Status of CMB polarization measurements from DASI and other experiments

We review the current status and future plans for polarization measurements of the cosmic microwave background radiation, as well as the cosmology these measurements will address. After a long period of increasingly sensitive upper limits, the DASI experiment has detected the E-mode polarization and both the DASI and WMAP experiments have detected the TE correlation. These detections provide confirmation of the standard model of adiabatic primordial density fluctuations consistent with inflationary models. The WMAP TE correlation on large angular scales provides direct evidence of significant reionization at higher redshifts than had previously been supposed. These detections mark the beginning of a new era in CMB measurements and the rich cosmology that can be gleaned from them.     

Mapping the CMB sky: THE BOOMERanG experiment

We describe the BOOMERanG experiment, a stratospheric balloon telescope intended to measure the Cosmic Microwave Background anisotropy at angular scales between a few degrees and ten arcminutes. The experiment has been optimized for a long duration (7 to 14 days) flight circumnavigating Antarctica at the end of 1998. A test flight was performed on 30 August 1997 in Texas. The level of performance achieved in the test flight was satisfactory and compatible with the requirements for the long duration flight.     

COMPASS: an instrument for measuring the polarization of the CMB on intermediate angular scales

COMPASS is an on-axis 2.6-m telescope coupled to a correlation polarimeter. The entire instrument was built specifically for CMB polarization studies. Careful attention was given to receiver and optics design, stability of the pointing platform, avoidance of systematic offsets, and development of data analysis techniques. Here we describe the experiment, its strengths and weaknesses, and the various things we have learned that may benefit future efforts to measure the polarization of the CMB.     

Limits on the detectability of the CMB B-mode polarization imposed by foregrounds

We investigate which practical constraints are imposed by foregrounds on the detection of the B-mode polarization generated by gravitational waves, in the case of experiments of the type currently being planned. As the B-mode signal is probably dominated by foregrounds at all frequencies, the detection of the cosmological component depends drastically on our ability to remove foregrounds. We provide an analytical expression with which to estimate the level of the residual polarization for Galactic foregrounds, according to the method employed for their subtraction. We interpret this result in terms of the lower limit of the tensor-to-scalar ratio r that allows us to disentangle the cosmological B-mode polarization from the foreground contribution. Polarized emission from extragalactic radio sources and gravitational lensing is also taken into account. As a first approach, we consider the ideal limit of an instrumental noise-free experiment: for full-sky coverage and a resolution of 1°, we obtain a limit of   r ∼ 10⁻⁴  . This value can be improved by high-resolution experiments and, in principle, there is no clear fundamental limit on the detectability of the polarization of gravitational waves. Our analysis is also applied to planned or hypothetical future polarization experiments, taking into account expected noise levels.     

Map making in small field modulated CMB polarization experiments: approximating the maximum likelihood method

Map making presents a significant computational challenge to the next generation of kilopixel cosmic microwave background polarization experiments. Years worth of time ordered data (TOD) from thousands of detectors will need to be compressed into maps of the T , Q and U Stokes parameters. Fundamental to the science goal of these experiments, the observation of B modes, is the ability to control noise and systematics. In this paper, we consider an alternative to the maximum likelihood method, called destriping , where the noise is modelled as a set of discrete offset functions and then subtracted from the time stream. We compare our destriping code (Descart: the DEStriping CARTographer) to a full maximum likelihood mapmaker, applying them to 200 Monte Carlo simulations of TOD from a ground-based, partial-sky polarization modulation experiment. In these simulations, the noise is dominated by either detector or atmospheric  1/ f   noise. Using prior information of the power spectrum of this noise, we produce destriped maps of T , Q and U which are negligibly different from optimal. The method does not filter the signal or bias the E- or B-mode power spectra. Depending on the length of the destriping baseline, the method delivers between five and 22 times improvement in computation time over the maximum likelihood algorithm. We find that, for the specific case of single detector maps, it is essential to destripe the atmospheric  1/ f   in order to detect B modes, even though the Q and U signals are modulated by a half-wave plate spinning at 5 Hz.     

The Planck High Frequency Instrument, a third generation CMB experiment, and a full sky submillimeter survey

The High Frequency Instrument (HFI) of Planck is the most sensitive CMB experiment ever planned. Statistical fluctuations (photon noise) of the CMB itself will be the major limitation to the sensitivity of the CMB channels. Higher frequency channels will measure galactic foregrounds. Together with the Low Frequency Instrument, this will make a unique tool to measure the full sky and to separate the various components of its spectrum. Measurement of the polarization of these various components will give a new picture of the CMB. In addition, HFI will provide the scientific community with new full sky maps of intensity and polarization at six frequencies, with unprecedented angular resolution and sensitivity. This paper describes the logics that prevailed to define the HFI and the performances expected from this instrument. It details several features of the HFI design that has not been published up to now.     

