MAXIPOL: a balloon-borne experiment for measuring the polarizationanisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation

Journal Article · Tue Nov 04 00:00:00 EST 2003 · New Astronomy Reviews

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.newar.2003.09.034· OSTI ID:893510

Johnson, B R; Abroe, M E; Ade, P; Bock, J; Borrill, J; Collins, J S; Ferreira, P; Hanany, S; Jaffe, A H; Jones, T; Lee, A T; Levinson, L; Matsumura, T; Rabii, B; Renbarger, T; Richards, P L; Smoot, G F; St ompor, R; Tran, H T; Winant, C D

We discuss MAXIPOL, a bolometric balloon-borne experiment designed to measure the E-mode polarization anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) on angular scales of 10 min. to 2 deg. MAXIPOL is the first CMB experiment to collect data with a polarimeter that utilizes a rotating half-wave plate and fixed wire-grid polarizer. We present the instrument design, elaborate on the polarimeter strategy and show the instrument performance during flight with some time domain data. Our primary dataset was collected during a 26 h turnaround flight that was launched from the National Scientific Ballooning Facility in Ft.Sumner, New Mexico in May 2003. During this flight five regions of the sky were mapped. Data analysis is in progress.

• Research Organization: COLLABORATION - U.Minnesota
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-05CH11231
• OSTI ID: 893510
• Report Number(s): LBNL--61777
• Journal Information: New Astronomy Reviews, Journal Name: New Astronomy Reviews Journal Issue: 11-12 Vol. 47
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ANISOTROPY
DATA ANALYSIS
DESIGN
NEW MEXICO
PERFORMANCE
PLATES
POLARIMETERS
POLARIZATION
RADIATIONS
RELICT RADIATION
SKY