BICEP: a cosmic microwave background polarization telescope at the South Pole

• Published in: Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union
• Main Author: Takahashi, Yuki D.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 2009
• Subjects: Astronomy and Astrophysics; Space and Planetary Science; South Pole; South pole
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s174392131001077x; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S174392131001077X

Abstract Bicep was a telescope designed to probe the polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) for the signature of gravitational waves produced during the epoch of inflation. The instrument was developed by a team of scientists from Caltech/JPL, UC Berkeley, and UC San Diego. It was installed at the South Pole in November 2005 and the CMB observations were conducted from February to November each year with one winter-over scientist responsible for operating and maintaining the instrument. Taking advantage of the excellent atmospheric conditions at the South Pole, we mapped 2% of the sky at 100 and 150 GHz. We completed 3 years of observations from 2006 to 2008, mapping the CMB polarization anisotropy at degree angular scales with unprecedented sensitivity. In 2010, a next generation instrument, Bicep2 , will be installed on the existing telescope mount for an even deeper survey.