ACTPol: The Atacama Cosmology Telescope with Polarization

阿塔卡马宇宙学望远镜(ACT)是一项以高角度分辨率调查宇宙微波背景(CMB)的项目，该项目是在美国国家科学基金会的支持下于2005-2010年建造和运行的。ACT设施-一个离轴6米的格里高利望远镜、探测器和基础设施-在2008年和2009年期间进行了两个成功的科学观测季节。获奖项目是一个名为ACTPol的后续计划，旨在极大地增加探测器的数量和灵敏度，并增加线偏振能力。ACTPol将升级和扩展现有望远镜的仪器，该望远镜位于智利北部查伊纳托高原ALMA遗址上方的Cerro Toco(17,030‘)。它将解决基础物理学和天体物理学中的重要问题，如果成功，将进行变革性研究。该计划将持续五年。ACT将建造一台新的具有偏振灵敏度的测辐射热计相机，并与ACT一起用于下列科学目标：1)约束宇宙的初始条件，并用k测量标量光谱指数的“运行”；2)测量宇宙的空间曲率和暗能量；3)发现或限制中微子质量的总和；4)测量原始氦的数量；5)确定结构的增长率；6)在较小的角度尺度上补充普朗克卫星；以及7)实现未来的大规模B型偏振测量。ACTPol将继续追求ACT项目已经成功进行的更广泛类型的影响。这些措施包括致力于培训学生和博士后研究人员，继续建立牢固的国际合作伙伴关系，与NIST交流技术和人员，以及接触教师和中学生等活动。

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) is a project to investigate the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) at high angular resolution that was constructed and operated under NSF support over 2005-2010. The ACT facility - a 6m off-axis Gregorian telescope, detectors, and infrastructure - has had two successful seasons of science observations during 2008 and 2009. The awarded project is a follow-on program, called ACTPol, to greatly increase the number and sensitivity of the detectors, and to add linear polarization capability. ACTPol will upgrade and extend instrumentation on the existing telescope, which is located on Cerro Toco (17,030') above the ALMA site on the Chajnator Plateau in Northern Chile. It will address important questions in both basic physics and astrophysics, and if successful will perform transformative research. The program will run for five years. A new bolometer camera with polarization sensitivity will be constructed and used with the ACT for the following science goals: 1) Constrain the initial conditions of universe and measure "running" of scalar spectral index with k; 2) Measure spatial curvature of the universe and dark energy; 3) Discover or constrain the sum of the neutrino masses; 4) Measure the amount of primordial helium; 5) Determine the growth rate of structure; 6) Complement the Planck satellite on smaller angular scales; and 7) Enable future large-scale B-mode polarization measurements.ACTPol will continue to pursue the types of broader impacts already successfully undertaken by the ACT project. These include a commitment to training students and postdoctoral researchers, continuing strong international partnerships, exchange of technology and personnel with NIST, and outreach to teachers and middle school students, among other activities.