Advances in Cosmology and Millimeter-wavelength Instrumentation with the South Pole Telescope
by
Amy Bender
(McGill University)
→
US/Central
F-108 (ANL, Bldg. 362)
F-108
ANL, Bldg. 362
Description
Observations of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) can be used to place precise constraints on cosmology, study the growth of large-scale structure, detect galaxy clusters and much more. Measurements of the CMB polarization have the potential to constrain models of an inflationary epoch and the sum of neutrino masses. However, these signals are extremely faint and require unprecedented instrumental sensitivity and systematics control. The South Pole Telescope has performed a dedicated survey of the CMB for the past seven years, including polarization information for the past two years. I will describe the current instrument and results. I will also discuss how this technology is evolving to accommodate an order of magnitude increase in the number of detectors, moving to an exciting new regime of sensitivity.