Search

The high electron temperature in galaxy clusters ($>1\,$keV or $>10^7\,$K) leads to corrections at the level of a few percent in their thermal Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect signatures. Both the size and frequency dependence of these corrections, which are known as relativistic temperature corrections, depend upon the temperature of the objects. In this work we exploit this effect to measure the average temperature of a stack of Compton-$y$ selected clusters. Specifically, we apply the "spectroscopic method" and search for the temperature that best fits the clusters' signal measured at frequencies from 30 to 545 GHz by the Atacama Cosmology Telescope and Planck satellite. We measure the average temperature of clusters detected in the ACT maps to be $8.5\pm 2.4\,$keV, with an additional systematic error of comparable amplitude dominated by passband uncertainty. Upcoming surveys, such as the Simons Observatory and CMB-S4, have the potential to dramatically improve upon these measurements and thereby enable precision studies of cluster temperatures with millimeter observations. The key challenge for future observations will be mitigating instrumental systematic effects, which already limit this analysis., Comment: 21 pages with 17 figures

At frequencies below 1\,Hz, fluctuations in atmospheric emission in the Chajnantor region in northern Chile are the primary source of interference for bolometric millimeter-wave observations. This paper focuses on the statistics of these fluctuations using measurements from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) and the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) water vapor radiometer. After introducing a method for separating atmospheric effects from other systematic effects, we present a direct measurement of the temporal outer scale of turbulence of $\tau_0\approx50$s corresponding to a spatial scale of $L_0\approx500$m. At smaller scales, the fluctuations are well described by the Kolmogorov 2/3 power law until, at yet smaller scales, the effects of beam smearing become important. As a part of this study, we present measurements of the atmosphere by the APEX radiometer over 20 years, focused on fluctuations in precipitable water vapor (PWV). We find that the 30-minute mean of the total PWV is not in general a robust estimator of the level of fluctuations. We show that the microwave frequency spectrum of these fluctuations is in good agreement with predictions by the \texttt{am} code for bands above 90~GHz. We then show that the variance of fluctuations in ACT's mm-wave bands correlates with the variance of fluctuations in PWV measured by APEX, even though the observatories are 6\,km apart and observe different lines of sight. We find that ACT's atmosphere-determined optical efficiencies are consistent with previous planet-based results., Comment: 13 pages plus appendix, 17 figures. Submitted to PRD

We measure the growth of cosmic density fluctuations on large scales and across the redshift range $0.3

The nature of the magnetic field structure throughout the Galactic Center (GC) has long been of interest. The recent Far-InfraREd Polarimetric Large-Area CMZ Exploration (FIREPLACE) Survey reveals preliminary connections between the seemingly distinct vertical and horizontal magnetic field distributions previously observed in the GC. We use the statistical techniques of the Histogram of Relative Orientation (HRO) and the Projected Rayleigh Statistic (PRS) to assess whether the CMZ magnetic field preferentially aligns with the column density gradient derived from CMZ molecular clouds or the morphology of the non-thermal emission of the GC NTF population. We find that there is a range of magnetic field orientations throughout the population of CMZ molecular clouds, ranging from parallel to perpendicular orientation. This range of orientations contrasts with what is observed in Galactic Disk star-forming regions. We also compare the magnetic field orientation from dust polarimetry with individual prominent NTFs, finding a preferred perpendicular relative orientation. This perpendicular orientation indicates that the vertical field component found in the FIREPLACE observations is not spatially confined to the NTFs, providing evidence for a more pervasive vertical field in the GC. We estimate an upper limit on the magnetic field strength for this vertical field of 4 mG. A field close to this upper limit would indicate that the NTFs are likely not local enhancements of a weaker background field and that the locations of the NTFs depend on proximity to sites of cosmic ray production., Comment: Submitted to ApJ

