Implications of the deviations in the spectrum of the cosmic background radiation

Abstract

view Abstract Citations (7) References (25) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS Implications of the deviations in the spectrum of the cosmic background radiation Bontz, R. J. ; Price, R. H. ; Haugan, M. P. Abstract The recently observed spectrum of the cosmic background radiation shows an excess (as compared with a blackbody spectrum) of photons at low energy, a deviation opposite to that usually predicted to result from the dissipation of turbulent energy, reheating after recombination, superposition of blackbody spectra, etc. It is assumed that the observed deviations result from natural processes in the early universe, and the consequences of this assumption are investigated. Free-free emission from dense moderate-temperature regions around the time of recombination is suggested as the most plausible origin of the deviations. Such dense regions, if of reasonable (i.e., galactic) mass, are precluded in the standard viewpoint by radiation drag, but the enormous turbulent velocities implied by the magnitude of the deviations could require a revision of the established picture of the damping of turbulence. A model based on high velocity turbulence, however, is not easily reconciled with several theoretical and observational considerations. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: June 1981 DOI: 10.1086/158958 Bibcode: 1981ApJ...246..592B Keywords: Astronomical Spectroscopy; Background Radiation; Cosmology; Galactic Evolution; Radiation Spectra; Black Body Radiation; Cosmic Rays; Emission Spectra; Energy Dissipation; Galactic Mass; Particle Energy; Turbulence Effects; Astrophysics full text sources ADS |