An Instrument for Investigating the Large Angular Scale Polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background
- 1 January 2003
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Astronomical Society in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
- Vol. 144 (1) , 1-20
- https://doi.org/10.1086/344522
Abstract
We describe the design and performance of a microwave polarimeter used to make precision measurements of polarized astrophysical radiation in three microwave frequency bands spanning 26-36 GHz. The instrument uses cooled HEMT amplifiers in a correlation polarimeter configuration to achieve high sensitivity and long-term stability. The instrument demonstrates long-term stability and has produced the most restrictive upper limits to date on the large angular scale polarization of the 2.7 K cosmic microwave background radiation.Keywords
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