POLARBEAR/Simons Array: High-fidelity maps of CMB polarization to study large-scale structure, measure neutrino masses, and search for the signature of inflation

University Of California-Berkeley, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Abstract

The POLARBEAR experiment measures polarized fluctuations in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) to search for the signature of gravitational waves from inflation, potentially opening a window on the universe a fraction of a second after the Big Bang. This is a major quest of current physics and astronomy and has broad implications for our understanding of the origin and history of the universe. AST has previously funded the construction, commissioning, and initial operations of the first POLARBEAR 3.5m-diameter telescope at the Atacama desert site near ALMA in Chile. The current award will support commissioning and operations of a second telesope under partnership with the Simons foundation and other collaborating institutions in the US, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The award will support advanced traning for students in instrumentation and facility development. Other broader impacts include educational programs for K-12 students and the general public. Science goals in addition to B-mode gravitational waves include a search for massive neutrinos, a map of large scale structure in the universe via gravitational lensing, and constraints on the primordial helium abundance and the effective number of relativistic species.