Start year
2011
Organizational Unit
Organizing institutions
Grants related:
General
Description
El experimento QUIJOTE (Q U I JOint TEnerife) tiene como objetivo caracterizar la polarización del Fondo Cósmico de Microondas (FCM) y otros procesos de emisión Galáctica y extra-galáctica en el rango de frecuencias de 10-42 GHz, y a grandes escalas angulares (1 grado de resolución). Las medidas de QUIJOTE complementan a baja frecuencia las que ha obtenido el satélite Planck (ESA), y permiten caracterizar con precisión la polarización de la emisión sincrotrón y la emisión anómala de microondas de nuestra Galaxia.
El experimento consta de dos telescopios (QT-1 y QT-2) y tres instrumentos (MFI, TGI y FGI) que cubren 6 bandas de frecuencia. El MFI (Multi-Frequency Instrument) observa en 4 bandas (11, 13, 17 y 19GHz), y está en operación en el QT-1 desde noviembre de 2012. Los instrumentos TGI (Thirty GHz Instrument) y FGI (Forty GHz Instrument) tienen cada uno 31 receptores, a 30GHz y 42GHz respectivamente. El TGI tuvo su primera luz con 27 polarímetros en diciembre de 2016, y losprimeros detectores del FGI tuvieron primera luz en 2018. En la actualidad, ambos instrumentos TGI y FGI se han integrado en un único criostato en el foco del QT-2, en una configuración mixta de 14 receptores de 30GHz, y 15 de 42GHz.
Los instrumentos TGI y FGI han sido diseñados para alcanzar la sensibilidad necesaria para detectar una componente de ondas gravitacionales primordial si ésta tuviera una razón tensorial a escalar de r=0.05. Dicha componente deja su impronta en el espectro de potencias de la polarización del FCM en forma de los denominados "modos-B". La detección de dichos modos-B abriría un camino extraordinario para esclarecer la física de la inflación. Para alcanzar los objetivos científicos, los mapas para estudios cosmológicos de QUIJOTE cubrirán un área de unos 3,000 grados cuadrados, y alcanzarán un nivel de sensibilidad de 3-4 microK por haz en 11-19GHz, y 1 microK por haz tanto a 30GHz como a 42 GHz. Además, el experimento proporciona mapas de medio cielo (20,000 deg2) que se usan para modelar la emisión de los contaminantes en radio (sincrotrón, libre-libre y emisión anómala), en el contexto del proyecto RADIOFOREGROUNDS: http://www.radioforegrounds.eu.
En paralelo, se desarrollan dos nuevos instrumentos, financiados en su mayor parte por fondos del plan de infraestructuras y equipamiento científico-técnico: un nuevo Multi-Frecuencia (MFI2), que sustituirá al actual MFI incluyendo mejores prestaciones; y el TMS (Tenerife Microwave Spectrometer), un espectrógrafo de microondas también en el rango 10-20 GHz complementario a QUIJOTE.
El proyecto QUIJOTE, liderado por el IAC, tiene como socios al Instituto de Física de Cantabria (IFCA), al Departamento de Ingeniería de Comunicaciones (DICOM), y las Universidades de Manchester y Cambridge en Reino Unido. Web: http://www.iac.es/project/cmb/quijote.
Members
Principal investigator
José Alberto
Rubiño Martín
Project staff
Ricardo Tanausú
Genova Santos
Carlos Manuel
Gutiérrez de La Cruz
Javier de
Miguel Hernández
Frédéric Nicolas David
Poidevin
Prof.
Rafael
Rebolo López
Marta Carmen
Aguiar González
Patricia Concepción
Fernández Izquierdo
María Francisca
Gómez Reñasco
Roger John
Hoyland
María Rosario
Pérez de Taoro
Teodora Aleida
Viera Curbelo
Collaborators
Dr.
A. Lasenby
Dr.
M. Ashdown
Dr.
L. Piccirillo
Dr.
B. Watson
Dr.
J. Chluba
Dr.
E. Martínez-González
Dr.
P. Vielva
Dr.
D. Herranz
Dr.
R.B. Barreiro
Dr.
P. Casas
Dr.
E. Artal
Results
- MFI results (January 2023). Almost a decade after starting observations of the sky in the northern hemisphere, the QUIJOTE Collaboration has presented an initial series of 6 scientific articles, giving the most accurate description we have of the polarization of the emission of the Milky Way in the microwave range. This is a window of observation not previously explored, which provides complementary information to that obtained previously by space missions (Planck and WMAP) dedicated to the study of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB), the fossil radiation left behind by the Big Bang. The new results allow us to obtain information about the structure of the magnetic field of our Galaxy, as well as helping to understand the energetic processes that took place close to the birth of our Universe.
