Spider is a balloon borne polarimeter designed to study the polarization of the microwave sky at frequencies from 96 GHz to 300 GHz (wavelengths of 3mm to 1mm) and over angular scales ranging from 30 degrees to 0.5 degrees. The first flight is planned for April 2010, from Alice Springs, Australia. The mid-latitude flight provides for wide sky coverage and excellent cross-linking. A second Ultra Long Duration Balloon flight is scheduled for the following season.

The primary science goals include:

1. characterization of the curl-free component of the CMB polarization on the largest scales
2. searching for the signature of inflationary gravitational waves in the CMB polarization
3. characterization of the polarization properties of the emission from our own Milky Way Galaxy

[edit] External links

Spider Homepage

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