Solar pulsations observed from the geographic South Pole: Initial results

Initial results of round-the-clock observations of solar oscillations at the South Pole are briefly summarized by describing the Figures 1 to 4.Proceedings of the 14th ESLAB Symposium on Physics of Solar Variations, 16–19 September 1980, Scheveningen, The Netherlands.     

Cataclysmic variables in a white dwarf survey at the South Galactic Pole

During a photometric and spectrophotometric survey of 200 white dwarf candidates with m_pg<15^m.0 in a field around the South Galactic Pole two new cataclysmic variables have been identified and new observations of one already known object have been accumulated. Observations in the visible and UV-region show variability and differences in spectral type. If compared to the numbers of cataclysmic variables/white dwarfs as computed by Ritter and Burkert (1985) there is a shortage of a factor of 5.Paper presented at the IAU Colloquium No. 93 on Cataclysmic Variables. Recent Multi-Frequency Observations and Theoretical Developments, held at Dr. Remeis-Sternwarte Bamberg, F.R.G., 16–19 June, 1986.     

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

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^′ to 2°. 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.     

OMEGA/Mars Express: South Pole Region, water vapor daily variability

Polar regions on Mars are the most suitable places to observe water vapor daily variability because in any observation crossing the Pole we can observe very different local time and because the poles are considered to be the main permanent and seasonal water reservoir of the planet. We report on a daily variability of water vapor in the South Pole Region (SPR), observed by OMEGA/Mars Express during the south spring-summer period (Ls∼250°-270°) outside the CO₂ ice cap, that has never been observed before by other instruments. We have been able to estimate an increase of few precipitable microns during the day. A possible scenario includes the presence of regolith, or another component that could gather water from the atmosphere, adsorbing the water into the surface during the night time and desorbing it as soon as the Sun reaches sufficient height to heat the ground. This hypothesis is even more plausible considering the presence of observed local enhancements in the morning sections associated with the illumination of the Sun and the total absence in the data for water ice.     

Full-disk observations of solar oscillations from the geographic South Pole: Latest results

This paper presents the latest results obtained from the analysis of the full-disk Doppler shift observations obtained at the geographic South Pole in 1981. About 80 normal modes of oscillation (l = 0–3) have now been identified. Their frequencies range from 1886 Hz (l = 1, n = 12) to 5074.5 Hz (l = 2, n = 35), and their amplitudes are as low as 2.5 cm s^-1. Amplitude modulation occurs with periods of 1–2 days, and the individual oscillations appear to be excited randomly and independently. In cases where other groups have observed some of the modes identified by us, the agreement in frequency is good.Proceedings of the 66th IAU Colloquium: Problems in Solar and Stellar Oscillations, held at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory, U.S.S.R., 1–5 September, 1981.     

Crumbs from the crust of Vesta: Achondritic cosmic spherules from the South Pole water well

Abstract— Ten glass cosmic spherules (CS) from the South Pole water well collection were analyzed by electron microprobe. Nine of them have Fe/Mn and Fe/Mg ratios in the range typical of chondrites. One of them (SP37‐3), along with up to six other previously analyzed CS, have nonchondritic Fe/Mn and Fe/Mg ratios that agree well with values typical of either (basaltic) howardite, eucrite, and diogenite (HED) meteorites or Martian basalts, but not of lunar samples. SP37‐3 also contains an anorthite relic grain. Anorthite has not previously been reported in cosmic spherules, but is well known in HED meteorites. The much greater frequency of HEDs among hand‐sized meteorites suggests but does not prove that HED precursors are more likely for the nonchondritic spherules. We estimate that HED‐like micrometeorites constitute ～0.5 ± 0.4% of the total population of micrometeorites in the South Pole water well, a fraction that translates to a flux of 1.6 ± 0.3 × 10^?8g HED micrometeorites/m²‐y. The ratio of HED‐like objects to carbonaceous objects is about 100 times less in micrometeorites than among hand‐size specimens. We infer that the comparative mechanical weakness of carbonaceous precursor materials tends to encourage spherule formation.     

