Characterization and Removal of Galactic Dust Foreground from Measurements of the Polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation

该提案寻求资金，开始一项研究工作，从美国宇航局资助的南极长时间气球运载（LDB）收集的数据中提取星系尘埃排放的特征。E和B实验？(EBEX)。关于宇宙起源和演化的一个主要宇宙学范式假定大爆炸后不久有一段暴胀期。膨胀在宇宙中产生了原始引力波，在宇宙微波背景（CMB）辐射的极化上留下了一个独特的特征，称为“b模式信号”。这个信号非常微弱，大约在100微开尔文或更小，而天体物理学的前景，如星系尘埃的极化发射和同步辐射，在大部分天空中淹没了暴胀信号。EBEX气球有效载荷将具有探测b模式信号的灵敏度，如果它比当前理论上限的1/10强。气球观测将在150至410千兆赫之间的频段进行。这个波段的高端是无法从地面进入的；因此，EBEX可以提供有关星系尘埃发射特性的宝贵信息。这些信息对于所有寻找暴胀信号的CMB实验都是至关重要的。EBEX目前正在等待2010/2011年南方夏季从南极洲起飞。申请的资金将用于支持一名博士后研究员和一名研究生从EBEX数据中进行星系尘埃前景的表征和提取。

The proposal seeks funding to begin a research effort on characterizing and extracting galactic dust emissions from the data that will be collected by the NASA-funded Antarctic Long Duration Balloon-borne (LDB) ?E and B Experiment? (EBEX). A leading cosmological paradigm for the beginning and evolution of the Universe posits a period of Inflation shortly after the Big Bang. Inflation generated primordial gravitational waves in the Universe that imprinted a distinct signature called the "B-mode signal" on the polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation. This signal is extremely weak, around 100 microKelvins or smaller, and astrophysical foregrounds such as polarized emission from galactic dust and synchrotron radiation swamp the Inflationary signal over most of the sky. The EBEX balloon payload will have the sensitivity to detect the B-mode signal if it is stronger than 1/10 of the current theoretical upper limit. The balloon observations will be carried out in frequency bands between 150 and 410 GHz. The higher end of this band is not accessible from the ground; thus, EBEX can provide valuable information on the properties of galactic dust emissions. This information is critical for all the CMB experiments searching for the Inflationary signal. EBEX is currently awaiting its flight from Antarctica in the austral summer of 2010/2011. The requested funds will be used to support a post-doctoral fellow and a graduate student to work on the characterization and extraction of galactic dust foregrounds from the EBEX data.