Probing the Origin of the Universe with the EBEX Balloon-Borne Telescope Kate Raach University of Minnesota – Twin Cities History of the Universe Inflation: Universe expands by a factor of 1026 in only 10-34 seconds. 10-34 = 0.0000000000000000000000000000000001 1026 = 100000000000000000000000000 Image Courtesy WMAP Science Team Observational Cosmology - University of Minnesota Time History of the Universe Inflation: Universe expands by a factor of 1026 in only 10-34 seconds. Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) photons emitted (~380000 years) Image Courtesy WMAP Science Team Observational Cosmology - University of Minnesota Time History of the Universe Inflation: Universe expands by a factor of 1026 in only 10-34 seconds. Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) photons emitted (~380000 years) First stars form (~500 million years) Image Courtesy WMAP Science Team Observational Cosmology - University of Minnesota Time History of the Universe Inflation: Universe expands by a factor of 1026 in only 10-34 seconds. Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) photons emitted (~380000 years) First stars form (~500 million years) Image Courtesy WMAP Science Team Observational Cosmology - University of Minnesota Time Structure Formation: Galaxies, Planets, etc. History of the Universe Inflation: Universe expands by a factor of 1026 in only 10-34 seconds. Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) photons emitted (~380000 years) First stars form (~500 million years) Image Courtesy WMAP Science Team Observational Cosmology - University of Minnesota Time Structure Formation: Galaxies, Planets, etc. Today (~14 billion years) History of the Universe The CMB is a baby picture of the universe Image Courtesy WMAP Science Team Observational Cosmology - University of Minnesota Time What can we learn from the CMB? • How old is the universe? ESA Planck Collaboration • How did the universe begin? • What is the universe made of? Have the contents changed over time? • How did the large structures in our universe form? • What is the geometry of space (e.g. flat, curved)? • How will the universe evolve in the future? Observational Cosmology - University of Minnesota Polarization Light is a wave with both an amplitude and a direction Unpolarized Observational Cosmology - University of Minnesota Wikimedia Commons, User:Heron Polarized The CMB is Polarized • E-modes: Density perturbations in the primordial soup • B-modes: Gravity waves generated at the time of inflation WMAP Science Team Krauss, Science May 2010 Observational Cosmology - University of Minnesota EBEX in a nutshell • A balloon-borne telescope designed to measure the polarization of the CMB • First science flight from Antarctica in December 2012/January 2013 Observational Cosmology - University of Minnesota EBEX Collaboration APC – Paris Radek Stompor Berkeley Lab Julian Borrill Ted Kisner Brown University Kyle Helson Andrei Korotkov Greg Tucker Cardiff Peter Ade Enzo Pascale Columbia University Daniel Chapman Joy Didier Seth Hillbrand Brad Johnson Michele Limon Amber Miller Britt ReichbornKjennerud IAS-Orsay McGill University Kevin Bandura Matt Dobbs Kevin MacDermid Graeme Smecher NIST Gene Hilton Hannes Hubmayr Kent Irwin Carl Reintsema Julien Grain SISSA-Trieste Imperial College Andrew Jaffe Stephen Feeney Donnacha Kirk LAL-Orsay Matthieu Tristram Carlo Baccigalupi Giuseppe Puglisi University of California/Berkeley Adrian Lee Ben Westbrook Observational Cosmology - University of Minnesota University of Minnesota/Twin Cities Asad Aboobaker Francois Aubin Chaoyun Bao Bikramjit Chandra Christopher Geach Shaul Hanany (PI) Terry Jones Jeff Klein Michael Milligan Kate Raach Karl Young Kyle Zilic Weizmann Institute of Science Lorne Levinson Ilan Sagiv Long Duration Ballooning (LDB) At Launch At Float (120,000 ft) Asad Aboobaker Observational Cosmology - University of Minnesota NASA Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility Antarctic LDB Facility Observational Cosmology - University of Minnesota Photo: Asad Aboobaker Antarctic LDB Facility Observational Cosmology - University of Minnesota Photo: Daniel Chapman EBEX Telescope Sun Shades Sun Shades Solar Panels 25 ft Ground Shield Ground Shield 6000 lb Suspended Science Weight 2.6 kWatt max provided by panels Observational Cosmology - University of Minnesota Photo: Asad Aboobaker EBEX Telescope Star Camera Receiver Secondary Mirror Gyros Readout Electronics Primary Mirror Observational Cosmology - University of Minnesota EBEX Detectors 150 150 250 410 250 3 mm 2.1 mm 150 150 30 cm 8.6 cm 0.1 mm Observational Cosmology - University of Minnesota EBEX Detectors • ground technology -> balloon environment • testing and characterization • operation Observational Cosmology - University of Minnesota EBEX Status • First science flight was successful – 25 days at float, 11 days of cryogens (as predicted) – first time this type of detectors recorded science data in a spacelike environment • Data recovered January 2013; Instrument recovered November 2013 • Data analysis and mapmaking is in progress Observational Cosmology - University of Minnesota Photo: Asad Aboobaker EBEX Recovery Observational Cosmology - University of Minnesota Photo: Asad Aboobaker EBEX Recovery January 2013 November 2013 Observational Cosmology - University of Minnesota Photos: Asad Aboobaker EBEX Recovery Observational Cosmology - University of Minnesota Photo: Asad Aboobaker EBEXers Around Town • Minnesota State Fair • UMN Math & Science Family Fun Fair • Lab tours for: – grade school students (Girls’ Day for TCGIS) – high school students (QuarkNet, UMN CSE outreach) – undergraduate students (prospective physics majors, experimental physics lab) – graduate students Observational Cosmology - University of Minnesota Acknowledgements • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Minnesota Space Grant Consortium NASA Canada Space Agency National Science Foundation Canada Research Chairs Program Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Canadian Institute for Advanced Research Science and Technology Facilities Council (UK) Minnesota Supercomputing Institute National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center Rhode Island Space Grant Consortium Funding from Collaborating Institutions Sigma Xi Private Donations Observational Cosmology - University of Minnesota Photo: Francois Aubin
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