a million times that of a large
galaxy would be required. With atom formation and a transparent universe,
the Jeans mass dropped to about 10-6 the mass of a galaxy, allowing
gravitational clumping.

22 September 2011

Quantum Physics / ZAIS

Role of 3K in Cosmology
The 3K background implies about 5.5 x 105 photons/liter. The range of
estimates for baryon density is from twice critical density at 6 x 10-3/liter to
the low end estimate of the visible galaxy, 3 x 10-5/liter. This gives a range of
1 x 108 to 2 x 1010 photons/baryon. It is this estimate of the number of photons
per baryon which was crucial in calculations of the big bang. In the modeling
of nucleosynthesis in the big bang, including the hydrogen/helium ratio, the
relative population of baryons and photons agreed with observations.
When the trace quantities of D, 3He, and 7Li are examined and made a part of
the big bang model, the ratio of baryons to photons is constrained more
tightly. The Particle Data Group gives the baryon/photon ratio as
2.6 x 10-10 < < 6.3 x 10-10 baryons/photon
Since the conservation of baryon number is a strong conservation principle, it
is inferred that the ratio of photons to baryons is constant throughout the
process of expansion. No known process in nature changes the number of
baryons.
22 September 2011

Quantum Physics / ZAIS

Anisotropy of 3K Background
An anisotropy of about 0.1% exists in the cosmic microwave background
radiation which is attributed to a Doppler shift caused by the motion of the
solar system through the radiation. The Particle Data Group reports the
asymmetry as mostly dipole in nature with a magnitude of 1.23 x 10-3. This
value is used to calculate a velocity of about 600 m/s for the Earth compared
to an observer keeping track with the general expansion

22 September 2011

Quantum Physics / ZAIS

Fluctuations in 3K Background
The COBE satellite has discovered fluctuations in the cosmic microwave
background radiation with the use of a differential microwave radiometer. The
size of the fluctuations are T/T = 6x10-6. This is just above the level at which
the big bang cosmological calculations would have been in trouble. The scale
of the fluctuations is larger than the horizon at the time the background
radiation was emitted, indicating that the fluctuations are primordial, dating
from a time before the separation of radiation and matter, the transparency
point. The "horizon" is the distance within which there can be causal
connections, i.e., within light transit time of each other.

22 September 2011

Quantum Physics / ZAIS

COBE Satellite
NASA's Cosmic Background Explorer satellite (COBE) was launched to
explore the cosmic microwave background radiation. Data points are shown
superimposed on the theoretical blackbody curve. The fit of the Planck
radiation formula is so precise that it provides a powerful confirmation of the
idea that it is a remnant of big bang expansion.

This data was

adapted from
Mather, J. C., et
al., Astro. Jour.
354, L37 (1990).

22 September 2011

Quantum Physics / ZAIS

COBE Satellite
The data from COBE have been so precise that it has discovered fluctuations
in that radiation which are important to big bang cosmological calculations. It
carried three main instruments, a Differential Microwave Radiometer, a FarInfrared Absolute Spectrophotometer (cooled to 1.6 K by liquid helium) , and
the Diffuse Infrared Background Experiment, also at 1.6K. The infrared
instrument will measure infrared spectra of the background which are
presumed to be uniform, but any unexpected variations might indicate the
presence of energy sources which might have driven turbulence to trigger
galaxy formation. The infrared instruments sensitivity is 100 times greater
than that achievable from the Earth's surface. The Infrared Background
Experiment will look at distant primordial galaxies and other celestial objects
that formed after the big bang.

22 September 2011

Quantum Physics / ZAIS