Planck pre-launch status: Design and description of the Low Frequency Instrument
Abstract
In this paper we present the Low Frequency Instrument (LFI), designed and developed as part of the Planck space mission, the ESA program dedicated to precision imaging of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). Planck-LFI will observe the full sky in intensity and polarisation in three frequency bands centred at 30, 44 and 70 GHz, while higher frequencies (100-850 GHz) will be covered by the HFI instrument. The LFI is an array of microwave radiometers based on state-of-the-art Indium Phosphide cryogenic HEMT amplifiers implemented in a differential system using blackbody loads as reference signals. The front-end is cooled to 20K for optimal sensitivity and the reference loads are cooled to 4K to minimise low frequency noise. We provide an overview of the LFI, discuss the leading scientific requirements and describe the design solutions adopted for the various hardware subsystems. The main drivers of the radiometric, optical and thermal design are discussed, including the stringent requirements on sensitivity, stability, and rejection of systematic effects. Further details on the key instrument units and the results of ground calibration are provided in a set of companion papers.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1001.3321,
title = {Planck pre-launch status: Design and description of the Low Frequency Instrument},
author = {M. Bersanelli and N. Mandolesi and R. C. Butler and A. Mennella and F. Villa and B. Aja and E. Artal and E. Artina and C. Baccigalupi and M. Balasini and G. Baldan and A. Banday and P. Bastia and P. Battaglia and T. Bernardino and E. Blackhurst and L. Boschini and C. Burigana and G. Cafagna and B. Cappellini and F. Cavaliere and F. Colombo and G. Crone and F. Cuttaia and O. D'Arcangelo and L. Danese and R. D. Davies and R. J. Davis and L. De Angelis and G. C. De Gasperis and L. De La Fuente and A. De Rosa and G. De Zotti and M. C. Falvella and F. Ferrari and R. Ferretti and L. Figini and S. Fogliani and C. Franceschet and E. Franceschi and T. Gaier and S. Garavaglia and F. Gomez and K. Gorski and A. Gregorio and P. Guzzi and J. M. Herreros and S. R. Hildebrandt and R. Hoyland and N. Hughes and M. Janssen and P. Jukkala and D. Kettle and V. H. Kilpia and M. Laaninen and P. M. Lapolla and C. R. Lawrence and J. P. Leahy and R. Leonardi and P. Leutenegger and S. Levin and P. B. Lilje and S. R. Lowe and D. Lawson P. M. Lubin and D. Maino and M. Malaspina and M. Maris and J. Marti-Canales and E. Martinez-Gonzalez and A. Mediavilla and P. Meinhold and M. Miccolis and G. Morgante and P. Natoli and R. Nesti and L. Pagan and C. Paine and B. Partridge and J. P. Pascual and F. Pasian and D. Pearson and M. Pecora and F. Perrotta and P. Platania and M. Pospieszalski and T. Poutanen and M. Prina and R. Rebolo and N. Roddis and J. A. Rubino-Martin and n M. J. Salmon and M. Sandri and M. Seiffert and R. Silvestri and A. Simonetto and P. Sjoman and G. F. Smoot and C. Sozzi and L. Stringhetti and E. Taddei and J. Tauber and L. Terenzi and M. Tomasi and J. Tuovinen and L. Valenziano and J. Varis and N. Vittorio and L. A. Wade and A. Wilkinson and F. Winder and A. Zacchei and A. Zonca},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1001.3321},
year = {2015}
}
Comments
23 pages, 31 figures, accepted by Astronomy and Astrophysics, Planck LFI technical papers published by JINST: http://www.iop.org/EJ/journal/-page=extra.proc5/1748-0221