Implications of scattering for CMB foreground emission modelling

Abstract

The extreme precision and accuracy of forthcoming observations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature and polarisation anisotropies, aiming to detect the tiny signatures of primordial gravitational waves or of light relic particles beyond the standard three light neutrinos, requires commensurate precision in the modelling of foreground Galactic emission that contaminates CMB observations. We evaluate the impact of second-order effects in Galactic foreground emission due to Thomson scattering off interstellar free electrons and to Rayleigh scattering off interstellar dust particles. We used existing sky survey data and models of the distribution of free electrons and dust within the Milky Way to estimate the amplitude and power spectra of the emission originating from radiation scattered either by free electrons or by dust grains at CMB frequencies. Both processes generate corrections to the total emission that are small compared to direct emission and are small enough not to pose problems for current-generation observations. However, B modes generated by Thomson scattering of incoming radiation off interstellar free electrons at CMB frequencies are within an order of magnitude compared to the sensitivity of the most advanced forthcoming CMB telescopes, and might require more precise evaluation in the future.