Comparison of the atmosphere above the South Pole, Dome C and Dome A: first attempt

The atmospheric properties above three sites (Dome C, Dome A and the South Pole) on the Internal Antarctic Plateau are investigated for astronomical applications using the monthly median of the analyses from ECMWF (the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts). Radiosoundings extended on a yearly time-scale at the South Pole and Dome C are used to quantify the reliability of the ECMWF analyses in the free atmosphere as well as in the boundary and surface layers, and to characterize the median wind speed in the first 100 m above the two sites. Thermodynamic instability properties in the free atmosphere above the three sites are quantified with monthly median values of the Richardson number. We find that the probability to trigger thermodynamic instabilities above 100 m is smaller on the Internal Antarctic Plateau than on mid-latitude sites. In spite of the generally more stable atmospheric conditions of the Antarctic sites compared to mid-latitude sites, Dome C shows worse thermodynamic instability conditions than those predicted above the South Pole and Dome A above 100 m. A rank of the Antarctic sites done with respect to the strength of the wind speed in the free atmosphere (ECMWF analyses) as well as the wind shear in the surface layer (radiosoundings) is presented.     

On the APM power spectrum and the CMB anisotropy: evidence for a phase transition during inflation?

Adams et al. have noted that according to our current understanding of the unification of fundamental interactions, there should have been phase transitions associated with spontaneous symmetry breaking during the inflationary era. This may have resulted in the breaking of scale-invariance of the primordial density perturbation for brief periods. A possible such feature was identified in the power spectrum of galaxy clustering in the automated plate measurement (APM) survey at the scale k  ∼ 0.1  h  Mpc ^− 1 and it was shown that the secondary acoustic peaks in the power spectrum of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy should consequently be suppressed. We demonstrate that this prediction is confirmed by the recent Boomerang and Maxima observations, which favour a step-like spectral feature in the range k  ∼ (0.06–0.6)  h  Mpc ^− 1 , independently of the similar previous indication from the APM data. Such a spectral break enables an excellent fit to both APM and CMB data with a baryon density consistent with the big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) value. It also allows the possibility of a matter-dominated universe with zero cosmological constant, which we show can now account for even the evolution of the abundance of rich clusters.     

Mid-infrared polarization studies of SgrA: a three-dimensional study of the central parsec

Thermal emission from magnetically aligned dust grains produces the observed mid-infrared polarization in the northern arm and east–west bar of SgrA West; recent arcsecond-resolution imaging polarimetry at 12.5 μm of these ionized filaments is presented, which confirms and extends previous studies. A lower limit ∼2 mG is found for the magnetic field in the northern arm and the IRS16 complex appears to be displaced from the northern arm by ∼ 0.15 pc along the line of sight. It is shown that the physical conditions in the ionized filaments of the central parsec lead to a very uniform grain alignment that is directed along the local magnetic field. The position angle of polarized emission will then be at right angles to the projection of the field direction on the plane of the sky and its amplitude a measure of the component of field along the line of sight; this makes possible a partial reconstruction of the field in three dimensions. We present the first application of the use of polarimetry in this way. This partial reconstruction is compared with the H92α observations of Roberts et al. and the implications are that the northern arm and east–west bar do not define either an orbital path or a spiral arm but rather represent a tidally stretched structure in free fall about SgrA^★ with significant deviations from a single plane, and most likely represent the inner ionized rim of a more extended neutral cloud.     

Finite source effect on the polarization degree induced by a single microlens

We investigate the effect of a single microlens on Stokes parameters. Semi-analytical formulae of the microlensed Stokes parameters are derived. The formulae not only reduce the double integrals in the estimations of those quantities but can also be approximated to a useful form in the bypass case. By using our formulation, we show that a combination of polarimetric data with photometric data enables us to estimate not only the finite source effect but also the direction of the microlens motion.     

Effects of Rayleigh-scattering polarization on reflected intensity: a fast and accurate approximation method for atmospheres with aerosols

Solar radiation reflected by the atmospheres of Neptune and Uranus is dominated by Rayleigh scattering at visible wavelengths, and thus subject to the effects of polarization. Ignoring these effects can lead to errors in reflected intensity of more than 9% in a clear atmosphere. But solving the full vector equation of transfer is computationally very costly, forcing approximations with limitations that are not well understood and not generally applicable to spatially resolved observations and complex atmospheric structures. Using accurate vector radiation transfer calculations, it is here shown that differences between vector and scalar results near zero phase angle have systematic dependencies on optical depth, single scattering albedo, and angle, that provide a basis for accurate approximation of the reflected intensities. With little computational cost, it is possible to calculate corrected spatially resolved scalar intensities that closely match vector intensities, with individual errors rarely exceeding 1%, and mean and RMS errors generally within a few tenths of 1%. The correction method accounts for the attenuating effects of clouds and molecular absorption.