A path towards CMB spectral distortion measurements

Abstract

The only detailed measurement of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) spectrum, by COBE-FIRAS in the early 90s, showed that it is close to perfect blackbody emission. However, theory predicts that small deviations, referred to as CMB spectral distortions, are expected, but, due to its limited sensitivity, FIRAS was only able to provide upper limits. Indeed a factor of at least one order of magnitude in sensitivity has to be gained in order to detect the strongest y-distortions and more than two orders of magnitude for the weakest ones. While much of current CMB research remains focused on measuring its polarisation anisotropies, CMB spectral distortions, offering a unique probe of the Universe’s thermal history, have emerged as a top priority, as highlighted for instance in ESA’s Voyage 2050 programme. Following the early space mission proposal to NASA, named PIXIE, a community has gathered momentum with the present development of ground-based (TMS, COSMO) and balloon-borne (BISOU) pathfinders, while having proposed a dedicated medium-class mission, FOSSIL, to the recent ESA M8 call. After a short description of the science case and goals of CMB spectral distortion measurements, we focus here on the BISOU and FOSSIL integrated research programmes.

Authors 43

1. Bruno Maffei

   Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Université Paris-Saclay · Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale

   Affiliation as printed

   Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Univ. Paris-Saclay, CNRS (France)

2. N. Aghanim

   Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Université Paris-Saclay · Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale

   Affiliation as printed

   Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Univ. Paris-Saclay, CNRS (France)

3. V. Sauvage

   Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Université Paris-Saclay · Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale

   Affiliation as printed

   Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Univ. Paris-Saclay, CNRS (France)

4. Morgane Loquet Le Gall

   Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Université Paris-Saclay · Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale

   Affiliation as printed

   Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Univ. Paris-Saclay, CNRS (France)

5. Xavier Coulon

   Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Université Paris-Saclay · Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale

   Affiliation as printed

   Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Univ. Paris-Saclay, CNRS (France)

6. Bruno Borgo

   Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Université Paris-Saclay · Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale

   Affiliation as printed

   Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Univ. Paris-Saclay, CNRS (France)

7. Clémence De Jabrun

   Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Université Paris-Saclay · Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale

   Affiliation as printed

   Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Univ. Paris-Saclay, CNRS (France)

8. Anaïs Besnard

   Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Université Paris-Saclay · Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale

   Affiliation as printed

   Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Univ. Paris-Saclay, CNRS (France)

9. Sandrine Couturier

   Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Université Paris-Saclay · Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale

   Affiliation as printed

   Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Univ. Paris-Saclay, CNRS (France)

10. Creidhe O'Sullivan

    National University of Ireland, Maynooth

    Affiliation as printed

    Maynooth Univ. (Ireland)

11. Neil A. Trappe

    National University of Ireland, Maynooth

    Affiliation as printed

    Maynooth Univ. (Ireland)

12. Sylvain Martin

    Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives · CEA Grenoble · Institut de Recherche Interdisciplinaire de Grenoble · Université Grenoble Alpes

    Affiliation as printed

    Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CEA, IRIG, DSBT (France)

13. I. Charles

    Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives · CEA Grenoble · Institut de Recherche Interdisciplinaire de Grenoble · Université Grenoble Alpes

    Affiliation as printed

    Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CEA, IRIG, DSBT (France)

14. Jens Chluba

    University of Manchester

    Affiliation as printed

    The Univ. of Manchester (United Kingdom)

15. Giorgio Savini

    University College London

    Affiliation as printed

    Univ. College London (United Kingdom)

16. F. Cuttaia

    Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio · National Institute for Astrophysics

    Affiliation as printed

    INAF - OAS Bologna (Italy)

17. Luca Terenzi

    Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio · National Institute for Astrophysics

    Affiliation as printed

    INAF - OAS Bologna (Italy)

18. José-Javier Díaz-García

    Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias

    Affiliation as printed

    Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (Spain)

19. José Alberto Rubiño-Martín

    Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias

    Affiliation as printed

    Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (Spain)

20. L. Pagano

    University of Ferrara

    Affiliation as printed

    Univ. degli Studi di Ferrara (Italy)

21. Lorenza Ferrari Aachen SRON Space Research Organization Netherlands

    Space Research Organisation Netherlands

    Affiliation as printed

    SRON Space Research Organization Netherlands (Netherlands)

22. Alessandro Monfardini

    Institut Néel

    Affiliation as printed

    Institut NÉEL (France)

23. Giampaolo Pisano

    Sapienza University of Rome

    Affiliation as printed

    Univ. di Roma “La Sapienza” (Italy)

24. A. Kogut

    Goddard Space Flight Center

    Affiliation as printed

    NASA Goddard Space Flight Ctr. (United States)

25. Thomas J. L. J. Gascard

    University of Iceland

    Affiliation as printed

    Univ. of Iceland (Iceland)

26. Locke Spencer

    University of Lethbridge

    Affiliation as printed

    Univ. of Lethbridge (Canada)

27. A. Tartari

    Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare

    Affiliation as printed

    Univ. di Pisa - INFN (Italy)

28. Jonathan Aumont

    Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie

    Affiliation as printed

    Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, CNRS (France)

29. E. S. Battistelli

    Sapienza University of Rome

    Affiliation as printed

    Univ. di Roma “La Sapienza” (Italy)

30. A. Beelen

    Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Aix-Marseille Université · Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille

    Affiliation as printed

    Lab. d'Astrophysique de Marseille, CNRS, Univ. d'Aix-Marseille (France)

31. P. de Bernardis

    Sapienza University of Rome

    Affiliation as printed

    Univ. di Roma “La Sapienza” (Italy)

32. Jean-Marc Duval

    Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives · CEA Grenoble · Institut de Recherche Interdisciplinaire de Grenoble · Université Grenoble Alpes

    Affiliation as printed

    Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CEA, IRIG, DSBT (France)

33. Giulio Fabbian

    Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Université Paris-Saclay · Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale

    Affiliation as printed

    Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Univ. Paris-Saclay, CNRS (France)

34. Fabio Finelli

    Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio · National Institute for Astrophysics

    Affiliation as printed

    INAF - OAS Bologna (Italy)

35. G. Lagache

    Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Aix-Marseille Université · Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille

    Affiliation as printed

    Lab. d'Astrophysique de Marseille, CNRS, Univ. d'Aix-Marseille (France)

36. Silvia Masi

    Sapienza University of Rome

    Affiliation as printed

    Univ. di Roma “La Sapienza” (Italy)

37. L. Mousset

    Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Université Paris-Saclay · Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale

    Affiliation as printed

    Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Univ. Paris-Saclay, CNRS (France)

38. N. Ponthieu

    Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble · Université Grenoble Alpes

    Affiliation as printed

    Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IPAG (France)

39. V. Revéret

    Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Université Paris Cité · Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives

    Affiliation as printed

    Univ. Paris-Saclay, Univ. Paris Cité, CEA, CNRS (France)

40. Louis Rodriguez

    Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Université Paris Cité · Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives

    Affiliation as printed

    Univ. Paris-Saclay, Univ. Paris Cité, CEA, CNRS (France)

41. Ana Vitória Vitoreti Martins

    University of Oslo

    Affiliation as printed

    Univ. of Oslo (Norway)

42. Duncan Watts

    University of Oslo

    Affiliation as printed

    Univ. of Oslo (Norway)

43. Berend Winter

    University College London

    Affiliation as printed

    Mullard Space Science Lab. (United Kingdom)

    Univ. College London (United Kingdom)