Image of Alice in Wonderland at the Mad Hatter's tea party You are cordially invited to afternoon tea and biscuits wine and chocolate

Astronomy Tea Talks at Caltech

Mondays, Hameetman auditorium (Cahill)
Tea:  4.00pm
Talk: 4.15pm

Organized by:

2010 - 2011 season:
14 Feb 2011 Dan Marrone (UA)

'Patterns in the Dark: Understanding Galaxy Clusters and the SZ Effect'

The detection and study of galaxy clusters via their imprint on the microwave background, the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect, has rapidly expanded from the study of handfuls of known targets to surveys designed to constrain dark energy with thousands of new cluster detections. However, work to understand the astrophysics of clusters through the SZ signal, and the limits that astrophysical processes will place on cosmological constraints from SZ surveys, is only beginning. I will describe two approaches to this problem. First, I will present the first measurements of the crucial SZ-mass relationship based on gravitational lensing masses, using SZ data from the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Array (SZA). These data are part of a larger survey that unites the SZ, lensing, and X-ray probes of galaxy clusters. Through this expanding sample we are disentangling the scatter that limits the power of galaxy cluster surveys. Second, high-resolution SZ imaging, complemented by X-ray data, will be a powerful tool for studying cluster evolution and feedback. I will describe the unique SZ imaging capabilities being developed with the 23-element CARMA array, and the science questions it will address. I will also present data from pilot observations with a subset of the final array capabilities, demonstrating the science potential.
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Last modified on 20th Jul 2011 by Dominik A. Riechers.  

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