Characterization of the atacama B-mode search

S. M. Simon, S. Raghunathan, J. W. Appel, D. T. Becker, L. E. Campusano, H. M. Cho, T. Essinger-Hileman, S. P. Ho, K. D. Irwin, N. Jarosik, A. Kusaka, M. D. Niemack, G. W. Nixon, M. R. Nolta, L. A. Page, G. A. Palma, L. P. Parker, J. L. Sievers, S. T. Staggs, K. Visnjic

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

The Atacama B-mode Search (ABS), which began observations in February of 2012, is a crossed-Dragone telescope located at an elevation of 5190 m in the Atacama Desert in Chile. ABS is searching for the B-mode polarization spectrum of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) at large angular scales from multipole moments of ' ∼ 50 ∼ 500, a range that includes the primor-dial B-mode peak from inflationary gravity waves at ∼ 100. The ABS focal plane consists of 240 pixels sensitive to 145 GHz, each containing two transition-edge sensor bolometers coupled to orthogonal polarizations with a planar ortho-mode transducer. An ambient-temperature con-tinuously rotating half-wave plate and 4 K optics make the ABS instrument unique. We discuss the characterization of the detector spectral responses with a Fourier transform spectrometer and demonstrate that the pointing model is adequate. We also present measurements of the beam from point sources and compare them with simulations.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationMillimeter, Submillimeter, and Far-Infrared Detectors and Instrumentation for Astronomy VII
EditorsJonas Zmuidzinas, Wayne S. Holland
PublisherSPIE
ISBN (Electronic)9780819496218
DOIs
StatePublished - 2014
EventMillimeter, Submillimeter, and Far-Infrared Detectors and Instrumentation for Astronomy VII - Montreal, Canada
Duration: Jun 24 2014Jun 27 2014

Publication series

NameProceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
Volume9153
ISSN (Print)0277-786X
ISSN (Electronic)1996-756X

Other

OtherMillimeter, Submillimeter, and Far-Infrared Detectors and Instrumentation for Astronomy VII
Country/TerritoryCanada
CityMontreal
Period6/24/146/27/14

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Computer Science Applications
  • Applied Mathematics
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Keywords

  • Atacama B-mode Search
  • B-mode
  • Cosmic Microwave Background
  • characteriza-tion
  • instrument

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