Bryan, S., Ade, Peter ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5127-0401 and Tucker, Carole ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1851-3918 2016. A cryogenic rotation stage with a large clear aperture for the half-wave plates in the Spider instrument. Review of Scientific Instruments 87 (1) , 014501. |
Abstract
We describe the cryogenic half-wave plate rotation mechanisms built for and used in Spider, a polarization-sensitive balloon-borne telescope array that observed the cosmic microwave background at 95 GHz and 150 GHz during a stratospheric balloon flight from Antarctica in January 2015. The mechanisms operate at liquid helium temperature in flight. A three-point contact design keeps the mechanical bearings relatively small but allows for a large (305 mm) diameter clear aperture. A worm gear driven by a cryogenic stepper motor allows for precise positioning and prevents undesired rotation when the motors are depowered. A custom-built optical encoder system monitors the bearing angle to an absolute accuracy of ±0.1∘. The system performed well in Spider during its successful 16 day flight.
Item Type: | Article |
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Date Type: | Publication |
Status: | Published |
Schools: | Physics and Astronomy |
Subjects: | Q Science > QB Astronomy Q Science > QC Physics |
Publisher: | American Institute of Physics |
ISSN: | 0034-6748 |
Date of Acceptance: | 1 December 2016 |
Last Modified: | 22 Oct 2022 13:42 |
URI: | https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/104410 |
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