Maynooth University Department of Physics

Observational Cosmology

Observations of polarisation anisotropies in the CMB

QUBIC: The Q and U Bolometric Interferometer for Cosmology (QUBIC) is a ground-based experiment that aims to detect faint primordial B-mode polarization anisotropies in the Cosmic Microwave Background CMB  – the so-called smoking gun of inflation. QUBIC, a bolometric interferometer, uses the novel technique of spectro-imaging to recover images of the polarised sky at multiple frequencies across a wide band which will allow us to separate the CMB from polarised foregrounds.  QUBIC is beginning observations from Alto Chorrilos in Argentina and our knowledge of the optics of the instrument means that we are involved in the calibration and commissioning observations of the instrument as well as in the development of the data analysis pipeline which requires a detailed knowledge of the instrument.
 

Staff:

• C. O’Sullivan
• M. Gradziel
• D. Gayer

Postgraduate students:

• A. Flood
• S. Marwede