An Arcminute-Scale Search for Polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background

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Dr. Lange is using a new instrument called Polatron to observe partial polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation. Such polarization is predicted by theory but not yet observed.The CMB is presumed to represent the imprint of the Universe that is only 3000,000 years old. At that age, radiation and matter decoupled from each other, the Universe became transparent to radiation, material structure developed. If the basic theoretical framework in which we understand the origins of CMB temperature anisotropies is correct, there exists a polarization field that is precisely correlated in amplitude and direction with the temperature anisotropy field. An accurate measurement of this polarization field provides, in principle, as direct a probe of the initial conditions from which structure formed as an accurate measurement of the temperature anisotropy. The Polatron is a bolometric receiver that will measure CMB polarization at 100 GHz.. The instrument is used at the 5.5 m telescope at the Owens Valley radio Observatory. ***