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The POLARBEAR Fourier transform spectrometer calibrator and spectroscopic characterization of the POLARBEAR instrument

Journal Article · · Review of Scientific Instruments
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5095160· OSTI ID:1632130
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [2];  [5];  [6];  [7];  [8];  [2];  [9];  [7];  [10];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [11];  [2];  [10];  [2] more »;  [12];  [7];  [2];  [13];  [14];  [15];  [2];  [16] « less
  1. 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
  2. Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, California 92093-0424, USA
  3. Physics Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
  4. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA; Departamento de Física, FCFM, Universidad de Chile, Blanco Encalada 2008, Santiago, Chile
  5. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA
  6. School of Physics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
  7. Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
  8. 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
  9. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QH, United Kingdom
  10. High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0801, Japan
  11. Physics Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA; Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
  12. Department of Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
  13. Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, California 92093-0424, USA; National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand, Chiangmai, Thailand
  14. Department of Physics, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
  15. 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
  16. 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:
Australian Research Council; Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica (CONICYT); European Research Council (ERC); Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS); Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT); USDOE Office of Science (SC); World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI)
Contributing Organization:
POLARBEAR Collaboration
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-05CH11231
OSTI ID:
1632130
Journal Information:
Review of Scientific Instruments, Journal Name: Review of Scientific Instruments Journal Issue: 11 Vol. 90; ISSN 0034-6748
Publisher:
American Institute of Physics (AIP)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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