BICEP / Keck XIV: Improved constraints on axion-like polarization oscillations in the cosmic microwave background
Keck Collaboration, P. A. R. Ade, Z. Ahmed, M. Amiri, D. Barkats, R. Basu Thakur, C. A. Bischoff, D. Beck, J. J. Bock, H. Boenish, E. Bullock, V. Buza, J. R. Ch… 展开作者
Keck Collaboration, P. A. R. Ade, Z. Ahmed, M. Amiri, D. Barkats, R. Basu Thakur, C. A. Bischoff, D. Beck, J. J. Bock, H. Boenish, E. Bullock, V. Buza, J. R. Cheshire, J. Connors, J. Cornelison, M. Crumrine, A. Cukierman, E. V. Denison, M. Dierickx, L. Duband, M. Eiben, S. Fatigoni, J. P. Filippini, S. Fliescher, N. Goeckner-Wald, D. C. Goldfinger, J. Grayson, P. Grimes, G. Hall, G. Halal, M. Halpern, E. Hand, S. Harrison, S. Henderson, S. R. Hildebrandt, G. C. Hilton, J. Hubmayr, H. Hui, K. D. Irwin, J. Kang, K. S. Karkare, E. Karpel, S. Kefeli, S. A. Kernasovskiy, J. M. Kovac, C. L. Kuo, K. Lau, E. M. Leitch, A. Lennox, K. G. Megerian, L. Minutolo, L. Moncelsi, Y. Nakato, T. Namikawa, H. T. Nguyen, R. O'Brient, R. W. Ogburn, S. Palladino, T. Prouve, C. Pryke, B. Racine, C. D. Reintsema, S. Richter, A. Schillaci, R. Schwarz, B. L. Schmitt, C. D. Sheehy, A. Soliman, T. St. Germaine, B. Steinbach, R. V. Sudiwala, G. P. Teply, K. L. Thompson, J. E. Tolan, C. Tucker, A. D. Turner, C. Umilta, C. Verges, A. G. Vieregg, A. Wandui, A. C. Weber, D. V. Wiebe, J. Willmert, C. L. Wong, W. L. K. Wu, H. Yang, K. W. Yoon, E. Young, C. Yu, L. Zeng, C. Zhang, S. Zhang
We present an improved search for axion-like polarization oscillations in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) with observations from the Keck Array. An all-sky, temporally sinusoidal rotation of CMB polarization, equivalent to a time-variable cosmic birefringence, is an observable manifestation of a local axion field and potentially allows a CMB polarimeter to detect axion-like dark matter directly. We describe improvements to the method presented in previous work, and we demonstrate the updated method with an expanded dataset consisting of the 2012-2015 observing seasons. We set limits on the axion-photon coupling constant for mass $m$ in the range $10^{-23}$-$10^{-18}~\mathrm{eV}$, which corresponds to oscillation periods on the order of hours to years. Our results are consistent with the background model. For periods between $1$ and $30~\mathrm{d}$ ($1.6 \times 10^{-21} \leq m \leq 4.8 \times 10^{-20}~\mathrm{eV}$), the $95\%$-confidence upper limits on rotation amplitude are approximately constant with a median of $0.27^\circ$, which constrains the axion-photon coupling constant to $g_{ϕγ} < (4.5 \times 10^{-12}~\mathrm{GeV}^{-1}) m/(10^{-21}~\mathrm{eV}$), if axion-like particles constitute all of the dark matter. More than half of the collected BICEP dataset has yet to be analyzed, and several current and future CMB polarimetry experiments can apply the methods presented here to achieve comparable or superior constraints. In the coming years, oscillation measurements can achieve the sensitivity to rule out unexplored regions of the axion parameter space.
