Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Measurements of the polarization of the cosmic microwave background are critical for modern cosmology as they constrain the physics of the early universe and cosmic inflation. BICEP Array is using a series of small-aperture polarimeters located at the South Pole to measure this signal with a projected uncertainty on the tensor-to-scalar ratio r of approximately 0.001 by 2034. The 30/40 GHz receiver and the 150 GHz receiver have been observing the cosmic microwave background for multiple years, and data from these receivers will be included in the next published BICEP analysis result which includes all data taken through 2024. The 220/270 GHz receiver is partially completed with seven out of twelve detector modules installed, and is planned to be filled with five additional modules prior to the 2027 observation season. Finishing this receiver is a top priority for BA as the science goals of the experiment require the dust foreground cleaning this receiver will enable. On-site characterization efforts for this receiver from the 2025-26 austral summer show satisfactory spectroscopy, beam pointing, and 220 GHz efficiency, while the 270 GHz efficiency is an active area of work.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Authors: Steiger, A., Ade, P. A. R., Ahmed, Z., Amiri, M., Barkats, D., Thakur, R. Basu, Bischoff, C. A., Beck, D., Bock, J. J., Buza, V., Cantrall, B., Cheshire, J. R., IV, Connors, J., Cornelison, J., Crumrine, M., Cukierman, A. J., Denison, E., Duband, L., Echter, M. A., Eiben, M., Elwood, B. D., Fatigoni, S., Filippini, J. P., Fortes, A., Gao, M., Giannakopoulos, C., Goeckner-Wald, N., Goldfinger, D. C., Gratton, S., Grayson, J. A., Greathouse, A., Grimes, P. K., Halpern, M., Henderson, S., Hoang, T. D., Hubmayr, J., Hui, H., Irwin, K. D., Poza, M. Izquierdo, Kang, J. H., Karkare, K. S., Kefeli, S., Kovac, J. M., Kuo, C., Lasko, K., Lau, K., Lautzenhiser, M., Liu, G., Mackey, S. C., Maher, N., Megerian, K. G., Minutolo, L., Moncelsi, L., Nakato, Y., Nguyen, H. T., O'Brient, R., Paine, S. N., Patel, A., Petroff, M. A., Polish, A. R., Prouve, T., Pryke, C., Reintsema, C. D., Romand, T., Salatino, M., Schillaci, A., Schmitt, B., Singari, B., Soliman, A., Germaine, T. St., Steinbach, B., Sudiwala, R., Thompson, K. L., Tucker, C., Turner, A. D., Vergès, C., Vieregg, A. G., Wandui, A., Weber, A. C., Willmert, J., Wu, W. L. K., Yang, H., Yu, C., Zeng, L., Zhang, C., Zhang, S.
Institutions: California Institute of Technology, Cardiff University, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Stanford University, University of British Columbia, Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian, University of Cincinnati, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, University of Chicago, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Argonne National Laboratory, University of Minnesota, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives, University of Iceland, Harvard University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Cambridge, Boston University
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: Collaborative Research: Imaging the Beginning of Time from the South Pole: Completing the BICEP Array Survey, G2676722403, Collaborative Research: Imaging the Beginning of Time from the South Pole: Completing the BICEP Array Survey, Research Infrastructure: MRI: Development of a Small Aperture Telescope Pathfinder to Advance Studies of the Polarized Cosmic Microwave Background, MSIP: Innovation to Achieve the Full Science Reach of the BICEP Array Stage 3 CMB Polarization Experiment, MRI: Development of a 150 GHz Receiver for the BICEP Array CMB Polarimeter, G830101876
OpenAlex ID: W7204444927