The kinematic Sunyaev--Zel'dovich (kSZ) effect induces a non-zero density-density-temperature bispectrum, which we can use to reconstruct the large-scale velocity field from a combination of cosmic microwave background (CMB) and galaxy density measurements, in a procedure known as ``kSZ velocity reconstruction''. This method has been forecast to constrain large-scale modes with future galaxy and CMB surveys, improving their measurement beyond what is possible with the galaxy surveys alone. Such measurements will enable tighter constraints on large-scale signals such as primordial non-Gaussianity, deviations from homogeneity, and modified gravity. In this work, we demonstrate a statistically significant measurement of kSZ velocity reconstruction for the first time, by applying quadratic estimators to the combination of the ACT DR6 CMB+kSZ map and the DESI LRG galaxies (with photometric redshifts) in order to reconstruct the velocity field. We do so using a formalism appropriate for the 2-dimensional projected galaxy fields that we use, which naturally incorporates the curved-sky effects important on the largest scales. We find evidence for the signal by cross-correlating with an external estimate of the velocity field from the spectroscopic BOSS survey and rejecting the null (no-kSZ) hypothesis at $3.8\sigma$. Our work presents a first step towards the use of this observable for cosmological analyses., Comment: 16 pages (main)+5 pages (Appendix); 13 figures (main) + 8 figures (appendix)

Future far-infrared (IR) observatories require compact and cost efficient optical linear variable bandpass filters (LVBFs) to define their instrument spectral bands. We have designed novel far-IR LVBFs that consist of metal-mesh bandpass filters comprised of a gold film with cross-slots of varying sizes along a silicon (Si) substrate with anti-reflection (AR) coatings. We present our work on the simulated and measured transmission of non-AR coated and AR coated LVBFs for bandpass peaks from wavelengths of 24 to 36 $\mu$m with a resolving power ($R=\lambda_0/\Delta\lambda$) of R$\approx$6 for non-AR coated LVBFs and R$\approx$4 for AR coated LVBFs. We also present a method to decrease the effects of out-of-band high frequency transmission exhibited by metal-mesh filters by depositing a thin layer of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) on the metal-mesh of the LVBF. We have fabricated and measured the LVBFs at room temperature and cryogenic temperatures (5 K). We measure a high peak transmission of $\sim$80-90 \% for the AR coated LVBF at 5 K and demonstrate that the a-Si:H LVBF is a promising method to address out-of-band high frequency transmission., Comment: 8 pages, 10 figures, accepted to Applied Optics

We conduct a systematic search for astrophysical transients using data from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT). The data were taken from 2017 to 2022 in three frequency bands spanning 77 GHz to 277 GHz. In this paper we present a pipeline for transient detection using single observation maps where each pixel of a map contains one observation with an integration time of approximately four minutes. We find 34 transient events at 27 unique locations. All but two of the transients are associated with Galactic stars and exhibit a wide range of properties. We also detect an event coincident with the classical nova, YZ Ret and one event consistent with a flaring active galactic nucleus. We notably do not detect any reverse shock emission from gamma ray bursts, a non-detection which is in tension with current models., Comment: 23 pages, 10 figures, 10 tables. First and second author share equal contributions. Article and accompanying data submitted to ApJ. Data tables will be made available upon publication

The EXperiment for Cryogenic Large-Aperture Intensity Mapping (EXCLAIM) is a balloon-borne telescope designed to survey star formation over cosmological time scales using intensity mapping in the 420 - 540 GHz frequency range. EXCLAIM uses a fully cryogenic telescope coupled to six on-chip spectrometers featuring kinetic inductance detectors (KIDs) to achieve high sensitivity, allowing for fast integration in dark atmospheric windows. The telescope receiver is cooled to $\approx$ 1.7 K by immersion in a superfluid helium bath and enclosed in a superfluid-tight shell with a meta-material anti-reflection coated silicon window. In addition to the optics and the spectrometer package, the receiver contains the magnetic shielding, the cryogenic segment of the spectrometer readout, and the sub-Kelvin cooling system. A three-stage continuous adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator (CADR) keeps the detectors at 100 mK while a $^4$He sorption cooler provides a 900 mK thermal intercept for mechanical suspensions and coaxial cables. We present the design of the EXCLAIM receiver and report on the flight-like testing of major receiver components, including the superfluid-tight receiver window and the sub-Kelvin coolers., Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures, 1 table