We discuss implications of the latest BICEP/Keck data release for inflationary models, with special emphasis on the cosmological attractors which can describe all presently available inflation-related observational data. These models are compatible with any value of the tensor to scalar ratio $r$, all the way down to $r = 0$. Some of the string theory motivated models of this class predict $10^{-3} \leq r \leq 10^{-2}$. The upper part of this range can be explored by the ongoing BICEP/Keck observations.
Recent BICEP/Keck data on the cosmic microwave background, in combination with previous WMAP and Planck data, impose strong new constraints on the tilt in the scalar perturbation spectrum, $n_s$, as well as the tensor-to-scalar ratio, $r$. These constrain the number of e-folds of inflation, $N_*$, the magnitude of the inflaton coupling to matter, $y$, and the reheating temperature, $T_{\rm reh}$, which we evaluate in attractor models of inflation as formulated in no-scale supergravity. The 68% C.L. region of $(n_s, r)$ favours large values of $N_*, y$ and $T_{\rm reh}$ that are constrained by …
The Hubble tension that the standard $Λ$CDM model is suffering from can be resolved with pre-recombination early dark energy. We present the first constraint on the tensor-to-scalar ratio $r$ in corresponding Hubble-tension-free cosmologies using the most recent BICEP/Keck cosmic microwave background (CMB) B-mode polarization data. We find, combining BICEP/Keck with Planck18 CMB and baryon acoustic oscillation data, that the models with larger Hubble constant $H_0$ will have tighter upper bound on $r$, and resolution $H_0\sim73$ km/s/Mpc of the Hubble tension tightens the upper bound to $r<0.0…
BICEP2 and the Keck Array are polarization-sensitive microwave telescopes that observe the cosmic microwave background (CMB) from the South Pole at degree angular scales in search of a signature of inflation imprinted as B-mode polarization in the CMB. BICEP2 was deployed in late 2009, observed for three years until the end of 2012 at 150 GHz with 512 antenna-coupled transition edge sensor bolometers, and has reported a detection of B-mode polarization on degree angular scales. The Keck Array was first deployed in late 2010 and will observe through 2016 with five receivers at several frequenci…
In this work, we show the effect of the non-minimal coupling $ξϕ^2 R$ on the inflationary parameters by considering the single-field inflation and present the inflationary predictions of the appealing potential for the particle physics viewpoint: Natural Inflation, an axion-like inflaton which has a cosine-type periodic potential and the inflaton naturally emerges as a pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone boson with a spontaneously broken global symmetry. We present the inflationary predictions for this potential, $n_s$, $r$, and $α=\mathrm{d}n_s/\mathrm{d}\ln k$. In addition, we assume standard thermal his…
We derive a new upper bound on the tensor-to-scalar ratio parameter $r$ using the frequentist profile likelihood method. We vary all the relevant cosmological parameters of the $Λ$CDM model, as well as the nuisance parameters. Unlike the Bayesian analysis using Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC), our analysis is independent of the choice of priors. Using $Planck$ Public Release 4, BICEP/Keck Array 2018, $Planck$ CMB lensing, and BAO data, we find an upper limit of $r<0.037$ at 95% C.L., similar to the Bayesian MCMC result of $r<0.038$ for a flat prior on $r$ and a conditioned $Planck$ lowlEB cova…
The recent results of the BICEP and Keck collaborations have put stringent bounds on many inflationary models, including some well-motivated ones. This is certainly the case when gravity remains described by Einstein's theory up to the inflationary scale, but can be avoided by introducing quadratic-in-curvature terms that are effective at that scale. Recently it has also been shown that these terms can UV complete gravity respecting stability and unitarity. Here the predictions of such quadratic gravity are computed and compared with the BICEP/Keck constraints by focusing on some of the inflat…
