The C-Band All Sky Survey: Diffuse Galactic Emission and CMB Polarization

California Institute Of Technology, Pasadena CA

Investigators

Abstract

The C-Band All Sky Survey (C-BASS) is a radio survey at 5 GHz of the entire sky sensitive to total intensity and linear polarization, with minimal corruption by instrumental systematics. The northern part of the survey will use a new cryogenic receiver, optimized for both total intensity and linear polarization, on a 6.1-meter antenna at the Owens Valley Radio Observatory. A parallel southern survey will be conducted using an identical receiver on a 7.6-meter antenna in South Africa. The C-BASS will be the first survey of diffuse Galactic emission at a frequency low enough to be dominated by synchrotron radiation but high enough to be uncorrupted by Faraday rotation effects. It will provide new information about the Galactic interstellar medium, magnetic field, and radiation mechanisms. The C-BASS will be of great value in studies of the polarization of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB). C-BASS will significantly improve the accuracy of foreground subtraction in these studies. Broader impacts include public release of the data, training of students in instrumentation, and outreach to audiences from a variety of age groups and cultural backgrounds.