46 research outputs found
Second and third season QUaD CMB temperature and polarization power spectra
We report results from the second and third seasons of observation with the
QUaD experiment. Angular power spectra of the Cosmic Microwave Background are
derived for both temperature and polarization at both 100 GHz and 150 GHz, and
as cross frequency spectra. All spectra are subjected to an extensive set of
jackknife tests to probe for possible systematic contamination. For the
implemented data cuts and processing technique such contamination is
undetectable. We analyze the difference map formed between the 100 and 150 GHz
bands and find no evidence of foreground contamination in polarization. The
spectra are then combined to form a single set of results which are shown to be
consistent with the prevailing LCDM model. The sensitivity of the polarization
results is considerably better than that of any previous experiment -- for the
first time multiple acoustic peaks are detected in the E-mode power spectrum at
high significance.Comment: 24 pages, 23 figures, updated to reflect published versio
First season QUaD CMB temperature and polarization power spectra
QUaD is a bolometric CMB polarimeter sited at the South Pole, operating at frequencies of 100 and 150 GHz. In this paper we report preliminary results from the first season of operation (austral winter 2005). All six CMB power spectra are presented derived as cross spectra between the 100 and 150 GHz maps using 67 days of observation in a low foreground region of approximately 60 deg^2. These data are a small fraction of the data acquired to date. The measured spectra are consistent with the ΛCDM cosmological model. We perform jackknife tests that indicate that the observed signal has negligible contamination from instrumental systematics. In addition, by using a frequency jackknife we find no evidence for foreground contamination
QUaD: A High-Resolution Cosmic Microwave Background Polarimeter
We describe the QUaD experiment, a millimeter-wavelength polarimeter designed
to observe the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) from a site at the South Pole.
The experiment comprises a 2.64 m Cassegrain telescope equipped with a
cryogenically cooled receiver containing an array of 62 polarization-sensitive
bolometers. The focal plane contains pixels at two different frequency bands,
100 GHz and 150 GHz, with angular resolutions of 5 arcmin and 3.5 arcmin,
respectively. The high angular resolution allows observation of CMB temperature
and polarization anisotropies over a wide range of scales. The instrument
commenced operation in early 2005 and collected science data during three
successive Austral winter seasons of observation.Comment: 23 pages, author list and text updated to reflect published versio
Characterization of the Millimeter-Wave Polarization of Centaurus A with QUaD
Centaurus (Cen) A represents one of the best candidates for an isolated,
compact, highly polarized source that is bright at typical cosmic microwave
background (CMB) experiment frequencies. We present measurements of the 4
degree by 2 degree region centered on Cen A with QUaD, a CMB polarimeter whose
absolute polarization angle is known to 0.5 degrees. Simulations are performed
to assess the effect of misestimation of the instrumental parameters on the
final measurement and systematic errors due to the field's background structure
and temporal variability from Cen A's nuclear region are determined. The total
(Q, U) of the inner lobe region is (1.00 +/- 0.07 (stat.) +/- 0.04 (sys.),
-1.72 +/- 0.06 +/- 0.05) Jy at 100 GHz and (0.80 +/- 0.06 +/- 0.06, -1.40 +/-
0.07 +/- 0.08) Jy at 150 GHz, leading to polarization angles and total errors
of -30.0 +/- 1.1 degrees and -29.1 +/- 1.7 degrees. These measurements will
allow the use of Cen A as a polarized calibration source for future millimeter
experiments.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, v2 matches version published in Ap
Parameter Estimation from Improved Measurements of the CMB from QUaD
We evaluate the contribution of cosmic microwave background (CMB)
polarization spectra to cosmological parameter constraints. We produce
cosmological parameters using high-quality CMB polarization data from the
ground-based QUaD experiment and demonstrate for the majority of parameters
that there is significant improvement on the constraints obtained from
satellite CMB polarization data. We split a multi-experiment CMB dataset into
temperature and polarization subsets and show that the best-fit confidence
regions for the LCDM 6-parameter cosmological model are consistent with each
other, and that polarization data reduces the confidence regions on all
parameters. We provide the best limits on parameters from QUaD EE/BB
polarization data and we find best-fit parameters from the multi-experiment CMB
dataset using the optimal pivot scale of k_p=0.013 Mpc-1 to be {omch2, ombh2,
H_0, A_s, n_s, tau}= {0.113, 0.0224, 70.6, 2.29 times 10^-9, 0.960, 0.086}.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, updated to reflect published version, minor
changes to spelling and forma
Scientific optimization of a ground-based CMB polarization experiment
We investigate the science goals achievable with the upcoming generation of
ground-based Cosmic Microwave Background polarization experiments and calculate
the optimal sky coverage for such an experiment including the effects of
foregrounds. We find that with current technology an E-mode measurement will be
sample-limited, while a B-mode measurement will be detector-noise-limited. We
conclude that a 300 sq deg survey is an optimal compromise for a two-year
experiment to measure both E and B-modes, and that ground-based polarization
experiments can make an important contribution to B-mode surveys. Focusing on
one particular experiment, QUaD, a proposed bolometric polarimeter operating
from the South Pole, we find that a ground-based experiment can make a high
significance measurement of the acoustic peaks in the E-mode spectrum, and will
be able to detect the gravitational lensing signal in the B-mode spectrum. Such
an experiment could also directly detect the gravitational wave component of
the B-mode spectrum if the amplitude of the signal is close to current upper
limits. We also investigate how a ground-based experiment can improve
constraints on the cosmological parameters. We estimate that by combining two
years of QUaD data with the four-year WMAP data, an optimized ground-based
polarization experiment can improve constraints on cosmological parameters by a
