Precise polarization angle calibration for CMB polarization experiments

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26800125
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Particle/Nuclear/Cosmic ray/Astro physics
• Research Institution: High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (2015-2016); The University of Tokyo (2014)
• Principal Investigator: Nishino Haruki 大学共同利用機関法人高エネルギー加速器研究機構, 素粒子原子核研究所, 特任助教 (80706804)
• Research Collaborator: FUJINO Takuro 横浜国立大学, 大学院工学府, 大学院生 ; Jaehnig Greg University of Colorado, Boulder・Physics Department, 大学院生
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 宇宙マイクロ波背景放射 / インフレーション宇宙論 / 偏光

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Polarization measurements of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) is a unique tool to probe the beginning of the universe. The inflation theory predicts that the primordial gravitational wave from the inflationary universe created polarization patterns called B-mode in the CMB polarization. To mitigate possible systematic errors from miscalibrations of polarization angles, this research has been performed to improve angle calibrations for CMB experiments. I have been focusing on the bright polarized celestial source, called Tau A (a.k.a. the Crab Nebula). We published the Tau A polarization measurement result from the POLARBEAR observation data. Although it achieved 0.2-degree statistical error, the systematic error was not negligibly small. Also, another study for a new multi-frequency Tau A measurement system is conducted. We are planning to start observations with the new system in the coming year.

Free Research Field

宇宙物理学