Kinetic Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect ($\Delta T/T=-\tau v_{\parallel }/c$)

Bulk motion of a scattering electron cloud relative to the cosmic microwave background gives a first-order Doppler temperature shift. With positive $v_{\parallel }$ directed away from the observer, the displayed sign applies, and $\tau$ is the Thomson scattering optical depth. In the nonrelativistic, single-scattering limit it has the spectrum of a small blackbody temperature change, unlike the thermal Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect.