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-COBE-
launched 1989
– 2nd telescope-WMAP-
launched 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