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A High Spatial Resolution Analysis of the MAXIMA-1 Cosmic Microwave Background Anisotropy Data

A. T. Lee, P. Ade, A. Balbi, J. Bock, J. Borrill, A. Boscaleri, P. De Bernardis, P. G. Ferreira, S. Hanany, V. V. Hristov, A. H. Jaffe, P. D. Mauskopf, C. B. Netterfield, E. Pascale, B. Rabii, P. L. Richards, G. F. Smoot, R. Stompor, C. D. Winant, J. H. P. Wu

Abstract

We extend the analysis of the MAXIMA-1 cosmic microwave background (CMB) data to smaller angular scales. MAXIMA, a bolometric balloon experiment, mapped a 124 deg$^2$ region of the sky with 10\arcmin resolution at frequencies of 150, 240 and 410 GHz during its first flight. The original analysis, which covered the multipole range $36 \leq \ell \leq 785$, is extended to $\ell = 1235$ using data from three 150 GHz photometers in the fully cross-linked central 60 deg$^2$ of the map. The main improvement over the original analysis is the use of 3\arcmin square pixels in the calculation of the map. The new analysis is consistent with the original for $\ell < 785$. For $\ell > 785$, where inflationary models predict a third acoustic peak, the new analysis shows power with an amplitude of $56 \pm 7$ \microk at $\ell \simeq 850$ in excess to the average power of $42 \pm 3$ \microk in the range $441 < \ell < 785$.

A High Spatial Resolution Analysis of the MAXIMA-1 Cosmic Microwave Background Anisotropy Data

Abstract

We extend the analysis of the MAXIMA-1 cosmic microwave background (CMB) data to smaller angular scales. MAXIMA, a bolometric balloon experiment, mapped a 124 deg region of the sky with 10\arcmin resolution at frequencies of 150, 240 and 410 GHz during its first flight. The original analysis, which covered the multipole range , is extended to using data from three 150 GHz photometers in the fully cross-linked central 60 deg of the map. The main improvement over the original analysis is the use of 3\arcmin square pixels in the calculation of the map. The new analysis is consistent with the original for . For , where inflationary models predict a third acoustic peak, the new analysis shows power with an amplitude of \microk at in excess to the average power of \microk in the range .

Paper Structure

This paper contains 8 sections, 2 figures, 1 table.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Telescope Beams
  3. Pointing Reconstruction
  4. Noise Estimation
  5. Map and Angular Power Spectrum
  6. Foregrounds
  7. Tests for Systematic Errors
  8. Discussion

Figures (2)

  • Figure 1: A maximum-likelihood map of the CMB anisotropy from MAXIMA-1. The resolution is determined by the 10 FWHM Gaussian beam of the telescope. The map is made using data from three 150 GHz photometers and contains $\sim 40,000$ 3$\times$3 pixels. We use the central region of the map (outlined) to compute the power spectrum presented in Fig. 2. This region is fully cross linked, has the most uniform sampling, and has the highest signal-to-noise ratio. The area of the central region is 60 deg$^2$ and contains $\sim 23,000$ pixels.
  • Figure 2: Top panel: Composite angular power spectrum of the CMB anisotropy from the MAXIMA-1 map (filled circles). The points for $\ell < 335$ are from the power spectrum of the full 5 pixelized map from hanany_00, and the points for $\ell > 335$ are from the power spectrum of the central region of the 3 pixelized map shown in Fig. 1. The error bars are 68% confidence intervals calculated using the offset log-normal likelihood functions of bjk00. The solid curve is the best fit ($\Lambda$CDM) inflationary adiabatic cosmology to the MAXIMA-1 and COBE/DMR data. The model has ($\Omega_{b}$, $\Omega_{cdm}$, $\Omega_{\Lambda}$, $n$, $h$) = (0.1, 0.6, 0.3, 1.08, 0.53) balbi_00. The crosses are the estimated power spectrum of the difference between two independent maps, the first given by one of the three photometers and the other from the sum of the other two. Bottom panel: A comparison between the hanany_00 power spectrum and the power spectrum of the central region of the 3 pixelized map shown in Fig. 1. For the 3 central region data, the power spectrum for $\ell < 186$ is not well constrained.