Absolute polarization angle calibration using polarized diffuse Galactic emission observed by BICEP

• Main Authors: Matsumura, Tomotake, Bock, James J., Crill, Brendan P., Dowell, C. Darren, Hristov, Viktor V., Lange, Andrew E., Mason, Peter V., Richter, Steffen
• Other Authors: Holland, Wayne S., Zmuidzinas, Jonas
• Format: Book Part
• Language: English
• Published: Society of Photo-optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) 2010
• Subjects: South Pole; South pole
• Online Access: https://authors.library.caltech.edu/22876/; https://authors.library.caltech.edu/22876/2/Matsumura2010p12887Adaptive_Optics_Systems_Pts_1-3.pdf; https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20110314-155138851

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° in absolute polarization orientation. Bicep observed the temperature and polarization of the Galactic plane (R.A = 100° ~ 270° and Dec. = -67° ~ -48°). We show that the statistical error in the 100 GHz Bicep Galaxy map can constrain the polarization angle offset of Wmap W band to 0.6° ± 1.4°. The expected 1σ errors on the polarization angle cross-calibration for Planck or EPIC are 1.3° and 0.3° at 100 and 150 GHz, respectively. We also discuss the expected improvement of the Bicep Galactic field observations with forthcoming Bicep2 and Keck observations.