The Simons Array (SA) is a Stage-3.5 CMB experiment that will measure CMB polarization anisotropies from the Chajnantor Observatory in Chile starting in 2017. In all, SA will contain more than 22,000 polarization-sensitive detectors that observe at 95, 150, 220, and 270 GHz simultaneously on three PB1-style telescopes.
Simons Array will be an extremely powerful instrument that will not only place new limits on inflationary energies but also constrain the sum of the neutrino masses and the physics of galactic dust emission.
My contribution to Simons Array has primarily been building cryogenic continuously-rotating half-wave plate polarization modulators. Cooling the PB2 half-wave plate below 100 K dramatically improves experimental sensitivity but is challenging due to the need for a robust, low-dissipation, low-temperature rotation stage. I worked with Akito Kusaka within the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Physics Division to develop cutting-edge, large-diameter cryogenic drive trains for polarization modulators on Simons Array and beyond.
For more information about Simons Array, visit its website!
Charles Alexander Hill 