POLARBEAR/Simons Array: High-fidelity maps of CMB polarization to study large-scale structure, measure neutrino masses, and search for the signature of inflation

北极熊实验测量宇宙微波背景（CMB）中的偏振波动，以寻找来自膨胀的引力波的签名，可能在大爆炸后几分之一秒打开宇宙的窗口。这是当前物理学和天文学的一个主要探索，对我们理解宇宙的起源和历史具有广泛的影响。 AST之前已经资助了位于智利阿尔马附近的阿塔卡马沙漠基地的第一台3.5米直径的POLARBEAR望远镜的建造、调试和初始运行。目前的合同将支持与西蒙斯基金会以及美国、日本、加拿大和英国的其他合作机构合作的第二个实验室的调试和运营。 该奖项将支持先进的培训，为学生在仪器和设施的发展。 其他更广泛的影响包括针对K-12学生和公众的教育计划。除了B模式引力波之外，科学目标还包括寻找大质量中微子，通过引力透镜绘制宇宙大尺度结构图，以及对原始氦丰度和相对论性物种有效数量的限制。

The POLARBEAR experiment measures polarized fluctuations in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) to search for the signature of gravitational waves from inflation, potentially opening a window on the universe a fraction of a second after the Big Bang. This is a major quest of current physics and astronomy and has broad implications for our understanding of the origin and history of the universe. AST has previously funded the construction, commissioning, and initial operations of the first POLARBEAR 3.5m-diameter telescope at the Atacama desert site near ALMA in Chile. The current award will support commissioning and operations of a second telesope under partnership with the Simons foundation and other collaborating institutions in the US, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The award will support advanced traning for students in instrumentation and facility development. Other broader impacts include educational programs for K-12 students and the general public.Science goals in addition to B-mode gravitational waves include a search for massive neutrinos, a map of large scale structure in the universe via gravitational lensing, and constraints on the primordial helium abundance and the effective number of relativistic species.