The polarization of cosmic microwave background (CMB) can be used to constrain cosmological birefringence, the rotation of the linear polarization of CMB photons potentially induced by parity violating physics beyond the standard model. This effect produces non-null CMB cross correlations between temperature and B mode-polarization, and between E- and B-mode polarization. Both cross-correlations are otherwise null in the standard cosmological model. We use the recently released 2015 Planck likelihood in combination with the Bicep2/Keck/Planck (BKP) likelihood to constrain the birefringence ang…
BICEP/Keck XX: Component-separated maps of polarized CMB and thermal dust emission using Planck and BICEP/Keck Observations through the 2018 Observing Season
BICEP3 is a 520 mm aperture, compact two-lens refractor designed to observe the polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) at 95 GHz. Its focal plane consists of modularized tiles of antenna-coupled transition edge sensors (TESs), similar to those used in BICEP2 and the Keck Array. The increased per-receiver optical throughput compared to BICEP2/Keck Array, due to both its faster f/1.7 optics and the larger aperture, more than doubles the combined mapping speed of the BICEP/Keck program. The BICEP3 receiver was recently upgraded to a full complement of 20 tiles of detectors (2560 TE…
We present new constraints on spectator axion-${\rm U}(1)$ gauge field interactions during inflation using the latest $Planck$ (PR4) and BICEP/Keck 2018 data releases. This model can source tensor perturbations from amplified gauge field fluctuations, driven by an axion rolling for a few e-folds during inflation. The gravitational waves sourced in this way have a strongly scale-dependent (and chiral) spectrum, with potentially visible contributions to large/intermediate scale $B$-modes of the CMB. We first derive theoretical bounds on the model imposing validity of the perturbative regime and …
We present results from an analysis of all data taken by the BICEP2, Keck Array and BICEP3 CMB polarization experiments up to and including the 2018 observing season. We add additional Keck Array observations at 220 GHz and BICEP3 observations at 95 GHz to the previous 95/150/220 GHz data set. The $Q/U$ maps now reach depths of 2.8, 2.8 and 8.8 $μ{\mathrm K}_{cmb}$ arcmin at 95, 150 and 220 GHz respectively over an effective area of $\approx 600$ square degrees at 95 GHz and $\approx 400$ square degrees at 150 & 220 GHz. The 220 GHz maps now achieve a signal-to-noise on polarized dust emission…
The Keck Array is a system of cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarimeters, each similar to the BICEP2 experiment. In this paper we report results from the 2012 and 2013 observing seasons, during which the Keck Array consisted of five receivers all operating in the same (150 GHz) frequency band and observing field as BICEP2. We again find an excess of B-mode power over the lensed-$Λ$CDM expectation of $> 5 σ$ in the range $30 < \ell < 150$ and confirm that this is not due to systematics using jackknife tests and simulations based on detailed calibration measurements. In map difference and sp…
We examine further the ability of the New Early Dark Energy model (NEDE) to resolve the current tension between the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) and local measurements of $H_0$ and the consequences for inflation. We perform new Bayesian analyses, including the current datasets from the ground-based CMB telescopes Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT), the South Pole Telescope (SPT), and the BICEP/Keck telescopes, employing an updated likelihood for the local measurements coming from the S$H_0$ES collaboration. Using the S$H_0$ES prior on $H_0$, the combined analysis with Baryonic Acoustic Osc…
The BICEP2 and Keck Array experiments are designed to measure the polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) on angular scales of 2-4 degrees (l=50-100). This is the region in which the B-mode signal, a signature prediction of cosmic inflation, is expected to peak. BICEP2 was deployed to the South Pole at the end of 2009 and is in the middle of its third year of observing with 500 polarization-sensitive detectors at 150 GHz. The Keck Array was deployed to the South Pole at the end of 2010, initially with three receivers--each similar to BICEP2. An additional two receivers have been …
The BICEP and Keck Array experiments are a suite of small-aperture refracting telescopes observing the microwave sky from the South Pole. They target the degree-scale B-mode polarization signal imprinted in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) by primordial gravitational waves. Such a measurement would shed light on the physics of the very early universe. While BICEP2 observed for the first time a B-mode signal at 150 GHz, higher frequencies from the Planck satellite showed that it could be entirely due to the polarized emission from Galactic dust, though uncertainty remained high. Keck Array…
We present results from an analysis of all data taken by the BICEP2/Keck CMB polarization experiments up to and including the 2015 observing season. This includes the first Keck Array observations at 220 GHz and additional observations at 95 & 150 GHz. The $Q/U$ maps reach depths of 5.2, 2.9 and 26 $μ$K$_{cmb}$ arcmin at 95, 150 and 220 GHz respectively over an effective area of $\approx 400$ square degrees. The 220 GHz maps achieve a signal-to-noise on polarized dust emission approximately equal to that of Planck at 353 GHz. We take auto- and cross-spectra between these maps and publicly avai…
We consider observational limits on a proposed model of the string landscape in inflation. In this scenario, effects from the decoherence of entangled quantum states in long-wavelength modes in the universe result in modifications to the Friedmann Equation and a corresponding modification to inflationary dynamics. Previous work by Holman, Mersini-Houghton, and Takahashi suggested that such effects could provide an explanation for well-known anomalies in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), such as the lack of power on large scales and the "cold spot" seen by both the WMAP and Planck satellit…
BICEP3 is a $550~mm$ aperture telescope with cold, on-axis, refractive optics designed to observe at the $95~GHz$ band from the South Pole. It is the newest member of the BICEP/Keck family of inflationary probes specifically designed to measure the polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) at degree-angular scales. BICEP3 is designed to house 1280 dual-polarization pixels, which, when fully-populated, totals to $\sim$9$\times$ the number of pixels in a single Keck $95~GHz$ receiver, thus further advancing the BICEP/Keck program's $95~GHz$ mapping speed. BICEP3 was deployed during t…
Comment on: "Third-order corrections to the slow-roll expansion: Calculation and constraints with Planck, ACT, SPT, and BICEP/Keck [2025 PDU 47 101813]"
We explore the thermal light sterile neutrino situation from cosmological perspective in the $Λ\textrm{CDM} + r_{0.05} + N_{\textrm{eff}} + m^{\textrm{eff}}_{\textrm{s}}$ model using combinations of latest data sets available. Here, $r_{0.05}$ is the tensor-to-scalar ratio at the pivot scale of $k_*=0.05h$ Mpc$^{-1}$, $N_{\textrm{eff}}$ is the effective number of relativistic species during recombination, and $m^{\textrm{eff}}_{\textrm{s}}$ is the effective mass of the sterile neutrino. Among Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) datasets, we use Planck 2015 temperature and low-$l$ ($l <$ 30) pola…
We examine the statistical properties of polarization maps from Planck 2018 within the patch of sky observed by the BICEP2/Keck experiment using the one point distribution function (1PDF), skewness, and kurtosis statistics. Our analysis is performed for the Q and U Stokes parameters and for the corresponding E- and B-modes of the CMB signals. We extend our analysis by studying the correlations between CMB polarization maps and residual maps (the difference between the full signal and the CMB map) for the frequency range of 100--217 GHz with both the Q/U and E/B approaches. Although all the CMB…
We present a search for axion-like polarization oscillations in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) with observations from the Keck Array. A local axion field induces an all-sky, temporally sinusoidal rotation of CMB polarization. A CMB polarimeter can thus function as a direct-detection experiment for axion-like dark matter. We develop techniques to extract an oscillation signal. Many elements of the method are generic to CMB polarimetry experiments and can be adapted for other datasets. As a first demonstration, we process data from the 2012 observing season to set upper limits on the axio…
BICEP2/Keck and SPIDER are cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarimeters targeting the B-mode polarization induced by primordial gravitational waves from inflation. They will be using planar arrays of polarization sensitive antenna-coupled TES bolometers, operating at frequencies between 90 GHz and 220 GHz. At 150 GHz each array consists of 64 polarimeters and four of these arrays are assembled together to make a focal plane, for a total of 256 dual-polarization elements (512 TES sensors). The detector arrays are integrated with a time-domain SQUID multiplexer developed at NIST and read out u…
We report on the design and performance of the BICEP3 instrument and its first three-year data set collected from 2016 to 2018. BICEP3 is a 52cm aperture, refracting telescope designed to observe the polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) on degree angular scales at 95GHz. It started science observation at the South Pole in 2016 with 2400 antenna-coupled transition-edge sensor (TES) bolometers. The receiver first demonstrated new technologies such as large-diameter alumina optics, Zotefoam infrared filters, and flux-activated SQUIDs, allowing $\sim 10\times$ higher optical throu…
BICEP3 is a 550 mm-aperture refracting telescope for polarimetry of radiation in the cosmic microwave background at 95 GHz. It adopts the methodology of BICEP1, BICEP2 and the Keck Array experiments - it possesses sufficient resolution to search for signatures of the inflation-induced cosmic gravitational-wave background while utilizing a compact design for ease of construction and to facilitate the characterization and mitigation of systematics. However, BICEP3 represents a significant breakthrough in per-receiver sensitivity, with a focal plane area 5$\times$ larger than a BICEP2/Keck Array …
Current and future B-mode polarization data are the most powerful observables to constrain gravitational waves from the early Universe. We set conservative constraints on tensor modes when relaxing the inflationary consistency condition $n_t=-r/8$ between the tensor tilt $n_t$ and the tensor-to-scalar ratio r. By adding a power-law spectrum of tensor perturbations to $Λ$CDM, and parameterizing this tensor contribution by two independent primordial tensor-to-scalar ratios $(r_1,r_2)$ at $k_1 = 0.005$ Mpc$^{-1}$ and $k_2 = 0.02$ Mpc$^{-1}$, Planck and BICEP/Keck Array 2018 data (BK18) lead to co…
We present the strongest constraints to date on anisotropies of cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization rotation derived from 150 GHz data taken by the BICEP2/Keck Array CMB experiments up to and including the 2014 observing season (BK14). The definition of the polarization angle in BK14 maps has gone through self-calibration in which the overall angle is adjusted to minimize the observed TB and EB power spectra. After this procedure, the QU maps lose sensitivity to a uniform polarization rotation but are still sensitive to anisotropies of polarization rotation. This analysis places con…
For the past decade, the BICEP/Keck collaboration has been operating a series of telescopes at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station measuring degree-scale $B$-mode polarization imprinted in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) by primordial gravitational waves (PGWs). These telescopes are compact refracting polarimeters mapping about 2% of the sky, observing at a broad range of frequencies to account for the polarized foreground from Galactic synchrotron and thermal dust emission. Our latest publication "BK18" utilizes the data collected up to the 2018 observing season, in conjunction with t…
We characterize Galactic dust filaments by correlating BICEP/Keck and Planck data with polarization templates based on neutral hydrogen (H I) observations. Dust polarization is important for both our understanding of astrophysical processes in the interstellar medium (ISM) and the search for primordial gravitational waves in the cosmic microwave background (CMB). In the diffuse ISM, H I is strongly correlated with the dust and partly organized into filaments that are aligned with the local magnetic field. We analyze the deep BICEP/Keck data at 95, 150, and 220 GHz, over the low-column-density …
We present results from an analysis of all data taken by the BICEP2 & Keck Array CMB polarization experiments up to and including the 2014 observing season. This includes the first Keck Array observations at 95 GHz. The maps reach a depth of 50 nK deg in Stokes $Q$ and $U$ in the 150 GHz band and 127 nK deg in the 95 GHz band. We take auto- and cross-spectra between these maps and publicly available maps from WMAP and Planck at frequencies from 23 GHz to 353 GHz. An excess over lensed-LCDM is detected at modest significance in the 95x150 $BB$ spectrum, and is consistent with the dust contribut…
The BICEP/Keck Array experiment is a series of small-aperture refracting telescopes observing degree-scale Cosmic Microwave Background polarization from the South Pole in search of a primordial $B$-mode signature. As a pair differencing experiment, an important systematic that must be controlled is the differential beam response between the co-located, orthogonally polarized detectors. We use high-fidelity, in-situ measurements of the beam response to estimate the temperature-to-polarization (T $\rightarrow$ P) leakage in our latest data including observations from 2016 through 2018. This incl…
We present measurements of polarization lensing using the 150 GHz maps which include all data taken by the BICEP2 & Keck Array CMB polarization experiments up to and including the 2014 observing season (BK14). Despite their modest angular resolution ($\sim 0.5^\circ$), the excellent sensitivity ($\sim 3μ$K-arcmin) of these maps makes it possible to directly reconstruct the lensing potential using only information at larger angular scales ($\ell\leq 700$). From the auto-spectrum of the reconstructed potential we measure an amplitude of the spectrum to be $A^{ϕϕ}_{\rm L}=1.15\pm 0.36$ (Planck $Λ…
The Keck Array (SPUD) began observing the cosmic microwave background's polarization in the winter of 2011 at the South Pole. The Keck Array follows the success of the predecessor experiments Bicep and Bicep2, using five on-axis refracting telescopes. These have a combined imaging array of 2500 antenna-coupled TES bolometers read with a SQUID-based time domain multiplexing system. We will discuss the detector noise and the optimization of the readout. The achieved sensitivity of the Keck Array is 11.5 μK_(CMB)*sqrt{s} in the 2012 configuration.
BICEP/Keck XXI: Constraints on Early-Universe Parity Violation from Multipole-Dependent Birefringence
Cardiff University（卡迪夫大学）；Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Stanford University（斯坦福大学卡弗里粒子天体物理与宇宙学研究所）；SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory（斯坦福直线加速器中心）；University of British Columbia（不列颠哥伦比亚大学）；Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian（哈佛史密松尼天体物理中心）；California Institute of Technology（加州理工学院）；University of Cincinnati（辛辛那提大学）；Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology（加州理工学院喷气推进实验室）；Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, University of Chicago（芝加哥大学卡弗里宇宙物理学研究所）
Precision measurements of cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization require extreme control of instrumental systematics. In a companion paper we have presented cosmological constraints from observations with the BICEP2 and Keck Array experiments up to and including the 2015 observing season (BK15), resulting in the deepest CMB polarization maps to date and a statistical sensitivity to the tensor-to-scalar ratio of $σ(r) = 0.020$. In this work we characterize the beams and constrain potential systematic contamination from main beam shape mismatch at the three BK15 frequencies (95, 150, and…
Bicep Array is a cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization experiment that will begin observing at the South Pole in early 2019. This experiment replaces the five Bicep2 style receivers that compose the Keck Array with four larger Bicep3 style receivers observing at six frequencies from 30 to 270GHz. The 95GHz and 150GHz receivers will continue to push the already deep Bicep/Keck CMB maps while the 30/40GHz and 220/270GHz receivers will constrain the synchrotron and galactic dust foregrounds respectively. Here we report on the design and performance of the Bicep Array instruments focusing…
We present constraints on the tensor-to-scalar ratio r using a combination of BICEP/Keck 2018 and Planck PR4 data allowing us to fit for r consistently with the six parameters of the $Λ$CDM model without fixing any of them. In particular, we are able to derive a constraint on the reionization optical depth $τ$ and thus propagate its uncertainty onto the posterior distribution for r. While Planck sensitivity to r is no longer comparable with ground-based measurements, combining Planck with BK18 and BAO gives results consistent with r = 0 and tightens the constraint to r < 0.032.
