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Optimization of a Microwave Polarimeter for Astronomy with Optical Correlation and Detection
Guillermo Pascual-Cisneros1, Francisco J Casas1, Patricio Vielva1
1Instituto de Física de Cantabria (IFCA), Avda. Los Castros s/n, 39005 Santander, Spain.
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
|March 11, 2023
Summary
Future Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) experiments aim to detect B-modes. A new polarimeter demonstrator uses optical correlation and a novel calibration method to overcome phase stability noise for precise polarization measurements.
Area of Science:
- Cosmology
- Astrophysics
- Optical Physics
Background:
- Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) B-modes are crucial for understanding the early universe.
- Future CMB experiments require sensitive detectors for B-modes detection.
- Polarimetric measurements are essential for extracting cosmological information from the CMB.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an optimized polarimeter demonstrator for CMB B-modes detection.
- To address the challenge of 1/f-like noise caused by phase instability.
- To achieve the required accuracy for polarization measurements in future CMB experiments.
Main Methods:
- Designed a polarimeter demonstrator operating in the 10-20 GHz band.
- Utilized Mach-Zehnder modulators to convert antenna signals to Near Infrared (NIR) lasers.
- Employed optical correlation with photonic back-end modules (phase shifters, optical hybrid, NIR camera).
- Developed and implemented a calibration method to mitigate phase stability noise.
Main Results:
- Successfully built and tested an optimized polarimeter demonstrator.
- Identified 1/f-like noise due to low phase stability during laboratory tests.
- Demonstrated the effectiveness of the developed calibration method in removing noise.
- Achieved the required accuracy level for polarization measurements.
Conclusions:
- The developed polarimeter demonstrator and calibration method are suitable for future CMB experiments.
- The technique effectively suppresses phase stability noise, enabling precise B-modes detection.
- This work contributes to advancing the capabilities for probing early universe physics through CMB observations.
