01 06 0 v 1 1 2 Ja n 19 96 Microwave Emission at High Galactic Latitudes

We use the COBE 8 Differential Microwave Radiometers (DMR) 4-year sky maps to model Galactic microwave emission at high latitudes (|b| > 20 •). Cross-correlation of the DMR maps with Galactic template maps detects fluctuations in the high-latitude microwave sky brightness with the angular variation of the DIRBE far-infrared dust maps and a frequency dependence consistent with a superposition of dust and free-free emission. We find no significant correlations between the DMR maps and various synchrotron templates. On the largest angular scales (e.g., quadrupole), Galactic emission is comparable in amplitude to the anisotropy in the cosmic microwave background (CMB). The CMB quadrupole amplitude, after correction for Galactic emission, has amplitude Q rms = 10.7 µK with random uncertainty 3.6 µK and systematic uncertainty 7.1 µK from uncertainty in our knowledge of Galactic microwave emission. Subject headings: cosmic microwave background – cosmology: observations – Galaxy : general – ISM: general (NASA/GSFC) is responsible for the design, development, and operation of the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE). Scientific guidance is provided by the COBE Science Working Group. GSFC is also responsible for the analysis software and for the production of the mission data sets.