MAXIMA: A balloon-borne cosmic microwave background anisotropy experiment

Abstract

We describe the Millimeter wave Anisotropy eXperiment IMaging Array ͑MAXIMA͒, a balloon-borne experiment which measured the temperature anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background ͑CMB͒ on angular scales of 10Ј to 5°. MAXIMA mapped the CMB using 16 bolometric detectors in spectral bands centered at 150, 240, and 410 GHz, with 10Ј resolution at all frequencies.The combined receiver sensitivity to CMB anisotropy was ϳ40 K ͱ s. The bolometric detectors, which were cooled to 100 mK, were a prototype of the detectors which will be used on the Planck Surveyor Satellite of the European Space Agency. Systematic parasitic contributions were controlled by using four uncorrelated spatial modulations, thorough cross-linking, multiple independent CMB observations, heavily baffled optics, and strong spectral discrimination. Pointing reconstruction was accurate to 1Ј, and absolute calibration was better than 4%. Two MAXIMA flights with more than 8.5 h of CMB observations have mapped a total of 300 deg 2 of the sky in regions of negligible known foreground emission. MAXIMA results have been released in previous publications and shown to be consistent with the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe. MAXIMA I maps, power spectra, and correlation matrices are publicly available at http://cosmology.berkeley.edu/maxima.

Invited Article: Millimeter-wave bolometer array receiver for the Atacama pathfinder experiment Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (APEX-SZ) instrument

“…These receivers (such as the Millimeter wave Anisotropy eXperiment IMaging Array (MAXIMA; Ref. 16) and Balloon Observations Of Millimetric Extragalactic Radiation and Geophysics (BOOMERanG; Ref. 17) each with 16 detectors) used neutron-transmutation-doped (NTD) bolometers.…”

Sub-Kelvin cooling for two kilopixel bolometer arrays in the PIPER receiver

“…Single-shot, single-stage ADRs must limit parasitic conduction to achieve long hold times, so benefit from mechanical heat switches 16 or backing coolers 12 . In contrast, lower inter-stage parasitic power in the multistage CADR allows for the use of gas-gap switches, which avoid mechanisms, or any electrical input (in the case of passive 33 switches).…”

The EBEX Balloon-borne Experiment—Gondola, Attitude Control, and Control Software

“…Several other publications give additional details about the EBEX experiment. Some are from earlier stages of the program (Oxley et al 2004;Grainger et al 2008;Aubin et al 2010;Milligan et al 2010;Reichborn-Kjennerud et al 2010;Klein et al 2011;Sagiv et al 2012;Westbrook et al 2012), and others discuss some subsystems in more detail (Polsgrove 2009; Reichborn-Kjennerud 2010; Sagiv 2011; Aubin 2012;MacDermid 2014;MacDermid et al 2014;Westbrook 2014;Zilic 2014;Chapman 2015;Chapman et al 2015;Didier et al 2015;Aubin et al 2016;Didier 2016).…”