Basic Features of the Sunyaev-Zeldovich Effects Relevant to the CCAT

We discuss various aspects of the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effects relevant to the CCAT. We review the frequency spectrum, make predictions for signal levels and angular sizes from various kinds of objects, and discuss the expected confusion levels. 1 Frequency Spectrum The thermal Sunyaev-Zeldovich (tSZ) effect consists of a non-thermal distortion of the spectrum of the CMB by Compton scattering through a gas of hot electrons, such as the intracluster medium in galaxy clusters. The thermal SZ effect has now been detected and mapped for about fifty clusters [1]. The spectral signature of the effect (in surface brightness Bν and thermodynamic temperature TCMB) is ∆Bν Bν = h(x) ∆TCMB TCMB = h(x) f(x) y y = ∫ ne k Te me c2 σT dl (1)