CMB3 - CMB Experiment (space) |
Speaker_ |
Masi, Silvia |
Talk _ |
Observed foregrounds at mm wavelengths and their impact on CMB science |
Abstract _ |
Our line of sight necessarily crosses the interstellar medium, which produces faint mm-wave radiation in the same frequency range (say 10 to 500 GHz) where CMB is studied. Thermal emission from diffuse interstellar dust and synchrotron radiation from insterstellar electrons produce anisotropic polarized radiation, which has been observed by WMAP at large angular scales and by several other CMB experiments at intermediate and small scales. We are far from a satisfactory description of this polarized foreground, but it is mandatory to understand it if we really want to measure the detailed polarization properties of the CMB, like inflationary B-modes. In this talk we review the relevant observations, study the required precision in the knowledge of foreground emission, and describe new missions devoted to foregrond studies. |