Abstract
Polarized thermal emission from interstellar dust grains can be used to map magnetic fields in star forming molecular clouds and the diffuse interstellar medium (ISM). The Balloon-borne Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope for Polarimetry (BLASTPol) flew from Antarctica in 2010 and 2012 and produced degree-scale polarization maps of several nearby molecular clouds with arcminute resolution. The success of BLASTPol has motivated a next-generation instrument, BLAST-TNG, which will use more than 3000 linear polarization- sensitive microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs) combined with a 2.5 m diameter carbon fiber primary mirror to make diffraction-limited observations at 250, 350, and 500 μm. With 16 times the mapping speed of BLASTPol, sub-arcminute resolution, and a longer flight time, BLAST-TNG will be able to examine nearby molecular clouds and the diffuse galactic dust polarization spectrum in unprecedented detail. The 250 μm detec- tor array has been integrated into the new cryogenic receiver, and is undergoing testing to establish the optical and polarization characteristics of the instrument. BLAST-TNG will demonstrate the effectiveness of kilo-pixel MKID arrays for applications in submillimeter astronomy. BLAST-TNG is scheduled to fly from Antarctica in December 2017 for 28 days and will be the first balloon-borne telescope to offer a quarter of the flight for "shared risk" observing by the community.
Original language | English (US) |
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Title of host publication | Millimeter, Submillimeter, and Far-Infrared Detectors and Instrumentation for Astronomy VIII |
Editors | Jonas Zmuidzinas, Wayne S. Holland |
Publisher | SPIE |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9781510602076 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2016 |
Event | Millimeter, Submillimeter, and Far-Infrared Detectors and Instrumentation for Astronomy VIII - Edinburgh, United Kingdom Duration: Jun 28 2016 → Jul 1 2016 |
Publication series
Name | Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering |
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Volume | 9914 |
ISSN (Print) | 0277-786X |
ISSN (Electronic) | 1996-756X |
Other
Other | Millimeter, Submillimeter, and Far-Infrared Detectors and Instrumentation for Astronomy VIII |
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Country/Territory | United Kingdom |
City | Edinburgh |
Period | 6/28/16 → 7/1/16 |
Keywords
- BLAST-TNG
- Balloon-borne
- Instrumentation
- Interstellar medium
- MKIDs
- Polarimetry
- Star formation
- Submillimeter
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Computer Science Applications
- Applied Mathematics
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering