Cosmology with the S-Z Effect

Abstract

Extensive recent work on the Sunyaev-Zeldovich (S-Z) effect reflects major progress in observational capabilities of interferometric arrays, the improved quality of multi-frequency measurements with upcoming ground-based and stratospheric bolometer arrays, and the intense theoretical and experimental work on the small scale structure of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation. I briefly describe the effect and discuss its significance as a major cosmological probe. Recent results for the gas mass fraction in clusters and the Hubble constant (largely from measurements with the BIMA and OVRO interferometric arrays) are discussed. Also reviewed are results from the first determination of the CMB temperature at the redshifts of two clusters (from measurements with the MITO and SuZIE experiments), and recent work on the CMB anisotropy due to the S-Z effect.