The COSmic Monopole Observer (COSMO)
Abstract
The COSmic Monopole Observer (COSMO) is an experiment to measure low-level spectral distortions in the isotropic component of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). Deviations from a pure blackbody spectrum are expected at low level ( 1 ppm) due to several astrophysical and cosmological phenomena, and promise to provide important independent information on the early and late phases of the universe. They have not been detected yet, due to the extreme accuracy required, the best upper limits being still those from the COBE-FIRAS mission. COSMO is based on a cryogenic differential Fourier Transform Spectrometer, measuring the spectral brightness difference between the sky and an accurate cryogenic blackbody. The first implementation of COSMO, funded by the Italian PRIN and PNRA programs, will operate from the Concordia station at Dome-C, in Antarctica, and will take advantage of a fast sky-dip technique to get rid of atmospheric emission and its fluctuations, separating them from the monopole component of the sky brightness. Here we describe the instrument design, its capabilities, the current status. We also discuss its subsequent implementation in a balloon-flight, which has been studied within the COSMOS program of the Italian Space Agency.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2110.12254,
title = {The COSmic Monopole Observer (COSMO)},
author = {S. Masi and E. Battistelli and P. de Bernardis and A. Coppolecchia and F. Columbro and G. D'Alessandro and M. De Petris and L. Lamagna and E. Marchitelli and L. Mele and A. Paiella and F. Piacentini and G. Pisano and M. Bersanelli and C. Franceschet and E. Manzan and D. Mennella and S. Realini and S. Cibella and F. Martini and G. Pettinari and G. Coppi and M. Gervasi and A. Limonta and M. Zannoni and L. Piccirillo and C. Tucker},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2110.12254},
year = {2021}
}
Comments
To be published on the proceedings of the 16th Marcel Grossmann Meeting on Recent Developments in Theoretical and Experimental General Relativity, Astrophysics and Relativistic Field Theories (MG16) - 5-9 July 2021. Online Conference, Italy - http://www.icra.it/mg/mg16/