DASI: The Degree Angular Scale Interferometer

• Published in: Symposium - International Astronomical Union
• Main Authors: Leitch, E. M., Carlstrom, J. E., Davidson, G., Dragovan, M., Halverson, N. W., Holzapfel, W. L., Laroque, S., Kovac, J., Pryke, C., Schartman, E., Yamasaki, M. J.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 2005
• Subjects: Amundsen-Scott; Austral; South Pole; South pole
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0074180900216070; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0074180900216070

We describe the design and current status of the Degree Angular Scale Interferometer (DASI), a compact cm-wave interferometer operating at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole research station. With 20-cm diameter primary antenna elements operating over the frequency range 26 − 36 GHz, DASI is optimized to measure the power spectrum of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) over the multipole range 140 − 920, (corresponding to scales of 25′ − 2°.6), as well as make high-sensitivity maps of the microwave sky. The telescope was built at the University of Chicago and deployed at the South Pole during the 1999-2000 austral summer.