IRAM 30米望远镜COSMOCal项目的概念验证
Proof of concept of the COSMOCal project at the IRAM 30m telescope
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中文总结 AI 辅助
本文验证了COSMOCal仪器在IRAM 30m望远镜的性能，为其作为星载校准参考用于CMB实验的绝对校准提供了地面验证基础。
中文摘要 AI 辅助
本工作报告了在IRAM 30m望远镜开展的测试 campaign，旨在验证COSMOCal仪器——一种用于偏振角、波束特性及仪器效率绝对校准的新概念。当前及下一代宇宙微波背景（CMB）实验对校准的严格要求推动了该研发，这类实验目标是精确测量CMB偏振，而该测量对探索基础物理至关重要，包括原初暴胀的可能印记。COSMOCal概念设计为星载校准参考，旨在提供稳定且绝对的偏振信号，供多个大口径地面观测站同时观测。在任何太空部署前，已研发地面原型并在实验室完成特性表征，相关结果已在Ritacco等人2024年的研究中报道。本文呈现的结果描述了2024年9月在IRAM 30m望远镜开展的、该系统与天线耦合的首次验证，此次 campaign 旨在评估整套仪器在实际观测条件下的性能，包括其重建偏振观测量的能力及与最先进毫米波偏振计的接口适配性。
英文摘要
This work reports on a test campaign conducted at the IRAM 30m telescope to validate the COSMOCal instrument, a novel concept for absolute calibration of polarization angle, beam properties, and instrumental efficiency. The development is motivated by the stringent calibration requirements of current and next-generation Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) experiments, whose goal is the precise measurement of CMB polarization. Such measurements are essential to probe fundamental physics, including the possible imprint of primordial inflation. The COSMOCal concept is designed as a space-borne calibration reference intended to provide a stable and absolute polarized signal observable simultaneously by multiple large-aperture ground-based observatories. Prior to any space deployment, a terrestrial prototype was developed and characterized in the laboratory, as reported in Ritacco et al. 2024. The results presented here describe the first validation of the system coupled to an antenna, carried out at the IRAM 30m telescope in September 2024. This campaign aimed at assessing the performance of the full instrument under realistic observational conditions, including its ability to reconstruct polarization observables and interface with a state-of-the-art millimeter-wave polarimeter.