Scientific activity
Related publications
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QUIJOTE scientific results - X. Spatial variations of Anomalous Microwave Emission along the Galactic planeAnomalous microwave emission (AME) is an important emission component between 10 and 60 GHz that is not yet fully understood. It seems to be ubiquitous in our Galaxy and is observed at a broad range of angular scales. Here we use the new QUIJOTE-MFI wide survey data at 11, 13, 17, and 19 GHz to constrain the AME in the Galactic plane (|b| < 10°) onFernández-Torreiro, M. et al.
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112023 -
QUIJOTE scientific results - VII. Galactic AME sources in the QUIJOTE-MFI northern hemisphere wide surveyThe QUIJOTE-MFI Northern Hemisphere Wide Survey has provided maps of the sky above declinations -30° at 11, 13, 17, and 19 GHz. These data are combined with ancillary data to produce Spectral Energy Distributions in intensity in the frequency range 0.4-3 000 GHz on a sample of 52 candidate compact sources harbouring anomalous microwave emissionPoidevin, F. et al.
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32023 -
QUIJOTE scientific results - IX. Radio sources in the QUIJOTE-MFI wide survey mapsWe present the catalogue of Q-U-I JOint TEnerife (QUIJOTE) Wide Survey radio sources extracted from the maps of the Multi-Frequency Instrument compiled between 2012 and 2018. The catalogue contains 786 sources observed in intensity and polarization, and is divided into two separate sub-catalogues: one containing 47 bright sources previously studiedHerranz, D. et al.
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32023 -
QUIJOTE scientific results - VIII. Diffuse polarized foregrounds from component separation with QUIJOTE-MFIWe derive linearly polarized astrophysical component maps in the Northern Sky from the QUIJOTE-MFI data at 11 and 13 GHz in combination with the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe K and Ka bands (23 and 33 GHz) and all Planck polarized channels (30-353 GHz), using the parametric component separation method B-SeCRET. The addition of QUIJOTE-MFIde la Hoz, E. et al.
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32023 -
QUIJOTE scientific results - V. The microwave intensity and polarization spectra of the Galactic regions W49, W51 and IC443We present new intensity and polarization maps obtained with the QUIJOTE experiment towards the Galactic regions W49, W51 and IC443, covering the frequency range from 10 to 20 GHz at $\sim 1\, \text{deg}$ angular resolution, with a sensitivity in the range 35-79 $\mu \text{K}\, \text{beam}^{-1}$ for total intensity and 13-23 $\mu \text{K}\, \textTramonte, D. et al.
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32023 -
QUIJOTE scientific results - VI. The Haze as seen by QUIJOTEThe Haze is an excess of microwave intensity emission surrounding the Galactic Centre. It is spatially correlated with the γ-ray Fermi bubbles, and with the S-PASS radio polarization plumes, suggesting a possible common provenance. The models proposed to explain the origin of the Haze, including energetic events at the Galactic Centre and darkGuidi, F. et al.
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32023 -
QUIJOTE scientific results - IV. A northern sky survey in intensity and polarization at 10-20 GHz with the multifrequency instrumentWe present QUIJOTE intensity and polarization maps in four frequency bands centred around 11, 13, 17, and 19 GHz, and covering approximately 29 000 deg 2, including most of the northern sky region. These maps result from 9000 h of observations taken between May 2013 and June 2018 with the first QUIJOTE multifrequency instrument (MFI), and haveRubiño-Martín, J. A. et al.
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32023 -
Searching for dark-matter waves with PPTA and QUIJOTE pulsar polarimetryThe polarization of photons emitted by astrophysical sources might be altered as they travel through a dark matter medium composed of ultra light axion-like particles (ALPs). In particular, the coherent oscillations of the ALP background in the galactic halo induce a periodic change on the polarization of the electromagnetic radiation emitted byCastillo, Andrés et al.
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62022 -
Accurate sky signal reconstruction for ground-based spectroscopy with kinetic inductance detectorsContext. Wide-field spectrometers are needed to deal with current astrophysical challenges that require multiband observations at millimeter wavelengths. An example of these is the KIDs Interferometer Spectrum Survey (KISS), which uses two arrays of kinetic inductance detectors (KIDs) coupled to a Martin-Puplett interferometer (MPI). KISS has aFasano, A. et al.
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122021 -
The PICASSO map-making code: application to a simulation of the QUIJOTE northern sky surveyMap-making is an important step for the data analysis of cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiments. It consists of converting the data, which are typically a long, complex, and noisy collection of measurements, into a map, which is an image of the observed sky. We present in this paper a new map-making code named PICASSO (Polarization andGuidi, F. et al.
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112021 -
The large scale polarization explorer (LSPE) for CMB measurements: performance forecastThe measurement of the polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation is one of the current frontiers in cosmology. In particular, the detection of the primordial divergence-free component of the polarization field, the B-mode, could reveal the presence of gravitational waves in the early Universe. The detection of such a componentAddamo, G. et al.
