Implications of SCUBA observations for the Planck Surveyor

We investigate the implications for the Planck Surveyor of the recent sub-millimetre number counts obtained using the SCUBA camera. Since it observes at the same frequency as one of the higher frequency science channels on Planck, SCUBA can provide constraints on the point-source contribution to the CMB angular power spectrum, which require no extrapolation in frequency. We have calculated the two-point function of these submillimetre sources, using a Poisson model normalized to the observed counts. While the current data are uncertain, under reasonable assumptions the point-source contribution to the anisotropy is comparable to the noise in the 353GHz channel. The clustering of these sources is currently unknown, however if they cluster like the z ∼ 3 Lyman-break galaxies their signal would be larger than the primary anisotropy signal on scales smaller than half a degree. We expect the intensity of these sources to decrease for wavelengths longward of 850μm. At the next lowest Planck frequency, 217GHz, the contribution from both the clustered and Poisson terms are dramatically reduced. Hence we do not expect these sources to seriously affect Planck’s main science goal, the determination of the primordial anisotropy power spectrum. Rather, the potential determination of the distribution of sub-mm sources is a further piece of cosmology that Planck may be able to tackle.