168 research outputs found

    Polarization of Cosmic Microwave Background

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    In this work we present an extension of the ROMA map-making code for data analysis of Cosmic Microwave Background polarization, with particular attention given to the inflationary polarization B-modes. The new algorithm takes into account a possible cross-correlated noise component among the different detectors of a CMB experiment. We tested the code on the observational data of the BOOMERanG (2003) experiment and we show that we are provided with a better estimate of the power spectra, in particular the error bars of the BB spectrum are smaller up to 20% for low multipoles. We point out the general validity of the new method. A possible future application is the LSPE balloon experiment, devoted to the observation of polarization at large angular scales.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, proceedings of the 6th Young Researchers Meeting, L'Aquila, Oct 12th-14th 201

    Optimization of the half wave plate configuration for the LSPE-SWIPE experiment

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    The search for the B-mode polarization of Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) is the new frontier of observational Cosmology. A B-mode detection would give an ultimate confirmation to the existence of a primordial Gravitational Wave (GW) background as predicted in the inflationary scenario. Several experiments have been designed or planned to observe B-modes. In this work we focus on the forthcoming Large Scale Polarization Explorer (LSPE) experiment, that will be devoted to the accurate measurement of CMB polarization at large angular scales. LSPE consists of a balloon-borne bolometric instrument, the Short Wavelength Instrument for the Polarization Explorer (SWIPE), and a ground-based coherent polarimeter array, the STRatospheric Italian Polarimeter (STRIP). SWIPE will employ a rotating Half Wave Plate (HWP) polarization modulator to mitigate the systematic effects due to instrumental non-idealities. We present here preliminary forecasts aimed at optimizing the HWP configuration.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, proceedings of the 7th Young Researcher Meeting, Torino, Oct 24th-26th 201

    Optimal strategy for polarization modulation in the LSPE-SWIPE experiment

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    CMB B-mode experiments are required to control systematic effects with an unprecedented level of accuracy. Polarization modulation by a half wave plate (HWP) is a powerful technique able to mitigate a large number of the instrumental systematics. Our goal is to optimize the polarization modulation strategy of the upcoming LSPE-SWIPE balloon-borne experiment, devoted to the accurate measurement of CMB polarization at large angular scales. We depart from the nominal LSPE-SWIPE modulation strategy (HWP stepped every 60 s with a telescope scanning at around 12 deg/s) and perform a thorough investigation of a wide range of possible HWP schemes (either in stepped or continuously spinning mode and at different azimuth telescope scan-speeds) in the frequency, map and angular power spectrum domain. In addition, we probe the effect of high-pass and band-pass filters of the data stream and explore the HWP response in the minimal case of one detector for one operation day (critical for the single-detector calibration process). We finally test the modulation performance against typical HWP-induced systematics. Our analysis shows that some stepped HWP schemes, either slowly rotating or combined with slow telescope modulations, represent poor choices. Moreover, our results point out that the nominal configuration may not be the most convenient choice. While a large class of spinning designs provides comparable results in terms of pixel angle coverage, map-making residuals and BB power spectrum standard deviations with respect to the nominal strategy, we find that some specific configurations (e.g., a rapidly spinning HWP with a slow gondola modulation) allow a more efficient polarization recovery in more general real-case situations. Although our simulations are specific to the LSPE-SWIPE mission, the general outcomes of our analysis can be easily generalized to other CMB polarization experiments.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in A&

    Optimal strategy for polarization modulation in the LSPE-SWIPE experiment

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    Context. Cosmic microwave background (CMB) B-mode experiments are required to control systematic effects with an unprecedented level of accuracy. Polarization modulation by a half wave plate (HWP) is a powerful technique able to mitigate a large number of the instrumental systematics. Aims. Our goal is to optimize the polarization modulation strategy of the upcoming LSPE-SWIPE balloon-borne experiment, devoted to the accurate measurement of CMB polarization at large angular scales. Methods. We departed from the nominal LSPE-SWIPE modulation strategy (HWP stepped every 60 s with a telescope scanning at around 12 deg/s) and performed a thorough investigation of a wide range of possible HWP schemes (either in stepped or continuously spinning mode and at different azimuth telescope scan-speeds) in the frequency, map and angular power spectrum domain. In addition, we probed the effect of high-pass and band-pass filters of the data stream and explored the HWP response in the minimal case of one detector for one operation day (critical for the single-detector calibration process). We finally tested the modulation performance against typical HWP-induced systematics. Results. Our analysis shows that some stepped HWP schemes, either slowly rotating or combined with slow telescope modulations, represent poor choices. Moreover, our results point out that the nominal configuration may not be the most convenient choice. While a large class of spinning designs provides comparable results in terms of pixel angle coverage, map-making residuals and BB power spectrum standard deviations with respect to the nominal strategy, we find that some specific configurations (e.g., a rapidly spinning HWP with a slow gondola modulation) allow a more efficient polarization recovery in more general real-case situations. Conclusions. Although our simulations are specific to the LSPE-SWIPE mission, the general outcomes of our analysis can be easily generalized to other CMB polarization experiments

    Enhancing Perceptual Quality in Video Super-Resolution through Temporally-Consistent Detail Synthesis using Diffusion Models

