Search arXivSearch

arXiv · 0807.1548

SPIDER: A Balloon-borne Large-scale CMB Polarimeter

Abstract

Spider is a balloon-borne experiment that will measure the polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background over a large fraction of a sky at 1 degree resolution. Six monochromatic refracting millimeter-wave telescopes with large arrays of antenna-coupled transition-edge superconducting bolometers will provide system sensitivities of 4.2 and 3.1 micro K_cmb rt s at 100 and 150 GHz, respectively. A rotating half-wave plate will modulate the polarization sensitivity of each telescope, controlling systematics. Bolometer arrays operating at 225 GHz and 275 GHz will allow removal of polarized galactic foregrounds. In a 2-6 day first flight from Alice Springs, Australia in 2010, Spider will map 50% of the sky to a depth necessary to improve our knowledge of the reionization optical depth by a large factor.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

BibTeXRIS

B. P. Crill, P. A. R. Ade, E. S. Battistelli, S. Benton, R. Bihary, J. J. Bock, J. R. Bond, J. Brevik, S. Bryan, C. R. Contaldi, O. Dore, M. Farhang, L. Fissel, S. R. Golwala, M. Halpern, G. Hilton, W. Holmes, V. V. Hristov, K. Irwin, W. C. Jones, C. L. Kuo, A. E. Lange, C. Lawrie, C. J. MacTavish, T. G. Martin, P. Mason, T. E. Montroy, C. B. Netterfield, E. Pascale, D. Riley, J. E. Ruhl, M. C. Runyan, A. Trangsrud, C. Tucker, A. Turner, M. Viero, D. Wiebe. 2008-07-09. SPIDER: A Balloon-borne Large-scale CMB Polarimeter. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.787446

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

Primordial Non-Gaussianity in Multi-Scalar Inflation

We give a concise formula for the non-Gaussianity of the primordial curvature perturbation generated on super-horizon scales in multi-scalar inflation model without assuming slow-roll conditions. This is an extension of our previous work. Using this formula, we study the generation of non-Gaussianity for the double inflation models in which the slow-roll conditions are temporarily violated after horizon exit, and we show that the non-linear parameter $f_{NL}$ for such models is suppressed by the slow-roll parameters evaluated at the time of horizon exit.

astro-ph

A new approach to the Sachs-Wolfe effect

We present a new approach to the Sachs-Wolfe effect, which is based on the dynamics of photons in a space and time varying gravitational field. We consider the influence of plasma dispersion effects on photon propagation, and establish the limits of validity of the usual results of the standard cosmological approach, for the large scale temperature anisotropies of the cosmic microwave background. New dynamical contributions to the integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect are also discussed.

astro-ph

Monte Carlo discretization of general relativistic radiation transport

An indirect, hybrid Monte Carlo discretization of general relativistic kinetic theory suitable for the development of numerical schemes for radiation transport is presented. The discretization is based on surface flux estimators obtained from a local decomposition of the distribution function, and can handle optically thick regions by means of formal solutions within each cell. Furthermore, the scheme is designed for parallel implementation, and it admits the use of adaptive techniques by virtue of leaving all probability density functions unspecified. Some considerations for numerical uses of the scheme are discussed.

astro-ph