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82021 -
Detection of spectral variations of Anomalous Microwave Emission with QUIJOTE and C-BASSAnomalous Microwave Emission (AME) is a significant component of Galactic diffuse emission in the frequency range 10- $60\, \mathrm{GHz}$ and a new window into the properties of sub-nanometre-sized grains in the interstellar medium. We investigate the morphology of AME in the ≍10 ○ diameter λ Orionis ring by combining intensity data from theCepeda-Arroita, R. et al.
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52021 -
28-40 GHz variability and polarimetry of bright compact sources in the QUIJOTE cosmological fieldsWe observed 51 sources in the Q-U-I JOint TEnerife (QUIJOTE) cosmological fields that were brighter than 1 Jy at 30 GHz in the Planck Point Source Catalogue (version 1), with the Very Large Array at 28-40 GHz, in order to characterize their high-radio-frequency variability and polarization properties. We find a roughly lognormal distribution ofPerrott, Yvette C. et al.
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42021 -
Progress Report on the Large-Scale Polarization ExplorerThe large-scale polarization explorer (LSPE) is a cosmology program for the measurement of large-scale curl-like features (B-modes) in the polarization of the cosmic microwave background. Its goal is to constrain the background of inflationary gravity waves traveling through the universe at the time of matter-radiation decoupling. The twoLamagna, L. et al.
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42020 -
Updated Design of the CMB Polarization Experiment Satellite LiteBIRDRecent developments of transition-edge sensors (TESs), based on extensive experience in ground-based experiments, have been making the sensor techniques mature enough for their application on future satellite cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization experiments. LiteBIRD is in the most advanced phase among such future satellites, targetingSugai, H. et al.
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12020 -
GroundBIRD: A CMB Polarization Experiment with MKID ArraysGroundBIRD is a ground-based experiment for a precise observation of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarizations. To achieve high sensitivity at large angular scales, we adopt three features in this experiment: fast rotation scanning, microwave kinetic inductance detector (MKID), and cold optics. The rotation scanning strategy has theLee, K. et al.
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82020 -
Feasibility of cosmic microwave background observations using radiometers based on whispering gallery mode resonatorsThe fundamentals of the whispering gallery mode (WGM) resonators are well established in the literature, with several successful proof-of-concept experiments. One remarkable benefit of this technology is the room-temperature operation. This characteristic could be used to build a new generation of radiometers that do not need to be cooled down toDe Miguel-Hernández, Javier et al.
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72020 -
Manufacturing of 3D-metallic electromagnetic metamaterials for feedhorns usedin radioastronomy and satellite communicationsThe electromagnetic metamaterials at microwaves frequencies are well established in industrial applications nowadays. Recent research has shown that a specific kind of metallic metamaterial can contribute to improve the performance of the microwave feedhorns used in radioastronomy and satellite telecommunications. In this article, we theoreticallyde Miguel-Hernández, J. et al.
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102019 -
A High Sensitivity Fourier Transform Spectrometer for Cosmic Microwave Back-ground ObservationsThe QUIJOTE Experiment was developed to study the polarization in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) over the frequency range of 10-50 GHz. Its first instrument, the Multi-Frequency-Instrument (MFI), measures in the range 10-20 GHz which coincides with one of the naturally transparent windows in the atmosphere. The Tenerife Microwavede Miguel-Hernández, J. et al.
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102019 -
Fundamentals of horn antennas with low cross-polarization levels for radioastronomy and satellite communicationsThe literature on horn antennas dedicated to radio astronomy and satellite communications applications is very extensive and at times disjointed, relevant contributions being distributed as far back as from the 60's until the present today. This work combines a compact but complete review of the different theories, methodologies and techniques usedDe Miguel-Hernández, J. et al.
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82019
![Izquierda - Imagen RGB de la nebulosa de Orión y M43 obtenida filtros estrechos con la cámara WFC en el INT: H alfa (rojo), [S II] 6716+30 (verde), [O III] 5007 (azul). Derecha - Imagen en falso color de la nebulosa planetaria NGC 6778. En azul se ve la emisión en la línea de O II tomada con el filtro sintonizable azul del instrumento OSIRIS en el GTC; en verde imagen con el filtro estrecho de [O III] del Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT).](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_square_2_2_to_320px/public/images/project/imagen_web.jpg?itok=fsBmV9CO "Izquierda - Imagen RGB de la nebulosa de Orión y M43 obtenida filtros estrechos con la cámara WFC en el INT: H alfa (rojo), [S II] 6716+30 (verde), [O III] 5007 (azul). Derecha - Imagen en falso color de la nebulosa planetaria NGC 6778. En azul se ve la emisión en la línea de O II tomada con el filtro sintonizable azul del instrumento OSIRIS en el GTC; en verde imagen con el filtro estrecho de [O III] del Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT).")
