Center for Astrophysics Research and Technologies Seminar Series
Improving monitors and models of atmospheric fluctuations for ground-based CMB experiments
Presented by Ian Birdwell, UNM
Ground-based cosmic microwave background (CMB) observations enable arcminute-resolution long- duration surveys of the millimeter-wave sky. While current- and next-generation surveys provide cosmological information and test the predictions of ΛCDM cosmology, they are also capable of cataloguing variable behavior in astrophysical sources, profiling emission from diffuse foregrounds, and mapping the distribution of matter throughout the cosmos. In the current era of precision cosmology in which detectors are background limited, the understanding of the millimeter-wave background environment and its impact on CMB observations is essential. Some background noise sources, such as the atmosphere, require monitoring and careful modeling to understand impacts on CMB observables. Some background sources are astrophysical signals, providing the opportunity for CMB experiments to serve as millimeter-wave observatories of sorts, probing interstellar medium physics and time-varying astrophysics alike. This talk will delve into the need for atmospheric models, the basis of models at observing sites in Chile and at the South Pole, and the ways these models enable precision cosmology measurements. The instrumentation involved in various monitors is also discussed.
2:00 pm, Thursday, December 7, 2023
PAIS-3205, PAIS
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