factor of two. If the foreground contamination can be reduced, the measurement
of the tensor-to-scalar ratio can be improved by up to a factor of six over
that obtainable from WMAP alone.Comment: 17 pages, 11 figures replaced with version accepted by MNRA
Probing the last scattering surface through the recent and future CMB observations
We have constrained the extended (delayed and accelerated) models of hydrogen
recombination, by investigating associated changes of the position and the
width of the last scattering surface. Using the recent CMB and SDSS data, we
find that the recent data constraints favor the accelerated recombination
model, though the other models (standard, delayed recombination) are not ruled
out at 1- confidence level. If the accelerated recombination had
actually occurred in our early Universe, baryonic clustering on small-scales is
likely to be the cause of it. By comparing the ionization history of baryonic
cloud models with that of the best-fit accelerated recombination model, we find
that some portion of our early Universe has baryonic underdensity. We have made
the forecast on the PLANCK data constraint, which shows that we will be able to
rule out the standard or delayed recombination models, if the recombination in
our early Universe had proceeded with or lower, and
residual foregrounds and systematic effects are negligible.Comment: v2: matched with the accepted version (conclusions unchanged
Thermal history of the plasma and high-frequency gravitons
Possible deviations from a radiation-dominated evolution, occurring prior the
synthesis of light nuclei, impacted on the spectral energy density of
high-frequency gravitons. For a systematic scrutiny of this situation, the
CDM paradigm must be complemented by (at least two) physical
parameters describing, respectively, a threshold frequency and a slope. The
supplementary frequency scale sets the lower border of a high-frequency domain
where the spectral energy grows with a slope which depends, predominantly, upon
the total sound speed of the plasma right after inflation. While the infra-red
region of the graviton energy spectrum is nearly scale-invariant, the expected
signals for typical frequencies larger than 0.01 nHz are hereby analyzed in a
model-independent framework by requiring that the total sound speed of the
post-inflationary plasma be smaller than the speed of light. Current (e.g.
low-frequency) upper limits on the tensor power spectra (determined from the
combined analysis of the three large-scale data sets) are shown to be
compatible with a detectable signal in the frequency range of wide-band
interferometers. In the present context, the scrutiny of the early evolution of
the sound speed of the plasma can then be mapped onto a reliable strategy of
parameter extraction including not only the well established cosmological
observables but also the forthcoming data from wide band interferometers.Comment: 47 pages, 31 included figures, to appear in Classical and Quantum
Gravit
Improved measurements of the temperature and polarization of the CMB from QUaD
We present an improved analysis of the final dataset from the QUaD
experiment. Using an improved technique to remove ground contamination, we
double the effective sky area and hence increase the precision of our CMB power
spectrum measurements by ~30% versus that previously reported. In addition, we
have improved our modeling of the instrument beams and have reduced our
absolute calibration uncertainty from 5% to 3.5% in temperature. The robustness
of our results is confirmed through extensive jackknife tests and by way of the
agreement we find between our two fully independent analysis pipelines. For the
standard 6-parameter LCDM model, the addition of QUaD data marginally improves
the constraints on a number of cosmological parameters over those obtained from
the WMAP experiment alone. The impact of QUaD data is significantly greater for
a model extended to include either a running in the scalar spectral index, or a
possible tensor component, or both. Adding both the QUaD data and the results
from the ACBAR experiment, the uncertainty in the spectral index running is
reduced by ~25% compared to WMAP alone, while the upper limit on the
tensor-to-scalar ratio is reduced from r < 0.48 to r < 0.33 (95% c.l). This is
the strongest limit on tensors to date from the CMB alone. We also use our
polarization measurements to place constraints on parity violating interactions
to the surface of last scattering, constraining the energy scale of Lorentz
violating interactions to < 1.5 x 10^{-43} GeV (68% c.l.). Finally, we place a
robust upper limit on the strength of the lensing B-mode signal. Assuming a
single flat band power between l = 200 and l = 2000, we constrain the amplitude
of B-modes to be < 0.57 micro-K^2 (95% c.l.).Comment: 23 pages, 19 figures, updated to reflect published versio
Recommended from our members
The QUaD Galactic Plane Survey. II. A Compact Source Catalog
We present a catalog of compact sources derived from the QUaD Galactic Plane Survey. The survey covers ~800 deg2 of the inner galaxy (|b| < 4°) in Stokes I, Q, and U parameters at 100 and 150 GHz, with angular resolutions of 5 and 3.5 arcmin, respectively. Five hundred and twenty-six unique sources are identified in I, of which 239 are spatially matched between frequency bands, with 53 (234) detected at 100 (150) GHz alone; 170 sources are identified as ultracompact H ii regions. Approximating the distribution of total intensity source fluxes as a power law, we find a slope of γS, 100 = −1.8 ± 0.4 at 100 GHz and γS, 150 = −2.2 ± 0.4 at 150 GHz. Similarly, the power-law index of the source two-point angular correlation function is γθ, 100 = −1.21 ± 0.04 and γθ, 150 = −1.25 ± 0.04. The total intensity spectral index distribution peaks at αI ~ 0.25, indicating that dust emission is not the only source of radiation produced by these objects between 100 and 150 GHz; free–free radiation is likely significant in the 100 GHz band. Four sources are detected in polarized intensity P, of which three have matching counterparts in I. Three of the polarized sources lie close to the Galactic center, Sagittarius A*, Sagittarius B2, and the Galactic Radio Arc, while the fourth is RCW 49, a bright H ii region. An extended polarized source, undetected by the source extraction algorithm on account of its ~0fdg5 size, is identified visually, and is an isolated example of large-scale polarized emission oriented distinctly from the bulk Galactic dust polarization.Astronom