Computer Science
Scientific paper
Oct 2004
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2004phdt........24c&link_type=abstract
Ph.D dissertation, 2004. 199 pages; United States -- Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin - Madison; 2004. Publication Number
Computer Science
1
Anisotropy, Cosmic Microwave Background
Scientific paper
We describe a series of instruments designed to measure the anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). The CMB is understood to be the relic radiation of the Big Bang; as the first radiation to propagate freely in the universe when it transitioned to an optically thin state, it is the oldest light in existance. As such, it represents a snapshot of the universe at a very young age, and encodes information vital to our understanding of the evolution of the cosmos into the complex system we observe today. This information is encoded in the statistical distribution of temperature differences (or anisotropy) in the microwave sky. These differences present a faint contrast of 1 part in 10 5 , or approximately 30mK on a 3K background.
The MSAM/TopHat series of high altitude balloon-borne experiments were designed to measure CMB anisotropy with high precision. We report on the development of ultra-high sensitivity detectors for the MSAM2 instrument, and the results of the initial MSAM2 flight in 1997. For the MSAM2 1997 flight, we find significant excess variance in the 90 and 105 GHz sky maps. This excess variance is likely due to CMB temperature fluctuations, but the possibility of foreground contamination cannot be excluded. We also report on the development of the photometer for the next generation Tophat instrument, which flew on an Antarctic long duration circumpolar balloon flight and observed a 48° diameter section of sky centered on the South Celestial Pole.
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