Additional Emperical Observations of the Sachs-Wolfe Effect?

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In summary, the Sachs-Wolfe Effect is caused by density variations that perturb EM radiation, resulting in gravitational redshift or blueshift. This effect can be observed on a large scale, such as in the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation. While it is commonly associated with the CMB, it can also be observed in other places in the universe, such as in the redshift of galaxies in the Hubble deep field. However, this redshift is due to the expansion of the universe and not the ISWE redshift.
  • #1
falcon32
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I learned about the Sachs-Wolfe Effect when I was discussing the CMB, since it is a major artifact of it.
I do have one very basic question: Is the CMB the only place we observe the effect, or do we see it every day in other places?

I suppose the way to look for it would be to try to place a massive, closer gravitational body (some galaxy) in between a distance source of starlight in question. This might be accomplished by measurements half a year apart, similar to triangulation for near stars, so that the nearer galaxy moves across the background with respect to the more distant starlight.

I know research like this must have been done, but I don't have access (sadly) to a scientific journal yet, so I can only find references to the CMB when I do internet searches for the SWE.

Thanks, I very much appreciate your help!
 
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  • #2
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Bobbywhy said:
The Sachs-Wolfe Effect is caused when EM radiation is perturbed while passing through density variations. It is actually the same mechanism that causes gravitational redshift (or blue-shift). Here are some suggested readings that explain the process:

Thanks for the links; I actually do understand why the effect exists, and its great that we've observed light blueshifted by Earth's gravitational potential well, but that wasn't the question.

If you check this link out here http://cmbcorrelations.pbworks.com/w/page/4563978/The late-time integrated Sachs Wolfe effect

which explains the effect on a large scale, you'll see that eventually light can be either red or blueshifted, depending. Generally I've seen the blue-shifting explained under terms of a changing (by comparison to an earlier time, weaker) gravitational field as "something dark" affects the gravitational well. A photon entering a well will have energy added to it and therefore blueshift. But since the well has been "weakened" (we're dealing with the expansion of the universe, dark matter, dark energy), it does not take as much energy to "fight against" the potential well on its way out, and therefore, ΔE = E_after - E_before > 0. So photons are blueshifted.
Sometimes. Othertimes, they are redshifted. I've been taught that we observe both redshift and blueshift in the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation. My original question was: do we observe this grand-scale red/blue shift anywhere else in the Universe, or just in the CMBR? Also, if you could explain the mechanism by which light is redshifted, specifically in the CMBR context, (do we assume the gravitational well grew stronger?) I would appreciate it.

Again many thanks.
 
  • #4
Er, like the redshift of all the galaxies in the Hubble deep field. What else do you need? You really need to read some modern papers instead of science mythology.
 
  • #5
Chronos said:
Er, like the redshift of all the galaxies in the Hubble deep field. What else do you need? You really need to read some modern papers instead of science mythology.

HDF is redshifted because of the expansion of the Universe, right? Thats why we can use it to see what galaxies look like billions of years ago. Its not ISWE redshift...
 
  • #6
Based on CMB maps from the 2013 Planck Mission data release, this paper presents the detection of the ISW effect, i.e., the correlation between the CMB and large-scale evolving gravitational potentials. The significance of detection ranges from 2 to 4 sigma, depending on which method is used.
http://arxiv.org/abs/1303.5079
 
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Related to Additional Emperical Observations of the Sachs-Wolfe Effect?

What is the Sachs-Wolfe Effect?

The Sachs-Wolfe Effect is a phenomenon in cosmology where the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation is affected by the gravitational potential of large-scale structures in the universe.

What are additional empirical observations of the Sachs-Wolfe Effect?

Additional empirical observations of the Sachs-Wolfe Effect include studying the effect on the polarization of the cosmic microwave background radiation and looking at the correlation between the effect and the distribution of galaxies.

Why is studying the Sachs-Wolfe Effect important?

Studying the Sachs-Wolfe Effect can provide valuable insights into the large-scale structure and evolution of the universe. It can also help us better understand the effects of dark energy and dark matter.

How is the Sachs-Wolfe Effect measured?

The Sachs-Wolfe Effect is measured by comparing the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation in different areas of the sky. Any differences in temperature can indicate the presence of large-scale structures.

What is the current understanding of the Sachs-Wolfe Effect?

The current understanding of the Sachs-Wolfe Effect is that it is caused by the gravitational potential of large-scale structures in the universe, but there is still ongoing research to fully understand its implications and potential links to other cosmological phenomena.

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