The Planck Surveyor Telescope
History of Planck Surveyor
• Mission was selected in 1996 as the 3rd mission of ESA in the 2000 Horizon Space Program • First named COBRAS/SAMBA later renamed Planck after German Physicist Max Planck, won Nobel Price in 1918
History Continued
• Planned to launch in February 2007 • Commenced building in 1999 • 3rd telescope to be launched to study CMB
– 1st telescope-COBElaunched 1989 – 2nd telescope-WMAPlaunched 2001
Properties of Planck Surveyor
• • • • Designed to detect microwaves Has an off axis Gregorian design Has a primary mirror of 1.75m x 1.75m Contains 2 instruments
– LFI – HFI
LFI (Low Frequency Instrument)
• Has 22 tuned radio receivers • Will be operated at -256°C • Radio receivers work like transistors they amplify the signal from telescope and then it is stored for analysis • detects wavelengths at 11.1 to 3.0 mm
HFI (High Frequency Instrument)
• Has 52 detectors which work by converting radiation to heat, will do this through 6 wavelength channels and is operated at -272.9°C • Detects at 3.6 to 0.3 mm
Planck Design
• the LFI and HFI combine their measurements to yield a map of the anisotropies of the Cosmic Microwave Background
Design of Planck
• Planck will sit at the L2 point between the Sun and Earth • Will continuously face the anti-sun direction which will minimize confusing signals from thermal fluctuations
Goals of Planck Mission
• Mapping of the anistropies of cosmic microwave background • Determination of the Hubble constant • Testing models of the early universe
Goals continued
• What the dark matter that composes the universe is made of • How did the universe evolve into what it is today? • How will it continue to evolve? It will it continue to expand?
Advantages Over Previous Models
• Compared to WMAP and COBE has higher angular resolution • maps it creates of anisotropies will be superior to WMAP because of higher sensitivity and angular resolution
Advantages Continued
• Planck will make measurements over broader range of frequencies that will help get rid of interfering signals • Can detect the slightest variation in temperature
Technological Advances
• Will have shields that will cover the focal plane and telescope which will reduce stray light and will protect the instrument from thermal radiation
Technological Advances
• Planck’s 2 instruments the LFI and HFI will be combined to yield precise map of the anisotropies of CMB • Planck will need to overcome the many different radiations that are emitted in our universe that are not actually CMB, will do this by having different instruments that measure other wavelengths
Technological Advances
• Planck’s detectors will be set at a temperature just slightly above absolute zero (0 Kelvin) to detect the slightest fluctuations • Planck’s off axis-tilt Gregorian design allows for no blocking of the optical path
Pictures from WMAP
Pictures from COBE
For More Information:
• http://www.rssd.esa.int/index.php?project=Planck • http://aether.lbl.gov/www/projects/cosa/ • http://planck.esa.int/science-e/www/area/index.cfm?fareaid=17 • http://www.rssd.esa.int/SA/PLANCK/images/pictures/brochures/ planck.pdf