The isotropic interplanetary dust cloud and near-infrared extragalactic background light observed with COBE/DIRBE

TL;DR

This study analyzes COBE/DIRBE infrared data to detect isotropic interplanetary dust and estimate the near-infrared extragalactic background light, revealing residuals that suggest additional extragalactic sources beyond known galaxies.

Contribution

It introduces a new analysis method using solar elongation angle dependence to identify isotropic interplanetary dust and estimates the extragalactic background light after accounting for this dust.

Findings

Detection of isotropic interplanetary dust residuals.

Estimated extragalactic background light at multiple IR wavelengths.

Residual brightness exceeds light from known galaxies.

Abstract

We report observation of isotropic interplanetary dust (IPD) by analyzing the infrared (IR) maps of Diffuse Infrared Background Experiment (DIRBE) onboard the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) spacecraft. To search for the isotropic IPD, we perform new analysis in terms of solar elongation angle ($\epsilon$), because we expect zodiacal light (ZL) intensity from the isotropic IPD to decrease as a function of $\epsilon$. We use the DIRBE weekly-averaged maps covering $64^\circ \lesssim \epsilon \lesssim 124^\circ$ and inspect the $\epsilon$-dependence of residual intensity after subtracting conventional ZL components. We find the $\epsilon$-dependence of the residuals, indicating the presence of the isotropic IPD. However, the mid-IR $\epsilon$-dependence is different from that of the isotropic IPD model at $\epsilon \gtrsim 90^\circ$, where the residual intensity increases as a function of $\epsilon$. To explain the observed $\epsilon$-dependence, we assume a spheroidal IPD cloud showing higher density further away from the sun. We estimate intensity of the near-IR extragalactic background light (EBL) by subtracting the spheroidal component, assuming the spectral energy distribution from the residual brightness at $12\,{\rm \mu m}$. The EBL intensity is derived as $45_{-8}^{+11}$, $21_{-4}^{+3}$, and $15\pm3\,{\rm nWm^{-2}sr^{-1}}$ at $1.25$, $2.2$, and $3.5\,{\rm \mu m}$, respectively. The EBL is still a few times larger than integrated light of normal galaxies, suggesting existence of unaccounted extragalactic sources.