Antenna-coupled TES bolometer arrays for CMB polarimetry

astro-ph.IM

/ Authors

C. L. Kuo, J. J. Bock, J. A. Bonetti, J. Brevik, G. Chattopadhyay, P. K. Day, S. Golwala, M. Kenyon, A. E. Lange, H. G. LeDuc

and 7 more authors

H. Nguyen, R. W. Ogburn, A. Orlando, A. Trangsrud, A. Turner, G. Wang, J. Zmuidzinas

/ Abstract

We describe the design and performance of polarization selective antenna-coupled TES arrays that will be used in several upcoming Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) experiments: SPIDER, BICEP-2/SPUD. The fully lithographic polarimeter arrays utilize planar phased-antennas for collimation (F/4 beam) and microstrip filters for band definition (25% bandwidth). These devices demonstrate high optical efficiency, excellent beam shapes, and well-defined spectral bands. The dual-polarization antennas provide well-matched beams and low cross polarization response, both important for high-fidelity polarization measurements. These devices have so far been developed for the 100 GHz and 150 GHz bands, two premier millimeter-wave atmospheric windows for CMB observations. In the near future, the flexible microstrip-coupled architecture can provide photon noise-limited detection for the entire frequency range of the CMBPOL mission. This paper is a summary of the progress we have made since the 2006 SPIE meeting in Orlando, FL.