TENTATIVE DETECTION OF QUASAR FEEDBACK FROM WMAP AND SDSS CROSS-CORRELATION

Abstract

ABSTRACT We perform a cross-correlation analysis of microwave data from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe and photometric quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, testing for the Sunyaev–Zeldovich (SZ) effect from quasars. A statistically significant (2.5σ) temperature decrement exists in the 41 GHz microwave band. A two-component fit to the cross-correlation spectrum incorporating both dust emission and SZ yields a best-fit y parameter of (7.0 ± 3.4) × 10−7. A similar cross-correlation analysis with the luminous red galaxy sample from Sloan gives a best-fit y parameter of (5.3 ± 2.5) × 10−7. We discuss the possible physical origin of these signals, which is likely a combination of SZ effects from quasars and galaxy clusters. Both the Planck Surveyor satellite and the current ground-based arcminute-resolution microwave experiments will detect this signal with a higher statistical significance.