The Keck Array is a cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarimeter that will begin observing from the South Pole in late 2010. The initial deployment will consist of three telescopes similar to BICEP2 housed in ultra-compact, pulse tube cooled cryostats. Two more receivers will be added the following year. In these proceedings we report on the design and performance of the Keck cryostat. We also report some initial results on the performance of antenna-coupled TES detectors operating in the presence of a pulse tube. We find that the performance of the detectors is not seriously impacted by the …
BICEP3 is a small-aperture refracting cosmic microwave background (CMB) telescope designed to make sensitive polarization maps in pursuit of a potential B-mode signal from inflationary gravitational waves. It is the latest in the BICEP/Keck Array series of CMB experiments at the South Pole, which has provided the most stringent constraints on inflation to date. For the 2016 observing season, BICEP3 was outfitted with a full suite of 2400 optically coupled detectors operating at 95 GHz. In these proceedings we report on the far field beam performance using calibration data taken during the 2015…
We present a method of cross-calibrating the polarization angle of a polarimeter using BICEP Galactic observations. \bicep\ was a ground based experiment using an array of 49 pairs of polarization sensitive bolometers observing from the geographic South Pole at 100 and 150 GHz. The BICEP polarimeter is calibrated to +/-0.01 in cross-polarization and less than +/-0.7 degrees in absolute polarization orientation. BICEP observed the temperature and polarization of the Galactic plane (R.A= 100 degrees ~ 270 degrees and Dec. = -67 degrees ~ -48 degrees). We show that the statistical error in the 10…
Searching for the signal of primordial gravitational waves in the B-modes (BB) power spectrum is one of the key scientific aims of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization experiments. However, this could be easily contaminated by several foreground issues, such as the thermal dust emission. In this paper we study another mechanism, the cosmic birefringence, which can be introduced by a CPT-violating interaction between CMB photons and an external scalar field. Such kind of interaction could give rise to the rotation of the linear polarization state of CMB photons, and consequently i…
BICEP/Keck XXII: Analysis of the South Pole Atmosphere for CMB Observations
Cardiff University（卡迪夫大学）；Stanford University（斯坦福大学）；SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory（SLAC国家加速器实验室）；University of British Columbia（不列颠哥伦比亚大学）；Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian（哈佛与史密森尼天体物理中心）；University of New Mexico（新墨西哥大学）；California Institute of Technology（加州理工学院）；University of Cincinnati（辛辛那提大学）；Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology（加州理工学院喷气推进实验室）；University of Chicago（芝加哥大学）
Cosmological Birefringence (CB) is a phenomenon, caused by parity violating modifications to electrodynamics, whereby the linear polarisation angle of light changes as photons traverse a vacuum. It is possible to use a number of different analysis techniques to constrain this effect using Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) polarisation observations. We investigate two different methods of constraining direction dependent birefringence for present and future CMB experiments including BICEP/Keck, Simons Observatory (SO), and LiteBIRD . Specifically we compare the constraints placed on anisotropic…
BICEP3 is a 520mm aperture on-axis refracting telescope observing the polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) at 95GHz in search of the B-mode signal originating from inflationary gravitational waves. BICEP3's focal plane is populated with modularized tiles of antenna-coupled transition edge sensor (TES) bolometers. BICEP3 was deployed to the South Pole during 2014-15 austral summer and has been operational since. During the 2016-17 austral summer, we implemented changes to optical elements that lead to better noise performance. We discuss this upgrade and show the performance of…
BICEP Array is the newest multi-frequency instrument in the BICEP/Keck Array program. It is comprised of four 550 mm aperture refractive telescopes observing the polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) at 30/40, 95, 150 and 220/270 GHz with over 30,000 detectors. We present an overview of the receiver, detailing the optics, thermal, mechanical, and magnetic shielding design. BICEP Array follows BICEP3's modular focal plane concept, and upgrades to 6" wafer to reduce fabrication with higher detector count per module. The first receiver at 30/40 GHz is expected to start observing a…
