200 research outputs found
Electromagnetic Design of Feedhorn-Coupled Transition-Edge Sensors for Cosmic Microwave Background Polarimetery
Observations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) provide a powerful tool for probing the evolution of the early universe. Specifically, precision measurement of the polarization of the CMB enables a direct test for cosmic inflation. A key technological element on the path to the measurement of this faint signal is the capability to produce large format arrays of background-limited detectors. We describe the electromagnetic design of feedhorn-coupled, TES-based sensors. Each linear orthogonal polarization from the feed horn is coupled to a superconducting microstrip line via a symmetric planar orthomode transducer (OMT). The symmetric OMT design allows for highly-symmetric beams with low cross-polarization over a wide bandwidth. In addition, this architecture enables a single microstrip filter to define the passband for each polarization. Care has been taken in the design to eliminate stray coupling paths to the absorbers. These detectors will be fielded in the Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor (CLASS)
Cosmic Microwave Background Polarization and Inflation
Measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) offer a means to explore the universe at a very early epoch. Specifically, if the universe went through a brief period of exponential expansion called inflation as current data suggest, gravitational waves from this period would polarize the CMB in a specific pattern. At GSFC, we are currently working towards two experiments that work in concert to measure this polarization pattern in search of evidence for inflation. The Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor (CLASS) will measure the polarization at frequencies between 40 and 150 GHz from the Atacama Desert in Chile. The Primordial Inflation Polarization Explorer (PIPER) is a balloon-borne experiment that will make similar measurements at frequencies between 200 and 600 GHz
The Early Universe: Searching for Evidence of Cosmic Inflation
In the past two decades, our understanding of the evolution and fate of the universe has increased dramatically. This "Age of Precision Cosmology" has been ushered in by measurements that have both elucidated the details of the Big Bang cosmology and set the direction for future lines of inquiry. Our universe appears to consist of 5% baryonic matter; 23% of the universe's energy content is dark matter which is responsible for the observed structure in the universe; and 72% of the energy density is so-called "dark energy" that is currently accelerating the expansion of the universe. In addition, our universe has been measured to be geometrically flat to 1 %. These observations and related details of the Big Bang paradigm have hinted that the universe underwent an epoch of accelerated expansion known as "inflation" early in its history. In this talk, I will review the highlights of modern cosmology, focusing on the contributions made by measurements of the cosmic microwave background, the faint afterglow of the Big Bang. I will also describe new instruments designed to measure the polarization of the cosmic microwave background in order to search for evidence of cosmic inflation
The Age of Precision Cosmology
In the past two decades, our understanding of the evolution and fate of the universe has increased dramatically. This "Age of Precision Cosmology" has been ushered in by measurements that have both elucidated the details of the Big Bang cosmology and set the direction for future lines of inquiry. Our universe appears to consist of 5% baryonic matter; 23% of the universe's energy content is dark matter which is responsible for the observed structure in the universe; and 72% of the energy density is so-called "dark energy" that is currently accelerating the expansion of the universe. In addition, our universe has been measured to be geometrically flat to 1 %. These observations and related details of the Big Bang paradigm have hinted that the universe underwent an epoch of accelerated expansion known as Uinflation" early in its history. In this talk, I will review the highlights of modern cosmology, focusing on the contributions made by measurements of the cosmic microwave background, the faint afterglow of the Big Bang. I will also describe new instruments designed to measure the polarization of the cosmic microwave background in order to search for evidence of cosmic inflation
Assessment of Models of Galactic Thermal Dust Emission Using COBE/FIRAS and COBE/DIRBE Observations
Accurate modeling of the spectrum of thermal dust emission at millimeter
wavelengths is important for improving the accuracy of foreground subtraction
for CMB measurements, for improving the accuracy with which the contributions
of different foreground emission components can be determined, and for
improving our understanding of dust composition and dust physics. We fit four
models of dust emission to high Galactic latitude COBE/FIRAS and COBE/DIRBE
observations from 3 millimeters to 100 microns and compare the quality of the
fits. We consider the two-level systems model because it provides a physically
motivated explanation for the observed long wavelength flattening of the dust
spectrum and the anticorrelation between emissivity index and dust temperature.
We consider the model of Finkbeiner, Davis, and Schlegel because it has been
widely used for CMB studies, and the generalized version of this model recently
applied to Planck data by Meisner and Finkbeiner. For comparison we have also
fit a phenomenological model consisting of the sum of two graybody components.
We find that the two-graybody model gives the best fit and the FDS model gives
a significantly poorer fit than the other models. The Meisner and Finkbeiner
model and the two-level systems model remain viable for use in Galactic
foreground subtraction, but the FIRAS data do not have sufficient
signal-to-noise ratio to provide a strong test of the predicted spectrum at
millimeter wavelengths.Comment: 17 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
Impedance Matched Absorptive Thermal Blocking Filters
We have designed, fabricated and characterized absorptive thermal blocking
filters for cryogenic microwave applications. The transmission line filter's
input characteristic impedance is designed to match and its
response has been validated from 0-to-50\,GHz. The observed return loss in the
0-to-20\,GHz design band is greater than dB and shows graceful
degradation with frequency. Design considerations and equations are provided
that enable this approach to be scaled and modified for use in other
applications
Vector Reflectometry in a Beam Waveguide
We present a one-port calibration technique for characterization of beam
waveguide components with a vector network analyzer. This technique involves
using a set of known delays to separate the responses of the instrument and the
device under test. We demonstrate this technique by measuring the reflected
performance of a millimeter-wave variable-delay polarization modulator
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