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The Arcminute MicroKelvin Imager (AMI) will make images of features in the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB). As the name suggests, the angular sizes of the objects AMI will study are measured in arcminutes, rather than the degree scales of most CMB instruments. On these small scales, the main features in the CMB are expected to be `secondary' effects, due to objects between us and the CMB, rather than from structures in the last scattering surface from which the CMB comes. The main secondary effect is the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect, the scattering of CMB photons off hot electrons in the atmospheres of galaxy clusters. The SZ effect has the remarkable property that the intensity of the effect does not depend on the distance to the cluster causing it, but only on its intrinsic properties - in fact the SZ effect is almost directly proportional to the total mass of the cluster. One of the main aims of AMI is measure the growth of structure in the universe by counting all the galaxy clusters above some mass in a given area of sky. Because of the distance-independence of the SZ effect, AMI will find all the clusters in that part of the sky, whatever their distance.
AMI is currently under construction and will be observing by early 2004. As well as making several large surveys, AMI will be open to guest observers for studies of individual objects.
Last Modified 2 March 2001
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