BICEP1 was the first CMB polarimeter specifically designed to target the B-mode signal of inflation. It featured a small-aperture cryogenic refracting telescope that is well matched to signals at degree angular scales and polarization sensitive bolometers operating at 100, 150, and 220 GHz. BICEP1 operated at the South Pole for three years, 2006–2008.
I worked on analysis for the final three-year results, published in 2014 (Barkats et al). This result included the best upper limits at the time on B-mode polarization in the range 30 < ℓ < 200 (angular scales of 1 to 6°). In addition to improving the statistical power, it served as an opportunity to demonstrate new techniques for control of systematic errors that have been critical for analysis of the more sensitive data from BICEP2 and the Keck Array. For the analysis published in Kaufman et al. (2014), we focused on the BICEP1 polarization angle calibration and the TB and EB spectra to constrain cosmological polarization rotation.
BICEP1 Publications
- Kaufman et al. (2014), Self-calibration of BICEP1 three-year data and constraints on astrophysical polarization rotation, Phys. Rev. D 89, 6, 062006 [ADS, arXiv:1312.7877]
- Barkats et al. (2014), Degree-Scale CMB Polarization Measurements from Three Years of BICEP1 Data, ApJ 783, 2, 67 [ADS, arXiv:1310.1422]
- Moyerman et al. (2013), Scientific Verification of Faraday Rotation Modulators: Detection of Diffuse Polarized Galactic Emission, ApJ 765, 1, 64 [ADS, arXiv:1212.0133]
- Bierman et al. (2011), A Millimeter-wave Galactic Plane Survey with the BICEP Polarimeter, ApJ 741, 2, 81 [ADS, arXiv:1103.0289]
- Takahashi et al. (2010), Characterization of the BICEP Telescope for High-precision Cosmic Microwave Background Polarimetry, ApJ 711, 2, 1141 [ADS, arXiv:0906.4069]
- Chiang et al. (2010), Measurement of Cosmic Microwave Background Polarization Power Spectra from Two Years of BICEP Data, ApJ 711, 2, 1123 [ADS, arXiv:0906.1181]