The 10 Meter South Pole Telescope

TL;DR

The South Pole Telescope is a 10-meter telescope designed for large-area millimeter-wave surveys to study galaxy clusters, the cosmic microwave background, and fundamental cosmological parameters, with plans for advanced polarization measurements.

Contribution

This paper introduces the design and scientific goals of the South Pole Telescope, emphasizing its capabilities for CMB and galaxy cluster observations at the South Pole.

Findings

Initial survey plans for galaxy clusters via Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect.

Expected measurements of small-scale CMB anisotropies.

Future polarization observations for neutrino and inflation constraints.

Abstract

The South Pole Telescope (SPT) is a 10 m diameter, wide-field, offset Gregorian telescope with a 966-pixel, multi-color, millimeter-wave, bolometer camera. It is located at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole station in Antarctica. The design of the SPT emphasizes careful control of spillover and scattering, to minimize noise and false signals due to ground pickup. The key initial project is a large-area survey at wavelengths of 3, 2 and 1.3 mm, to detect clusters of galaxies via the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect and to measure the small-scale angular power spectrum of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). The data will be used to characterize the primordial matter power spectrum and to place constraints on the equation of state of dark energy. A second-generation camera will measure the polarization of the CMB, potentially leading to constraints on the neutrino mass and the energy scale of inflation.