A structure factor approach to the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect
arXiv:cond-mat/0109274 · doi:10.1016/S0378-4371(02)00976-7
Abstract
Structure factor theory (SFT) is applied to analyze distortions to the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMBR) due the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect (SZE) in typical clusters of galaxies. It is shown that a suitable structure factor associated to a collisionless (Knudsen) gas is able to reproduce the SZE distortion of the CMBR . Physical arguments suggest that SFT yields an approximate solution to the Kompaneets equation and sets plausible values for the two ``free'' parameters involved in the calculation of the spectral distortion. Finally, further applications of the SFT to other standard cosmological problems are briefly discussed.
6 pages, 3 figures. RevTex. Submitted to Physica A