The POLARBEAR Fourier transform spectrometer calibrator and spectroscopic characterization of the POLARBEAR instrument
- Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (WPI), The University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study,The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8583, Japan
- Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, California 92093-0424, USA
- Physics Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA;Departamento de Física, FCFM, Universidad de Chile, Blanco Encalada 2008, Santiago, Chile
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA
- School of Physics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
- Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (WPI), The University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study,The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8583, Japan;Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QH, United Kingdom
- High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0801, Japan
- Physics Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA;Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
- Department of Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
- Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, California 92093-0424, USA;National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand, Chiangmai, Thailand
- Department of Physics, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
- High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0801, Japan;SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Shonan Village, Hayama, Kanagawa 240-0193, Japan
- Radio Astronomy Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
Here we describe the Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS) used for in-field testing of the POLARBEAR receiver, an experiment located in the Atacama Desert of Chile which measures the cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization. The POLARBEAR-FTS (PB-FTS) is a Martin-Puplett interferometer designed to couple to the Huan Tran Telescope (HTT) on which the POLARBEAR receiver is installed. The PB-FTS measured the spectral response of the POLARBEAR receiver with signal-to-noise ratio >20 for ~69% of the focal plane detectors due to three features: a high throughput of 15.1 sr cm2, optimized optical coupling to the POLARBEAR optics using a custom designed output parabolic mirror, and a continuously modulated output polarizer. The PB-FTS parabolic mirror is designed to mimic the shape of the 2.5 m-diameter HTT primary reflector, which allows for optimum optical coupling to the POLARBEAR receiver, reducing aberrations and systematics. One polarizing grid is placed at the output of the PB-FTS and modulated via continuous rotation. This modulation allows for decomposition of the signal into different harmonics that can be used to probe potentially pernicious sources of systematic error in a polarization-sensitive instrument. The high throughput and continuous output polarizer modulation features are unique compared to other FTS calibrators used in the CMB field. In-field characterization of the POLARBEAR receiver was accomplished using the PB-FTS in April 2014. We discuss the design, construction, and operation of the PB-FTS and present the spectral characterization of the POLARBEAR receiver. We introduce future applications for the PB-FTS in the next-generation CMB experiment, the Simons Array.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC); Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS); Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica (CONICYT); Australian Research Council; World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI); Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT); European Research Council (ERC)
- Contributing Organization:
- POLARBEAR Collaboration
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC02-05CH11231; JP17F17025; 77047; 1130777; 1171811; FT150100074; 18K13558; 18H04347; 616170
- OSTI ID:
- 1632130
- Journal Information:
- Review of Scientific Instruments, Vol. 90, Issue 11; ISSN 0034-6748
- Publisher:
- American Institute of Physics (AIP)Copyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Web of Science
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