The CMB anisotropy experiments - Cosmic microwave background

Anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) encode information about the evolution and development of the Universe. It is understood that quality observations of the CMB anisotropies can provide a very strong test of cosmological models and provide high precision measurements of major cosmological parameters. This paper provides a review of the COBE DMR results, the current status of the measurements of the CMB anisotropy power spectrum and then focuses on the programs that are likely to provide additional results including both suborbital observations and the two selected satellite missions: the NASA MidEX mission MAP and the ESA M3 mission Max Planck Surveyor (formerly COBRAS/SAMBA). This review includes both a description of the experimental programs and the expected quality level of results.