Nuclear, Particle, Astroparticle and Cosmology (NUPAC) Seminars
Measuring Cosmic Microwave Background Polarization with POLARBEAR
Presented by Kayla Mitchell, UNM
POLARBEAR is a dedicated cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization experiment located in the Atacama desert in Chile. Studying this remnant of the Big Bang allows us to learn about the early universe and how it expanded to what we see today. Observing the CMB polarization shows certain patterns on the sky, called E-modes and B-modes. E-modes arise naturally from Thomson scattering in a heterogeneous plasma. B-modes, however, can only be created from gravitational lensing or gravitational waves arising from cosmic inflation. The POLARBEAR project was designed to search for this weak B-mode signal from cosmic inflation. Measuring this signal would provide direct evidence of inflation and a better understanding of the mechanism and energy scale of inflation. Upgrades are currently ongoing to increase sensitivity and frequency coverage. These upgrades will result in three telescopes, forming the POLARBEAR-2/Simons Array. The Simons Array will cover 95 GHz, 150 GHz, 220 GHz, and 280 GHz frequency bands, allowing greater control of foregrounds. In this talk, I will focus on the design of POLARBEAR including its cryogenic receivers, detectors, and readout system. I will also discuss the status of the commissioning of the first upgraded POLARBEAR receiver, POLARBEAR-2a.
2:00 pm, Tuesday, November 19, 2019
PAIS-3300, PAIS
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