We present a joint analysis of the CMB lensing power spectra measured from the Data Release 6 of the Atacama Cosmology Telescope and Planck PR4, cross-correlations between the ACT and Planck lensing reconstruction and galaxy clustering from unWISE, and the unWISE clustering auto-spectrum. We obtain 1.5% constraints on the matter density fluctuations at late times parametrised by the best constrained parameter combination $S_8^{\rm 3x2pt}\equiv\sigma_8 (\Omega_m/0.3)^{0.4}=0.815\pm0.012$. The commonly used $S_8\equiv\sigma_8 (\Omega_m/0.3)^{0.5}$ parameter is constrained to $S_8=0.816\pm0.015$. In combination with baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) measurements we find $\sigma_8=0.815\pm 0.012$. We also present sound-horizon-independent estimates of the present day Hubble rate of $H_0=66.4^{+3.2}_{-3.7} \,\mathrm{km}\,\mathrm{s}^{-1}\mathrm{Mpc}^{-1}$ from our large scale structure data alone and $H_0=64.3^{+2.1}_{-2.4}\,\mathrm{km}\,\mathrm{s}^{-1}\mathrm{Mpc}^{-1}$ in combination with uncalibrated supernovae from Pantheon+. Using parametric estimates of the evolution of matter density fluctuations, we place constraints on cosmic structure in a range of high redshifts typically inaccessible with cross-correlation analyses. Combining lensing cross- and auto-correlations, we derive a 3.3% constraint on the integrated matter density fluctuations above $z=2.4$, one of the tightest constraints in this redshift range and fully consistent with a $\Lambda$CDM model fit to the primary CMB from Planck. Combining with primary CMB observations and using the extended low redshift coverage of these combined data sets we derive constraints on a variety of extensions to the $\Lambda$CDM model including massive neutrinos, spatial curvature, and dark energy. We find in flat $\Lambda$CDM $\sum m_\nu<0.12$ eV at 95% confidence using the LSS data, BAO measurements from SDSS and primary CMB observations., Comment: 30 pages, 15 figures, to be submitted to PRD, comments welcome

Front-end polarization modulation enables improved polarization measurement stability by modulating the targeted signal above the low-frequency $1/f$ drifts associated with atmospheric and instrumental instabilities and diminishes the impact of instrumental polarization. In this work, we present the design and characterization of a new 60-cm diameter Reflective Half-Wave Plate (RHWP) polarization modulator for the 90 GHz band telescope of the Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor (CLASS) project. The RHWP consists of an array of parallel wires (diameter $50~\mathrm{\mu m}$, $175~\mathrm{\mu m}$ pitch) positioned $0.88~\mathrm{mm}$ from an aluminum mirror. In lab tests, it was confirmed that the wire resonance frequency ($f_\mathrm{res}$) profile is consistent with the target, $139~\mathrm{Hz}

We present a stacked lensing analysis of 96 galaxy clusters selected by the thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect in maps of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). We select foreground galaxy clusters with a $5\sigma$-level SZ threshold in CMB observations from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope, while we define background source galaxies for the lensing analysis with secure photometric redshift cuts in Year 3 data of the Subaru Hyper Suprime Cam survey. We detect the stacked lensing signal in the range of $0.1 < R\, [h^{-1}\mathrm{Mpc}] < 100$ in each of three cluster redshift bins, $0.092

