Surveying with the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect
James G. Bartlett
Galaxy clusters are an important tool for cosmological studies, and there is
at present a pressing need for large, deep and homogeneously selected cluster
catalogs. We will discuss the unique advantages intrinsic to the SZ effect in
this light. A number of experiments, either set to begin observing or in
preparation, that will soon be supplying catalogs of up to thousands of
clusters out to redshifts beyond unity. After briefly summarizing these
efforts, we will consider the details of detecting clusters in these surveys,
examining expected completeness, contamination rates and photometric recovery.
These are important issues for accurately gauging the scientific reach of a
survey. For example, we will see that despite a large population of IR
sources, multiband bolometer surveys efficiently control confusion, and that
photometric precision will be crucial and at times difficult.