The balloon-borne large-aperture submillimeter telescope for polarimetry: BLAST-Pol

TL;DR

BLAST-Pol is a balloon-borne submillimeter telescope with polarization capabilities, designed to map magnetic fields in star-forming regions with high resolution and speed, bridging the gap between large surveys and detailed core observations.

Contribution

It introduces a new polarization-sensitive submillimeter telescope with high resolution and mapping speed for studying magnetic fields in molecular clouds.

Findings

First science flight scheduled for December 2010

Produces three-color polarization maps of molecular clouds

Provides a bridge between large-scale surveys and high-resolution core studies

Abstract

The Balloon-borne Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope for Polarimetry (BLAST-Pol) is a suborbital mapping experiment designed to study the role played by magnetic fields in the star formation process. BLAST-Pol is the reconstructed BLAST telescope, with the addition of linear polarization capability. Using a 1.8 m Cassegrain telescope, BLAST-Pol images the sky onto a focal plane that consists of 280 bolometric detectors in three arrays, observing simultaneously at 250, 350, and 500 um. The diffraction-limited optical system provides a resolution of 30'' at 250 um. The polarimeter consists of photolithographic polarizing grids mounted in front of each bolometer/detector array. A rotating 4 K achromatic half-wave plate provides additional polarization modulation. With its unprecedented mapping speed and resolution, BLAST-Pol will produce three-color polarization maps for a large number of molecular clouds. The instrument provides a much needed bridge in spatial coverage between larger-scale, coarse resolution surveys and narrow field of view, and high resolution observations of substructure within molecular cloud cores. The first science flight will be from McMurdo Station, Antarctica in December 2010.