RELIKT-1

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RELIKT-1 (sometimes RELICT-1 from Russian: РЕЛИКТ-1) - a Soviet cosmic microwave background anisotropy experiment on board the Prognoz 9 satellite (launched 1 July 1983) first gave only upper limits on the large-scale anisotropy, but reanalysis of the data in 1992 claimed a signal roughly compatible with the later experiments. This experiment was prepared by the Space Research Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences and supervised by Dr. Igor Strukov.

A map of the sky at 37 GHz was built using an 8 mm band Dicke-type modulation radiometer. The radiometer could not conduct multi-band astronomical observations. The entire sky was observed in 6 months. The angular resolution was 5.5 degrees, with a temperature resolution of 0.6 mK.

The galactic microwave flux was measured and the CMB dipole observed. A quadrupole moment was found between 17 and 95 microkelvins rms, with 90% confidence level.

The heat radiation map of the Universe served as the emblem of the 1989 international conference "The Cosmic Wave Background: 25 Years Later" in L'Aquila, Italy.

The discovery of anisotropy by the RELIKT-1 spacecraft was first reported officially in January 1992 at the Moscow astrophysical seminar.

As a follow-up to RELIKT-1, it was decided in 1986 to study the anisotropy of CMB as part of the Relikt-2 project. The sensitivity of the equipment had greatly increased. The spacecraft was scheduled to launch in 1993-1994, but the launch never took place because of the Soviet Union's break-up and lack of funding.

[edit] Publications

  • Strukov, I. A.; Skulachev, D. P. Deep-Space Measurements of the Microwave Background Anisotropy - First Results of the Relikt Experiment. 1984
  • Strukov, I. A.; Brukhanov, A. A.; Skulachev, D. P.; Sazhin, M. V. Anisotropy of relic radiation in the RELICT-1 experiment and parameters of grand unification. Physics Letters B, Volume 315, Issue 1-2, p. 198-202. 09/1993

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