BICEP: Background Imaging of Cosmic

Extragalactic Polarization

“The Muscle Behind Curls”

Jamie BockHien Nguyen

Caltech/JPL

Andrew LangeBrian KeatingKi Won YoonEric HivonCynthia Chiang

Bill HolzapfelYuki Takihashi

U.C. Berkeley

Peter Ade

U. Cardiff

http://www.astro.caltech.edu/~lgg/bicep_front.htm

The Challenge of CMB Polarimetry

What do we need?• Significant advance system sensitivity• Control systematic errors at < 0.1 K levels• Distinguish CMB from Galactic Foregrounds• Distinguish Gravity-wave Signal from Lensing

BICEPQUEST

BICEP

• A uniquely powerful probe for curl modes – key to understanding the physics of inflation

• ~100 times faster mapping speed than current experiments (e.g. BOOMERANG)

• 8” aperture refractor • Minimal Systematics• Technological Precursor for NASA “Beyond

Einstein” Mission CMBPOL 2003-2020 http://universe.gsfc.nasa.gov/roadmap.html

Instrument

The first pair of PSBs

• ~20 cm primary aperture

• Refractive wide-field optics

• ~20 FOV

• 0.7 (150 GHz) and 1.0 (100 GHz) resolutions

• 48 feeds / 96 polarization-sensitive bolometers at 250 mK

• South Pole site: great atmosphere, low foregrounds & conducive to deep integrations

•BICEP is a large Cryostat.

•Refracting optics cooled to 4K

•Uses both LN2 and LHe with a four day hold time.

Detectors cooled to 250 mK

BICEP will be housed in the renovated Penthouse of the Dark Sector Lab

BICEP is an Experiment- Not a Facility

•BICEP will deploy in December 2004

•BICEP will need to observe for three seasons in order to reach its scientificgoals.

•At the end of this time, the telescope will be removed.

Major Support Requirements

Facilities: Modification of DSL penthouse for BICEP mount

Temporary Summer Laboratory Space

Cryogenics: Liquid Nitrogen 20 liters/day,

Liquid Helium 17 liters/day

Power: ~15 KW

Data Transmission: ~2GB/day

Critical Schedule Dates

Laboratory Space: becomes available 11/22/04

DSL Modifications: complete 12/4/04

Mount installation: 12/7/04

Receiver installation: 12/22/04

Telescope Operations Begin: 1/14/05

Condition occupancy of DSL was not scheduled until 1/1/05.This presented a significant challenge to this “success oriented” schedule. – as of today, problem solved