This weekends Riverside Astronomical Meeting was a great meeting.
Our guest speaker, Kam Arnold, Assistant Research Scientist at UCSD, Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences gave a talk on “Fundamental Physics with Cosmic Microwave Background Polarimetry.”
His talk covered the basics of cosmic microwave background (CMB), how it has help with cosmology and where we are headed.
He developed the POLARBEAR a cosmic microwave background polarization experiment located in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile in the Antofagasta Region.
This is the first sensor that will part of the Simons array that will gather data on the polarization of the CMB. The device is incredibly cooled to about 0.2 degrees above Kelvin (absolute zero). I didn’t know that we could get things that cold.
They use a similar compressor to a refrigerator, it just uses Helium 3 and Helium 4 to get temperatures down that low.
Considering that the CMB is measured in micro-Kelvins, the super cold temperatures are needed for the most accurate data.
It is amazing the data that we can gather right hear on Earth.
– Ex astris, scientia –
I am and avid amateur astronomer and intellectual property attorney in Pasadena, California and I am a Rising Star as rated by Super Lawyers Magazine. As a former Chief Petty Officer in the U.S. Navy, I am a proud member of the Armed Service Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association working to aid all active duty and veterans in our communities. Connect with me on Google +, or by email.
Norman
Astronomy and Law 