Optimization and sensitivity of the Keck Array

Abstract

The Keck Array (SPUD) began observing the cosmic microwave background's polarization in the winter of 2011 at the South Pole. The Keck Array follows the success of the predecessor experiments Bicep and Bicep2, using five on-axis refracting telescopes. These have a combined imaging array of 2500 antenna-coupled TES bolometers read with a SQUID-based time domain multiplexing system. We will discuss the detector noise and the optimization of the readout. The achieved sensitivity of the Keck Array is 11.5 μK_(CMB)*sqrt{s} in the 2012 configuration.

Presented at SPIE 2012 Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation Conference. Will be published in the proceedings

References in corpus (4)

• Three Year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) Observations: Polarization Analysis
• A Measurement of the Damping Tail of the Cosmic Microwave Background Power Spectrum with the South Pole Telescope
• Antenna-coupled TES Bolometer Arrays for BICEP2/Keck and SPIDER
• BICEP2 and Keck Array operational overview and status of observations

Cited by in corpus (9)

• BICEP2 II: Experiment and Three-Year Data Set
• Delensing the CMB with the Cosmic Infrared Background
• BICEP2 / Keck Array V: Measurements of B-mode Polarization at Degree Angular Scales and 150 GHz by the Keck Array
• Antenna-coupled TES bolometers used in BICEP2, Keck array, and SPIDER
• BICEP2 III: Instrumental Systematics
• Assessments of Ali, Dome A, and Summit Camp for Mm-wave Observations Using MERRA-2 Reanalysis
• BICEP2 and Keck Array operational overview and status of observations
• Optical Characterization of the Keck Array Polarimeter at the South Pole
• High-sensitivity transition-edge-sensed bolometers: improved speed and characterization with AC and DC bias