Project Overview
From the CalTech BICEP web page:
"BICEP (Background Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization)
is an experiment designed to measure the polarization of the
cosmic microwave background (CMB) to unprecedented precision,
and in turn answer crucial questions about the beginnings of the
Universe. It will operate at 100 GHz and 150 GHz at angular
resolutions of 1.0° and 0.7°, respectively, with an
array of 96 polarization-sensitive detectors, mapping a large
region of the sky around the South Celestial Pole."
Go to the BICEP
page at the CalTech
Astronomy Department.
The BICEP instrument is still in the design and planning stages
but here is an image rendered from the preliminary AutoCAD model
of the telescope. Clicking on this image will get you a giant,
430k, version of the same render (suitable for making a smallish
poster).
And here is a "doctored" photo showing where the instrument is
planned to be positioned. It will be housed in the small
building on top of the MAPO building at the south pole. (If your
browser supports JavaScript you will see a "before" and "after"
image swap in and out as you move your mouse over the photo.)
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