The primordial inflation polarization explorer: science from circular polarization measurements

Switzer, Eric, Ade, P. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5127-0401, Benford, D. J., Bennett, C. L., Chuss, D. T., Dotson, J. L., Eimer, J., Fixsen, D. J., Halpern, M., Hinshaw, G. F., Irwin, K., Jhabvala, C., Johnson, B., Kogut, A. J., Lazear, J., Mirel, P., Moseley, S. H., Staguhn, J., Tucker, C. E. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1851-3918, Weston, A. and Wollack, E. 2014. The primordial inflation polarization explorer: science from circular polarization measurements. Presented at: 223rd Meeting of the American Astronomical Society, Washington DC, United States, 05-09 January 2014.

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Abstract

The Primordial Inflation Polarization Explorer (PIPER) is a balloon-borne CMB polarimeter designed to constrain the B-mode signature of cosmological inflation. Sequential one-day flights from Northern- and Southern- Hemisphere sites will yield maps of Stokes I, Q, U and V at 200, 270, 350 and 600 GHz over 85% of the sky. The full optical path is cooled to 1.5 K by liquid helium in the ARCADE bucket dewar, and a variable-delay polarization modulator (VPM) at the front of the optics modulates the polarization response. Independent Q and U cameras each have two 32x40 Transition Edge Sensor array receivers. In addition to its primary inflationary science goal, PIPER will also measure the circular (Stokes V) polarization to a depth similar to that of the primary linear polarization. The circular polarization has received relatively little attention in large-area surveys, with constraints from the 1980’s and recent results by the Milan Polarimeter. Astrophysical circular polarization is generally tied to the presence of magnetic fields, either in relativistic plasmas or Zeeman splitting of resonances. These effects are thought to be undetectable at PIPER's frequencies and resolution, despite the depth. The expectation of a null result makes the deep Stokes V map a good cross-check for experimental systematics. More fundamentally, the fact that the sky is expected to be dark in Stokes V makes it a sector sensitive to processes such as Lorentz-violating terms in the standard model or magnetic fields in the CMB era.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Physics and Astronomy
Last Modified:	11 May 2023 13:30
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/156784

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