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Planning for Planck's science (Forwarded)



 
 
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Old June 25th 07, 10:14 PM posted to sci.space.news
Andrew Yee[_1_]
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Default Planning for Planck's science (Forwarded)

ESA News
http://www.esa.int

15 June 2007

Planning for Planck's science

With ESA's Planck microwave observatory in its final phases of development,
mission scientists are stepping up their activity ready to exploit the
mission once it is in orbit.

Scheduled for launch next year, Planck will survey the Universe at microwave
wavelengths, making the most precise study yet of the 'echo' of the Big
Bang.

About 250 scientists of the 'Planck Consortium', are gathering this week in
the Pierre Baudis Congress Centre, Toulouse, France, for their yearly
meeting. This year's meeting is special, however, since it is likely to be
the last before the launch in 2008. It is focussing on the science that
Planck will perform. "We have all the proposals for scientific activity in
and now we will begin to discuss their practical implementation,' says Jan
Tauber", ESA Planck Project Scientist.

Planck is designed to study the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation.
Referred to by some as the echo of the Big Bang, the detection of this
radiation ranks as one of the greatest triumphs of twentieth century
science. It is a universal bath of microwaves that strongly supports the
idea that the cosmos began with a 'big bang' of some sort. By studying the
background radiation, astronomers can determine information about the
conditions in the Universe shortly after this Big Bang.

Using the subtle variations of temperature in the microwave background,
scientists are able to ascertain the initial conditions from which the
galaxies grew. The detection of these ripples in the early 1990s by NASA's
Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite led to the 2006 Nobel Prize for
Physics being awarded to astrophysicists George Smoot and John Mather.

NASA's Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) took the study of these
ripples further and now the world's astronomical community is ready to take
the next step. "People are becoming quite excited about the mission; the
interest is noticeably building as we come closer to launch," says Tauber.

Planck carries a 1.5-metre telescope that feeds two instruments. The Low
Frequency Instrument (LFI) is a collection of 22 radio receivers that will
be operated at 253 C. These receivers will detect microwaves at three
frequencies between 30 and 70 GigaHertz. The High Frequency Instrument (HFI)
is an array of 52 detectors that convert the radiation to heat, which is
then measured by a tiny electrical thermometer. The array will detect six
frequencies between 100 and 857 GigaHertz and will be operated at just one
tenth of one degree above absolute zero (-273.15 C).

Planck's measurement of the microwave background radiation will be so
precise that astronomers will be able to measure the curvature, the
expansion rate, and other fundamental parameters of the Universe to an
accuracy of a few percent. These parameters allow us to understand the main
constituents of the Universe with unprecedented precision. Planck will also
be able to distinguish the regions in the microwave background that evolved
into individual filaments of galaxies visible today.

One of the key discussion topics for the meeting is how to manage the many
and various science topics that Planck will address. "This is the first
meeting where we will be looking in detail at all the intertwined scientific
activities that we must carry out during the mission," says Tauber.

In 2008, the final preparations for the launch of Planck will commence.
Then, once Planck is safely in space and the science phase starts, the hard
work will truly begin.

For more information

Jan Tauber
ESA Planck Project Scientist
Email: Jan.Tauber @ esa.int

[NOTE: Images and weblinks supporting this release are available at
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMYLKXXV2F_index_1.html ]
 




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