The Dipole Anisotropies of the IRAS Galaxies and the Microwave Background Radiation

A. Yahil
Department of Earth and Space Sciences
State University of New YorK at Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY 11794-2100
U. S. A.
D. W. Walker and M. Rowan-Robinson
Theoretical Astronomy Unit
Queen Mary College
Mile End Road
London E1 4NS
U. K.

Abstract

IRAS 60 micron sources are used to map the local (less than approximately 200 h-1 Mpc) gravitational field, and to determine its dipole component, on the assumption that the infrared radiation traces the matter. The dipole moment is found to point in the direction l = 248 +/- 9 and b = 40 +/- 8, 26 degrees +/- 10 degrees away from the direction of the velocity of the Local Group relative to the microwave background radiation (statistical sampling errors only). Comparison of the two anisotropies, using the luminosity function of the IRAS galaxies and linear perturbation theory, yields an estimate of the cosmological density parameter, Omega0 = 0.85 +/- 0.16 (statistical IRAS error only), with nonlinear effects increasing Omega0 by approximately 0.15%. These values are in apparent disagreement with the values of Omega0 = 0.1-0.2 deduced from the Virgocentric infall and the cosmic virial theorem.

A. Yahil, D. W. Walker, and M. Rowan-Robinson, The Dipole Anisotropies of the IRAS Galaxies and the Microwave Background Radiation, Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 301, L1-L5, 1986.