Research Outputs
CLASS angular power spectra and map-component analysis for 40 GHz observations through 2022
Measurement of the largest angular scale (â„“ < 30) features of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization is a powerful way to constrain the optical depth to reionization and search for the signature of inflation through the detection of primordial B-modes. We present an analysis of maps covering 73.6% of the sky made from the 40 GHz channel of the Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor (CLASS) from 2016 August to 2022 May. Taking advantage of the measurement stability enabled by front-end polarization modulation and excellent conditions from the Atacama Desert, we show this channel achieves higher sensitivity than the analogous frequencies from satellite measurements in the range 10 < â„“ < 100. Simulations show the CLASS linear (circular) polarization maps have a white noise level of 125(130) uK arcmin. We measure the Galaxy-masked EE and BB spectra of diffuse synchrotron radiation and compare to space-based measurements at similar frequencies. In combination with external data, we expand measurements of the spatial variations of the synchrotron spectral energy density (SED) to include new sky regions and measure the diffuse SED in the harmonic domain. We place a new upper limit on a background of circular polarization in the range 5 < â„“ < 125 with the first bin showing Dâ„“ < 0.023 uK2CMB at 95% confidence. These results establish a new standard for recovery of the largest-scale CMB polarization from the ground and signal exciting possibilities when the higher sensitivity and higher-frequency CLASS channels are included in the analysis.
Sensitivity-improved polarization maps at 40 GHz with CLASS and WMAP data
Improved polarization measurements at frequencies below 70 GHz with degree-level angular resolution are crucial for advancing our understanding of the Galactic synchrotron radiation and the potential polarized anomalous microwave emission and ultimately benefiting the detection of primordial B modes. In this study, we present sensitivity-improved 40 GHz polarization maps obtained by combining the CLASS 40 GHz and Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) Q-band data through a weighted average in the harmonic domain. The decision to include WMAP Q-band data stems from similarities in the bandpasses. Leveraging the accurate large-scale measurements from the WMAP Q band and the high-sensitivity information from the CLASS 40 GHz band at intermediate scales, the noise level at â„“ ä [30, 100] is reduced by a factor of 2–3 in the map space. A pixel domain analysis of the polarized synchrotron spectral index (βs) using the WMAP K band and the combined maps (mean and 16th/84th percentiles across the βs map: -3.08 +0.20-0.20) reveals a stronger preference for spatial variation (probability to exceed for a uniform βs hypothesis smaller than 0.001) than the results obtained using WMAP K and Ka bands (-3.08 +0.14-0.14). The cross-power spectra of the combined maps follow the same trend as other low-frequency data, and validation through simulations indicates negligible bias introduced by the combination method (subpercent level in the power spectra). The products of this work are publicly available on LAMBDA (https://lambda.gsfc.nasa.gov/product/class/class_prod_table.html).
Microwave observations of Venus with CLASS
We report on the disk-averaged absolute brightness temperatures of Venus measured at four microwave frequency bands with the Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor. We measure temperatures of 432.3 ± 2.8, 355.6 ± 1.3, 317.9 ± 1.7, and 294.7 ± 1.9 K for frequency bands centered at 38.8, 93.7, 147.9, and 217.5 GHz, respectively. We do not observe any dependence of the measured brightness temperatures on solar illumination for all four frequency bands. A joint analysis of our measurements with lower-frequency Very Large Array observations suggests relatively warmer (∼7 K higher) mean atmospheric temperatures and lower abundances of microwave continuum absorbers than those inferred from prior radio occultation measurements.
Mapper of the IGM spin temperature: Instrument overview
The observation of the global 21 cm signal produced by neutral hydrogen gas in the intergalactic medium (IGM) during the Dark Ages, Cosmic Dawn, and Epoch of Reionization requires measurements with extremely well-calibrated wideband radiometers. We describe the design and characterization of the Mapper of the IGM Spin Temperature (MIST), which is a new ground-based, single-antenna, global 21 cm experiment. The design of MIST was guided by the objectives of avoiding systematics from an antenna ground plane and cables around the antenna, as well as maximizing the instrument’s on-sky efficiency and portability for operations at remote sites. We have built two MIST instruments, which observe in the range 25–105 MHz. For the 21 cm signal, this frequency range approximately corresponds to redshifts 55.5 > z > 12.5, encompassing the Dark Ages and Cosmic Dawn. The MIST antenna is a horizontal blade dipole of 2.42 m in length, 60 cm in width, and 52 cm in height above the ground. This antenna operates without a metal ground plane. The instruments run on 12 V batteries and have a maximum power consumption of 17 W. The batteries and electronics are contained in a single receiver box located under the antenna. We present the characterization of the instruments using electromagnetic simulations and lab measurements. We also show sample sky measurements from recent observations at remote sites in California, Nevada, and the Canadian High Arctic. These measurements indicate that the instruments perform as expected. Detailed analyses of the sky measurements are left for future work.
Simulating the detection of the global 21 cm Signal with MIST for different models of the soil and beam directivity
The Mapper of the IGM Spin Temperature (MIST) is a new ground-based, single-antenna, radio experiment attempting to detect the global 21 cm signal from the Dark Ages and Cosmic Dawn. A significant challenge in this measurement is the frequency dependence, or chromaticity, of the antenna beam directivity. MIST observes with the antenna above the soil and without a metal ground plane, and the beam directivity is sensitive to the electrical characteristics of the soil. In this paper, we use simulated observations with MIST to study how the detection of the global 21 cm signal from Cosmic Dawn is affected by the soil and the MIST beam directivity. We simulate observations using electromagnetic models of the directivity computed for single- and two-layer models of the soil. We test the recovery of the Cosmic Dawn signal with and without beam chromaticity correction applied to the simulated data. We find that our single-layer soil models enable a straightforward recovery of the signal even without chromaticity correction. Two-layer models increase the beam chromaticity and make the recovery more challenging. However, for the model in which the bottom soil layer has a lower electrical conductivity than the top layer, the signal can be recovered even without chromaticity correction. For the other two-layer models, chromaticity correction is necessary for the recovery of the signal, and the accuracy requirements for the soil parameters vary between models. These results will be used as a guideline to select observation sites that are favorable for the detection of the Cosmic Dawn signal.
Two-year Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor (CLASS) Observations: A measurement of circular polarization at 40 GHz
We report measurements of circular polarization from the first two years of observation with the 40 GHz polarimeter of the Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor (CLASS). CLASS is conducting a multi-frequency survey covering 75% of the sky from the Atacama Desert designed to measure the cosmic microwave background (CMB) linear E and B polarization on angular scales 1°  θ 90°, corresponding to a multipole range of 2 ℓ  200. The modulation technology enabling measurements of linear polarization at the largest angular scales from the ground, the Variable-delay Polarization Modulator, is uniquely designed to provide explicit sensitivity to circular polarization (Stokes V ). We present a first detection of circularly polarized atmospheric emission at 40 GHz that is well described by a dipole with an amplitude of 124 4 K  m when observed at an elevation of 45°, and discuss its potential impact on the recovery of linear polarization by CLASS. Filtering the atmospheric component, CLASS places a 95% confidence upper limit of 0.4 Km 2 to 13.5 Km 2 on ℓℓ C ( ) () + 1 2 ℓ p VV for 1 120  ℓ , representing an improvement by two orders of magnitude over previous CMB limits.
Two-year Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor (CLASS) Observations: A First Detection of Atmospheric Circular Polarization at Q band
The Earth’s magnetic field induces Zeeman splitting of the magnetic dipole transitions of molecular oxygen in the atmosphere, which produces polarized emission in the millimeter-wave regime. This polarized emission is primarily circularly polarized and manifests as a foreground with a dipole-shaped sky pattern for polarizationsensitive ground-based cosmic microwave background experiments, such as the Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor (CLASS), which is capable of measuring large angular scale circular polarization. Using atmospheric emission theory and radiative transfer formalisms, we model the expected amplitude and spatial distribution of this signal and evaluate the model for the CLASS observing site in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. Then, using two years of observations at 32°. 3 to 43.7 GHz from the CLASS Q-band telescope, we present a detection of this signal and compare the observed signal to that predicted by the model. We recover an angle between magnetic north and true north of −5°. 5 ± 0°. 6, which is consistent with the expectation of −5°.9 for the CLASS observing site. When comparing dipole sky patterns fit to both simulated and data-derived sky maps, the dipole directions match to within a degree, and the measured amplitudes match to within ∼20%.
Contenido de humedad en fardos de papel y cartĂ³n a travĂ©s de la potencia de recepciĂ³n en el rango de las microondas
El presente tiene por finalidad medir el contenido de humedad en fardos de papel y cartĂ³n aplicando tĂ©cnica de microonda en el espacio libre definido por la trayectoria de la onda electromagnĂ©tica, particularmente en este trabajo es antena transmisora, aire, muestra, aire y antena receptora. Se realizaron a escala de laboratorio mediciones en diferentes probetas que simulan las caracterĂsticas de los fardos a distintos contenidos de humedad. La cuantificaciĂ³n de la interacciĂ³n entre el material y las microondas se logra a travĂ©s de mediciones de potencia en recepciĂ³n en un rango de frecuencia de los 3,84-12,5 GHz para luego establecer la frecuencia Ă³ptima de mediciĂ³n. La informaciĂ³n obtenida experimentalmente se somete a una fase de anĂ¡lisis de las distribuciones medias de las variables estudiadas, en busca de una o varias curvas de calibraciĂ³n que permitan estimar el contenido de humedad en cada fardo. Los resultados obtenidos evidencian una relaciĂ³n entre la potencia de recepciĂ³n a diferentes contenidos de humedad, por otra parte, la variabilidad de las muestras y el ambiente del laboratorio influye en las mediciones.
Venus observations at 40 and 90 GHz with CLASS
Using the Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor, we measure the disk-averaged absolute Venus brightness temperature to be 432.3 ± 2.8 K and 355.6 ± 1.3 K in the Q and W frequency bands centered at 38.8 and 93.7 GHz, respectively. At both frequency bands, these are the most precise measurements to date. Furthermore, we observe no phase dependence of the measured temperature in either band. Our measurements are consistent with a CO2-dominant atmospheric model that includes trace amounts of additional absorbers like SO2 and H2SO4.
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Modeling bulk atmospheric motion
Fluctuating atmospheric emission is a dominant source of noise for ground-based millimeter-wave observations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature anisotropy at angular scales ≳0.5°. We present a model of the atmosphere as a discrete set of emissive turbulent layers that move with respect to the observer with a horizontal wind velocity. After introducing a statistic derived from the time-lag dependent correlation function for detector pairs in an array, referred to as the pair-lag, we use this model to estimate the aggregate angular motion of the atmosphere derived from time-ordered data from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT). We find that estimates derived from ACT’s CMB observations alone agree with those derived from satellite weather data that additionally include a height-dependent horizontal wind velocity and water vapor density. We also explore the dependence of the measured atmospheric noise spectrum on the relative angle between the wind velocity and the telescope scan direction. In particular, we find that varying the scan velocity changes the noise spectrum in a predictable way. Computing the pair-lag statistic opens up new avenues for understanding how atmospheric fluctuations impact measurements of the CMB anisotropy.