We present a high-significance cross-correlation of CMB lensing maps from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) Data Release 6 (DR6) with spectroscopically calibrated luminous red galaxies (LRGs) from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI). We detect this cross-correlation at a significance of 38$\sigma$; combining our measurement with the Planck Public Release 4 (PR4) lensing map, we detect the cross-correlation at 50$\sigma$. Fitting this jointly with the galaxy auto-correlation power spectrum to break the galaxy bias degeneracy with $\sigma_8$, we perform a tomographic analysis in four LRG redshift bins spanning $0.4 \le z \le 1.0$ to constrain the amplitude of matter density fluctuations through the parameter combination $S_8^\times = \sigma_8 \left(\Omega_m / 0.3\right)^{0.4}$. Prior to unblinding, we confirm with extragalactic simulations that foreground biases are negligible and carry out a comprehensive suite of null and consistency tests. Using a hybrid effective field theory (HEFT) model that allows scales as small as $k_{\rm max}=0.6$ $h/{\rm Mpc}$, we obtain a 3.3% constraint on $S_8^\times = \sigma_8 \left(\Omega_m / 0.3\right)^{0.4} = 0.792^{+0.024}_{-0.028}$ from ACT data, as well as constraints on $S_8^\times(z)$ that probe structure formation over cosmic time. Our result is consistent with the early-universe extrapolation from primary CMB anisotropies measured by Planck PR4 within 1.2$\sigma$. Jointly fitting ACT and Planck lensing cross-correlations we obtain a 2.7% constraint of $S_8^\times = 0.776^{+0.019}_{-0.021}$, which is consistent with the Planck early-universe extrapolation within 2.1$\sigma$, with the lowest redshift bin showing the largest difference in mean. The latter may motivate further CMB lensing tomography analyses at $z<0.6$ to assess the impact of potential systematics or the consistency of the $\Lambda$CDM model over cosmic time., Comment: Prepared for submission to JCAP (47 pages, 13 figures)

The SALTUS Probe mission will provide a powerful far-infrared (far-IR) pointed space observatory to explore our cosmic origins and the possibility of life elsewhere. The observatory employs an innovative deployable 14-m aperture, with a sunshield that will radiatively cool the off-axis primary to <45K. This cooled primary reflector works in tandem with cryogenic coherent and incoherent instruments that span the 34 to 660 micron far-IR range at both high and moderate spectral resolutions., Comment: 49 pages, 10 figures, 3 tables, submitted to SPIE JATIS

We derive new constraints on the $E_G$ statistic as a test of gravity, combining the CMB lensing map estimated from Data Release 6 (DR6) of the Atacama Cosmology Telescope with SDSS BOSS CMASS and LOWZ galaxy data. We develop an analysis pipeline to measure the cross-correlation between CMB lensing maps and galaxy data, following a blinding policy and testing the approach through null and consistency checks. By testing the equivalence of the spatial and temporal gravitational potentials, the $E_G$ statistic can distinguish $\Lambda$CDM from alternative models of gravity. We find $E_G= 0.31^{+0.06}_{-0.05}$ for ACT and CMASS data at 68.28\% confidence level, and $E_G = 0.49^{+0.14}_{-0.11}$ for ACT and LOWZ. Systematic errors are estimated to be 3\% and 4\% respectively. Including CMB lensing information from Planck PR4 results in $E_G = 0.34^{+0.05}_{-0.05}$ with CMASS and $E_G= 0.43^{+0.11}_{-0.09}$ with LOWZ. These are consistent with predictions for the $\Lambda$CDM model that best fits the Planck CMB anisotropy and SDSS BOSS BAO, where $E_G^{\rm GR} (z_{\rm eff} = 0.555) = 0.401\pm 0.005$ for CMB lensing combined with CMASS and $E_G^{\rm GR} (z_{\rm eff} = 0.316) = 0.452\pm0.005$ combined with LOWZ. We also find $E_G$ to be scale independent, with PTE $>5\%$, as predicted by general relativity. The methods developed in this work are also applicable to improved future analyses with upcoming spectroscopic galaxy samples and CMB lensing measurements., Comment: 33 pages, 21 figures, prepared for submission to PRD

