Editing Sunyaev–Zeldovich effect (section)

{{Short description|Spectral distortion of cosmic microwave background in galaxy clusters}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{cosmology}}
The '''Sunyaev–Zeldovich effect''' (named after [[Rashid Sunyaev]] and [[Yakov Zeldovich|Yakov B. Zeldovich]] and often abbreviated as the '''SZ effect''') is the [[Cosmic microwave background spectral distortions | spectral distortion]] of the [[cosmic microwave background]] (CMB) through [[Compton scattering#Inverse Compton scattering|inverse Compton scattering]] by high-energy [[electrons]] in galaxy clusters, in which the low-energy CMB [[photons]] receive an average energy boost during collision with the high-energy cluster electrons. Observed distortions of the [[cosmic microwave background]] spectrum are used to detect the disturbance of density in the universe. Using the Sunyaev–Zeldovich effect, dense [[Groups and clusters of galaxies|clusters of galaxies]] have been observed.