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    In this paper, we address the problem of video super-resolution (VSR) using Diffusion Models (DM), and present StableVSR. Our method significantly enhances the perceptual quality of upscaled videos by synthesizing realistic and temporally-consistent details. We turn a pre-trained DM for single image super-resolution into a VSR method by introducing the Temporal Conditioning Module (TCM). TCM uses Temporal Texture Guidance, which provides spatially-aligned and detail-rich texture information synthesized in adjacent frames. This guides the generative process of the current frame toward high-quality and temporally-consistent results. We introduce a Frame-wise Bidirectional Sampling strategy to encourage the use of information from past to future and vice-versa. This strategy improves the perceptual quality of the results and the temporal consistency across frames. We demonstrate the effectiveness of StableVSR in enhancing the perceptual quality of upscaled videos compared to existing state-of-the-art methods for VSR. The code is available at https://github.com/claudiom4sir/StableVSR

    The geometry of the magnetic field in the central molecular zone measured by PILOT

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    We present the first far infrared (FIR) dust emission polarization map covering the full extent of Milky Way’s central molecular zone (CMZ). The data, obtained with the PILOT balloon-borne experiment, covers the Galactic center region −2 ◦ < ` < 2◦, −4◦ < b < 3◦ at a wavelength of 240 µm and an angular resolution of 2.20 . From our measured dust polarization angles, we infer a magnetic field orientation projected onto the plane of the sky (POS) that is remarkably ordered over the full extent of the CMZ, with an average tilt angle of '22◦ clockwise with respect to the Galactic plane. Our results confirm previous claims that the field traced by dust polarized emission is oriented nearly orthogonally to the field traced by GHz radio synchrotron emission in the Galactic center region. The observed field structure is globally compatible with the latest Planck polarization data at 353 and 217 GHz. Upon subtraction of the extended emission in our data, the mean field orientation that we obtain shows good agreement with the mean field orientation measured at higher angular resolution by the JCMT within the 20 and 50 km s−1 molecular clouds. We find no evidence that the magnetic field orientation is related to the 100 pc twisted ring structure within the CMZ. The low polarization fraction in the Galactic center region measured with Planck at 353 GHz combined with a highly ordered projected field orientation is unusual. This feature actually extends to the whole inner Galactic plane. We propose that it could be caused by the increased number of turbulent cells for the long lines of sight towards the inner Galactic plane or to dust properties specific to the inner regions of the Galaxy. Assuming equipartition between magnetic pressure and ram pressure, we obtain magnetic field strength estimates of the order of 1 mG for several CMZ molecular clouds

    Strong Evidence of Anomalous Microwave Emission from the Flux Density Spectrum of M31

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    We have observed the Andromeda galaxy, Messier 31 (M31), at 6.7 GHz with the Sardinia Radio Telescope. We mapped the radio emission in the C-band, re-analyzed WMAP and Planck maps, as well as other ancillary data, and we have derived an overall integrated flux density spectrum from the radio to the infrared. This allowed us to estimate the emission budget from M31. Integrating over the whole galaxy, we found strong and highly significant evidence for anomalous microwave emission (AME), at the level of 1.45_(-0.19)^(+0.17) Jy at the peaking frequency of ≃ 25 GHz. Decomposing the spectrum into known emission mechanisms such as free–free, synchrotron, thermal dust, and AME arising from electric dipole emission from rapidly rotating dust grains, we found that the overall emission from M31 is dominated, at frequencies below 10 GHz, by synchrotron emission with a spectral index of -1.10_(-0.08)^(+0.10), with subdominant free–free emission. At frequencies ≳ 10 GHz, AME has a similar intensity to that of synchrotron and free–free emission, overtaking them between 20 and 50 GHz, whereas thermal dust emission dominates the emission budget at frequencies above 60 GHz, as expected

    The geometry of the magnetic field in the central molecular zone measured by PILOT

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    We present the first far infrared (FIR) dust emission polarization map covering the full extent of Milky Way’s central molecular zone (CMZ). The data, obtained with the PILOT balloon-borne experiment, covers the Galactic center region − 2° < ℓ < 2°, − 4° < b < 3° at a wavelength of 240 μm and an angular resolution of 2.2′. From our measured dust polarization angles, we infer a magnetic field orientation projected onto the plane of the sky (POS) that is remarkably ordered over the full extent of the CMZ, with an average tilt angle of ≃22° clockwise with respect to the Galactic plane. Our results confirm previous claims that the field traced by dust polarized emission is oriented nearly orthogonally to the field traced by GHz radio synchrotron emission in the Galactic center region. The observed field structure is globally compatible with the latest Planck polarization data at 353 and 217 GHz. Upon subtraction of the extended emission in our data, the mean field orientation that we obtain shows good agreement with the mean field orientation measured at higher angular resolution by the JCMT within the 20 and 50 km s−1 molecular clouds. We find no evidence that the magnetic field orientation is related to the 100 pc twisted ring structure within the CMZ. The low polarization fraction in the Galactic center region measured with Planck at 353 GHz combined with a highly ordered projected field orientation is unusual. This feature actually extends to the whole inner Galactic plane. We propose that it could be caused by the increased number of turbulent cells for the long lines of sight towards the inner Galactic plane or to dust properties specific to the inner regions of the Galaxy. Assuming equipartition between magnetic pressure and ram pressure, we obtain magnetic field strength estimates of the order of 1 mG for several CMZ molecular clouds
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