Open AccessFluctuation analysis of the far‐infrared background – information from the confusion
Author(s) -
Friedmann Yasmin,
Bouchet François
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
monthly notices of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.058
H-Index - 383
eISSN - 1365-2966
pISSN - 0035-8711
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2004.07323.x
Subject(s) - physics , confusion , noise (video) , flux (metallurgy) , infrared , astrophysics , resolution (logic) , statistical physics , astronomy , artificial intelligence , psychology , psychoanalysis , materials science , computer science , metallurgy , image (mathematics)
We investigate the extent to which one can use a P ( D ) analysis to extract number counts of unclustered sources from maps of the far‐infrared background. Such maps currently available, and those expected to emerge in the near future, are dominated by confusion noise resulting from poor resolution. We simulate background maps with an underlying two‐slope model for N ( S ), and we find that, in an experiment of FIRBACK type, we can extract the high‐flux slope with an error of a few per cent, whereas other parameters are not so well constrained. However, we find that, in a SIRTF ‐type experiment, all parameters of this N ( S ) model can be extracted with errors of only few per cent.