2009/07/31 by J. E. Carlstrom, P. A. R. Ade, K. A. Aird +46 · 5 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy #Astrophysics #Bolometer #Cosmic background radiation #Cosmic microwave background #Cosmology #Cosmology and Gravitation Theories #Dark energy #Detector #Galaxy #Neutrino #Offset (computer science) #Optics #Physics #Radio Astronomy Observations and Technology #South Pole Telescope #Superconducting and THz Device Technology #Telescope #astro-ph.CO #astro-ph.IM
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/659879
published as Publ.Astron.Soc.Pac.123:568-581,2011 · 47 pages, 14 figures, updated to match version to be published in PASP 123 903 (May, 2011)
arxiv created 2011/03/04 · openalex publication_date 2011/05/01 · arxiv updated 2015/05/13 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/06
The South Pole Telescope (SPT) is a 10 m diameter, wide-field, offset Gregorian telescope with a 966 pixel, multicolor, millimeter-wave, bolometer camera. It is located at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole station in Antarctica. The design of the SPT emphasizes careful control of spillover and scattering, to minimize noise and false signals due to ground pickup. The key initial project is a large-area survey at wavelengths of 3, 2, and 1.3 mm, to detect clusters of galaxies via the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect and to measure the small-scale angular power spectrum of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). The data will be used to characterize the primordial matter power spectrum and to place constraints on the equation of state of dark energy. A second-generation camera will measure the polarization of the CMB, potentially leading to constraints on the neutrino mass and the energy scale of inflation.