Large‐Scale Sunyaev‐Zeldovich Effect: Measuring Statistical Properties with Multifrequency Maps

We study the prospects for extracting detailed statistical properties of theSunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect associated with large scale structure usingupcoming multifrequency CMB experiments. The greatest obstacle to detecting thelarge-angle signal is the confusion noise provided by the primary anisotropiesthemselves, and to a lesser degree galactic and extragalactic foregrounds. Weemploy multifrequency subtraction techniques and the latest foregrounds modelsto determine the detection threshold for the Boomerang, MAP (several microK)and Planck CMB (sub microK) experiments. Calibrating a simplified biased-tracermodel of the gas pressure off recent hydrodynamic simulations, we estimate theSZ power spectrum, skewness and bispectrum through analytic scalings and N-bodysimulations of the dark matter. We show that the Planck satellite should beable to measure the SZ effect with sufficient precision to determine its powerspectrum and higher order correlations, e.g. the skewness and bispectrum.Planck should also be able to detect the cross correlation between the SZ andgravitational lensing effect in the CMB. Detection of these effects will helpdetermine the properties of the as yet undetected gas, including the manner inwhich the gas pressure traces the dark matter.Comment: 13 ApJ pages, 11 figures; typos and figure 5 revised; submitted to Ap