open access publication

Article, 2024

B-mode polarization forecasts for GreenPol

Astronomy and Astrophysics, ISSN 0004-6361, Volume 684, 10.1051/0004-6361/202347393

Contributors

Fuskeland U. 0000-0003-1077-298X [1] Kaplan A. 0009-0008-0936-6953 [2] Wehus I.K. 0000-0003-3821-7275 [1] Eriksen H.K. [1] Christensen P.R. [3] Von Hausegger S. [3] [4] Liu H. 0000-0003-4410-5827 [3] [5] [6] Lubin P.M. [2] Meinhold P.R. [2] Naselsky P. 0000-0002-8891-0273 [3] Thommesen H. [1] Zonca A. 0000-0001-6841-1058 [7]

Affiliations

  1. [1] University of Oslo
  2. [NORA names: Norway; Europe, Non-EU; Nordic; OECD];
  3. [2] University of California
  4. [NORA names: United States; America, North; OECD];
  5. [3] Niels Bohr Institute
  6. [NORA names: KU University of Copenhagen; University; Denmark; Europe, EU; Nordic; OECD];
  7. [4] University of Oxford
  8. [NORA names: United Kingdom; Europe, Non-EU; OECD];
  9. [5] Anhui University
  10. [NORA names: China; Asia, East];

Abstract

We present tensor-to-scalar ratio forecasts for GreenPol, a hypothetical ground-based B-mode experiment aiming to survey the cleanest regions of the Northern Galactic Hemisphere at five frequencies between 10 and 44 GHz. Its primary science goal would be to measure large-scale cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization fluctuations at multipoles `. 500, and thereby constrain the primordial tensor-to-scalar ratio r. The observations for the suggested experiment would take place at the Summit Station (7234N, 3827W) on Greenland, at an altitude of 3216 m above sea level. For this paper we simulated various experimental setups, and derived limits on the tensor-to-scalar ratio after CMB component separation using a Bayesian component separation implementation called Commander. When combining the proposed experiment with Planck HFI observations for constraining polarized thermal dust emission, we found a projected limit of r < 0.02 at 95% confidence for the baseline configuration. This limit is very robust with respect to a range of important experimental parameters, including sky coverage, detector weighting, foreground priors, among others. Overall, GreenPol would have the possibility to provide deep CMB polarization measurements of the Northern Galactic Hemisphere at low frequencies.

Keywords

Galaxy: structure, cosmic background radiation, cosmology: observations, methods: statistical, polarization, radio continuum: general

Funders

  • Horizon 2020 Framework Programme
  • Villum Fonden
  • Anhui
  • National Science Foundation
  • Horizon 2020
  • European Research Council
  • Norges Forskningsråd
  • Beecroft Trust
  • National Key Research and Development Program of China
  • HEALPix
  • Niels Bohr Institute

Data Provider: Elsevier