Improved polarization measurements at frequencies below 70 GHz with degree-level angular resolution are crucial for advancing our understanding of the Galactic synchrotron radiation and the potential polarized anomalous microwave emission and ultimately benefiting the detection of primordial $B$ modes. In this study, we present sensitivity-improved 40 GHz polarization maps obtained by combining the CLASS 40 GHz and WMAP $Q$-band data through a weighted average in the harmonic domain. The decision to include WMAP $Q$-band data stems from similarities in the bandpasses. Leveraging the accurate large-scale measurements from WMAP $Q$ band and the high-sensitivity information from CLASS 40 GHz band at intermediate scales, the noise level at $\ell\in[30, 100]$ is reduced by a factor of $2-3$ in the map space. A pixel domain analysis of the polarized synchrotron spectral index ($\beta_s$) using WMAP $K$ band and the combined maps (mean and 16/84th percentile across the $\beta_s$ map: $-3.08_{-0.20}^{+0.20}$) reveals a stronger preference for spatial variation (PTE for a uniform $\beta_s$ hypothesis smaller than 0.001) than the results obtained using WMAP $K$ and $Ka$ bands ($-3.08_{-0.14}^{+0.14}$). The cross-power spectra of the combined maps follow the same trend as other low-frequency data, and validation through simulations indicates negligible bias introduced by the combination method (sub-percent level in the power spectra). The products of this work are publicly available on $\mathtt{LAMBDA}$., Comment: 19 pages, 16 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in ApJ

We present an estimate of the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) detector polarization angle systematic uncertainty from optics perturbation analysis using polarization-sensitive ray tracing in CODE V optical design software. Uncertainties in polarization angle calibration in CMB measurements can limit constraints on cosmic birefringence and other cosmological parameters sensitive to polarization leakage. Our framework estimates the angle calibration systematic uncertainties from possible displacements in lens positions and orientations, and anti-reflection coating (ARC) thicknesses and refractive indices. With millimeter displacements in lens positions and percent-level perturbations in ARC thicknesses and indices from design, we find the total systematic uncertainty for three ACT detector arrays operating between 90--220 GHz to be at the tenth of degree scale. Reduced lens position and orientation uncertainties from physical measurements could lead to a reduction in the systematic uncertainty estimated with the framework presented here. This optical modeling may inform polarization angle systematic uncertainties for current and future microwave polarimeters, such as the CCAT Observatory, Simons Observatory, and CMB-S4., Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures, version accepted for publication in Applied Optics

We have developed a suite of infrared-blocking filters made by embedding diamond scattering particles in a polyimide aerogel substrate. We demonstrate the ability to tune the spectral performance of the filters based on both the composition of the base aerogel material and the properties of the scattering particles. We summarize the fabrication, optical modeling, and characterization of these filters. We investigate two polyimide base aerogel formulations and the effects of loading them with diamond scattering particles of varying sizes and relative densities. We describe a model for the filters' behavior using a combination of Maxwell Garnett and Mie Scattering techniques. We present optical characterization results for diamond-loaded aerogel filters with cutoff frequencies (50% transmittance) ranging between 2.5 and 15 THz, and confirm that the measured spectral performance is in agreement with our optical models. We also measure the filters' refractive index in the microwave and report findings in agreement with Maxwell Garnett model predictions (typically n < 1.08)., Comment: 18 pages, 11 figures, 3 tables. Submitted to Applied Optics

