Intensity Fluctuations of the Cosmic Background Radiation Due to Polarization Effects

Abstract

The Nagoya-Berkeley experiment has revealed a substantial excess over the blackbody radiation in the submillimetre part of wavelengths. Its origin is unknown. The concept of high-redshift cosmological dust (e.g., Hayakawa et al., 1987), though not without problems, remains one of the simplest explanations. It is clear that other types of observations will be necessary to identify the source of the excess. Needless to say, searches for cosmic background radiation (CBR) intensity fluctuations on fine angular scales in the submillimetre region are especially desired.