CMB Telescopes and Optical Systems

Abstract

The cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) is now firmly established as a fundamental and essential probe of the geometry, constituents, and birth of the Universe. The CMB is a potent observable because it can be measured with precision and accuracy. Just as importantly, theoretical models of the Universe can predict the characteristics of the CMB to high accuracy, and those predictions can be directly compared to observations. There are multiple aspects associated with making a precise measurement. In this review, we focus on optical components for the instrumentation used to measure the CMB polarization and temperature anisotropy. We begin with an overview of general considerations for CMB observations and discuss common concepts used in the community. We next consider a variety of alternatives available for a designer of a CMB telescope. Our discussion is guided by the ground and balloon-based instruments that have been implemented over the years. In the same vein, we compare the arc-minute resolution Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) and the South Pole Telescope (SPT). CMB interferometers are presented briefly. We conclude with a comparison of the four CMB satellites, Relikt, COBE, WMAP, and Planck, to demonstrate a remarkable evolution in design, sensitivity, resolution, and complexity over the past thirty years.

To appear in: Planets, Stars and Stellar Systems (PSSS), Volume 1: Telescopes and Instrumentation

References in corpus (16)

• Three-Year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) Observations: Temperature Analysis
• Galaxy clusters discovered with a Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect survey
• Optical Design of the Atacama Cosmology Telescope and the Millimeter Bolometric Array Camera
• Three-Year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) Observations: Beam Profiles, Data Processing, Radiometer Characterization and Systematic Error Limits
• A refined model for spinning dust radiation
• The Fast Fourier Transform Telescope
• The Balloon-borne Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope: BLAST
• CMB Polarization Systematics Due to Beam Asymmetry: Impact on Inflationary Science
• Five-Year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP)Observations: Beam Maps and Window Functions
• Asymmetric Beams and CMB Statistical Anisotropy
• The First Public Release of South Pole Telescope Data: Maps of a 95-square-degree Field from 2008 Observations
• Systematic errors in cosmic microwave background polarization measurements
• First season QUaD CMB temperature and polarization power spectra
• Statistical Isotropy of CMB Polarization Maps
• Impact of Instrumental Systematics on the CMB Bispectrum
• The White Mountain Polarimeter Telescope and an Upper Limit on CMB Polarization

Cited by in corpus (5)

• Exploring Cosmic Origins with CORE: The Instrument
• Cryogenic infrared filter made of alumina for use at millimeter wavelength
• A wide field-of-view crossed Dragone optical system using the anamorphic aspherical surfaces
• The optical system of the Tenerife Microwave Spectrometer: a window for observing the 10-20 GHz sky spectra
• Cosmic Microwave Background Science at Commercial Airline Altitudes