2017 upgrade and performance of BICEP3: a 95GHz refracting telescope for degree-scale CMB polarization

Abstract

BICEP3 is a 520mm aperture on-axis refracting telescope observing the polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) at 95GHz in search of the B-mode signal originating from inflationary gravitational waves. BICEP3's focal plane is populated with modularized tiles of antenna-coupled transition edge sensor (TES) bolometers. BICEP3 was deployed to the South Pole during 2014-15 austral summer and has been operational since. During the 2016-17 austral summer, we implemented changes to optical elements that lead to better noise performance. We discuss this upgrade and show the performance of BICEP3 at its full mapping speed from the 2017 and 2018 observing seasons. BICEP3 achieves an order-of-magnitude improvement in mapping speed compared to a Keck 95GHz receiver. We demonstrate $6.6\mu K\sqrt{s}$ noise performance of the BICEP3 receiver.

arXiv comment12 pages, 9 figures, Published in Proc. SPIE. Presented at SPIE Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation Conference 10708: Millimeter, Submillimeter, and Far-Infrared Detectors and Instrumentation for Astronomy XI, June 2018

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Cited by in corpus (17)

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• BICEP Array: a multi-frequency degree-scale CMB polarimeter
• BICEP / Keck XIV: Improved constraints on axion-like polarization oscillations in the cosmic microwave background
• Recovering the CMB Signal with Machine Learning
• The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Map-Based Noise Simulations for DR6
• Design and performance of the first BICEP Array receiver
• BICEP / Keck XII: Constraints on axion-like polarization oscillations in the cosmic microwave background
• QUBIC V: Cryogenic system design and performance
• Design and performance of wide-band corrugated walls for the BICEP Array detector modules at 30/40 GHz
• The POLARBEAR Fourier Transform Spectrometer Calibrator and Spectroscopic Characterization of the POLARBEAR Instrument
• Optical characterization of the Keck Array and BICEP3 CMB Polarimeters from 2016 to 2019
• Analysis of Temperature-to-Polarization Leakage in BICEP3 and Keck CMB Data from 2016 to 2018
• Deep Needlet: A CNN based full sky component separation method in Needlet space
• BICEP Array cryostat and mount design
• Receiver development for BICEP Array, a next-generation CMB polarimeter at the South Pole
• The Design and Integrated Performance of SPT-3G