| Full text | |
| Author(s): Show less - |
Tello, C.
[1]
;
Villela, T.
[1]
;
Torres, S.
[2]
;
Bersanelli, M.
[3]
;
Smoot, G. F.
[4, 5]
;
Ferreira, I. S.
[6]
;
Cingoz, A.
[5]
;
Lamb, J.
[7]
;
Barbosa, D.
[8]
;
Perez-Becker, D.
[5, 9]
;
Ricciardi, S.
[4, 10]
;
Currivan, J. A.
[5]
;
Platania, P.
[11]
;
Maino, D.
[3]
Total Authors: 14
|
| Affiliation: Show less - | [1] Inst Nacl Pesquisas Espaciais, Div Astrofis, BR-12201970 Sao Jose Dos Campos, SP - Brazil
[2] Ctr Int Fis, Bogota - Colombia
[3] Univ Milan, Dipartimento Fis, I-20133 Milan - Italy
[4] Univ Calif Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley Natl Lab, Berkeley, CA 94720 - USA
[5] Univ Calif Berkeley, Dept Phys, Berkeley, CA 94720 - USA
[6] Univ Brasilia, Inst Fis, BR-70919970 Brasilia, DF - Brazil
[7] Univ Calif Santa Barbara, Dept Phys, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 - USA
[8] Inst Telecomunicacoes, Grp RadioAstron, Aveiro - Portugal
[9] Univ Nacl Autonoma Mexico, Fac Ciencias, Dept Fis, Mexico City 04510, DF - Mexico
[10] Osserv Astron Padova, INAF, I-35122 Padua - Italy
[11] CNR ENEA EURATOM Assoc, Ist Fis Plasma, I-20125 Milan - Italy
Total Affiliations: 11
|
| Document type: | Journal article |
| Source: | Astronomy & Astrophysics; v. 556, AUG 2013. |
| Web of Science Citations: | 6 |
| Abstract | |
Context. Determining the spectral and spatial characteristics of the radio continuum of our Galaxy is an experimentally challenging endeavour for improving our understanding of the astrophysics of the interstellar medium. This knowledge has also become of paramount significance for cosmology, since Galactic emission is the main source of astrophysical contamination in measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation on large angular scales. Aims. We present a partial-sky survey of the radio continuum at 2.3 GHz within the scope of the Galactic Emission Mapping (GEM) project, an observational program conceived and developed to reveal the large-scale properties of Galactic synchrotron radiation through a set of self-consistent surveys of the radio continuum between 408 MHz and 10 GHz. Methods. The GEM experiment uses a portable and double-shielded 5.5-m radiotelescope in altazimuthal configuration to map 60-degree-wide declination bands from different observational sites by circularly scanning the sky at zenithal angles of 30 degrees from a constantly rotating platform. The observations were accomplished with a total power receiver, whose front-end high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) amplifier was matched directly to a cylindrical horn at the prime focus of the parabolic reflector. The Moon was used to calibrate the antenna temperature scale and the preparation of the map required direct subtraction and destriping algorithms to remove ground contamination as the most significant source of systematic error. Results. We used 484 h of total intensity observations from two locations in Colombia and Brazil to yield 66% sky coverage from delta = -51 degrees.73 to delta = +34 degrees.78. The observations in Colombia were obtained with a horizontal HPBW of 2 degrees.30 +/- 0 degrees.13 and a vertical HPBW of 1 degrees.92 +/- 0 degrees.18. The pointing accuracy was 6 `.84 and the RMS sensitivity was 11.42 mK. The observations in Brazil were obtained with a horizontal HPBW of 2 degrees.31 +/- 0 degrees.03 and a vertical HPBW of 1 degrees.82 +/- 0 degrees.12. The pointing accuracy was 5 `.26 and the RMS sensitivity was 8.24 mK. The zero-level uncertainty of the combined survey is 103 mK with a temperature scale error of 5% after direct correlation with the Rhodes/HartRAO survey at 2326 MHz on a T-T plot. Conclusions. The sky brightness distribution into regions of low and high emission in the GEM survey is consistent with the appearance of a transition region as seen in the Haslam 408 MHz and WMAP K-band surveys. Preliminary results also show that the temperature spectral index between 408 MHz and the 2.3 GHz band of the GEM survey has a weak spatial correlation with these regions; but it steepens significantly from high to low emission regions with respect to the WMAP K-band survey. (AU) | |
| FAPESP's process: | 00/06770-2 - The cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) and structure formation in the universe |
| Grantee: | Reuven Opher |
| Support Opportunities: | Research Projects - Thematic Grants |