Spatial variations in the cosmic electron density after reionization generate cosmic microwave background anisotropies via Thomson scattering, a process known as the ``patchy screening" effect. In this paper, we propose a new estimator for the patchy screening effect that is designed to mitigate biases from the dominant foreground signals. We use it to measure the cross-correlation between \textit{unWISE} galaxies and patchy screening, the latter measured by the Atacama Cosmology Telescope and \textit{Planck} satellite. We report the first detection of the patchy screening effect, with the statistical significance of the cross-correlation exceeding $7\sigma$. This measurement directly probes the distribution of electrons around these galaxies and provides strong evidence that gas is more extended than the underlying dark matter. By comparing our measurements to electron profiles extracted from simulations, we demonstrate the power of these observations to constrain galaxy evolution models. Requiring only the 2D positions of objects and no individual redshifts or velocity estimates, this approach is complementary to existing gas probes, such as those based on the kinetic Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect., Comment: See Schutt et al for a detailed comparison of patchy screening estimators. 17 pages with 8 figures

We present the second data release (DR2) of the Far-Infrared Polarimetric Large-Area CMZ Exploration (FIREPLACE) survey. This survey utilized the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) High-resolution Airborne Wideband Camera plus (HAWC+) instrument at 214 $\mu$m (E-band) to observe dust polarization throughout the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) of the Milky Way. DR2 consists of observations that were obtained in 2022 covering the region of the CMZ extending roughly from the Brick to the Sgr C molecular clouds (corresponding to a roughly 1$^{\circ}$ $\times$ 0.75$^{\circ}$ region of the sky). We combine DR2 with the first FIREPLACE data release to obtain full coverage of the CMZ (a 1.5$^{\circ}$ $\times$0.75$^{\circ}$ region of the sky). After applying total and polarized intensity significance cuts on the full FIREPLACE data set we obtain $\rm\sim$65,000 Nyquist-sampled polarization pseudovectors. The distribution of polarization pseudovectors confirms a bimodal distribution in the CMZ magnetic field orientations, recovering field components that are oriented predominantly parallel or perpendicular to the Galactic plane. These magnetic field orientations indicate possible connections between the previously observed parallel and perpendicular distributions. We also inspect the magnetic fields toward a set of prominent CMZ molecular clouds (the Brick, Three Little Pigs, 50 km s$\rm^{-1}$, Circum-nuclear Disk, CO 0.02-0.02, 20 km s$\rm^{-1}$, and Sgr C), revealing spatially varying magnetic fields that generally trace the morphologies of the clouds. We find evidence that compression from stellar winds and shear from tidal forces are prominent mechanisms influencing the structure of the magnetic fields observed within the clouds., Comment: 35 pages, 23 figures, 3 tables. Article is accepted for publication in ApJ

We present the detection of a magnetized dust ring (M0.8-0.2) in the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) of the Galactic Center. The results presented in this paper utilize the first data release (DR1) of the Far-Infrared Polarimetric Large Area CMZ Exploration (FIREPLACE) survey (i.e., FIREPLACE I; Butterfield et al. 2023). The FIREPLACE survey is a 214 $\mu$m polarimetic survey of the Galactic Center using the SOFIA/HAWC+ telescope. The M0.8-0.2 ring is a region of gas and dust that has a circular morphology with a central depression. The dust polarization in the M0.8-0.2 ring implies a curved magnetic field that traces the ring-like structure of the cloud. We posit an interpretation in which an expanding shell compresses and concentrates the ambient gas and magnetic field. We argue that this compression results in the strengthening of the magnetic field, as we infer from the observations toward the interior of the ring., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ

The far-infrared (IR) region is rich with information needed to characterize interstellar dust and to investigate the cold outer planets of the solar system and their icy moons. The proposed sub-orbital observatory the Balloon Experiment for Galactic INfrared Science (BEGINS) will utilize cryogenic instruments to map spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of interstellar dust in the Cygnus molecular cloud complex. A future high priority flagship mission Uranus Orbiter and Probe carrying a net flux radiometer (NFR) will study the in situ heat flux of the icy giants atmosphere to 10 bar pressure. These instruments require far-IR filters to define the instrument spectral bandwidths. Our ultimate goal is to define the instrument bands of BEGINS and the NFR with linear-variable filters (LVFs) and discrete-variable filters (DVFs). The LVFs and DVFs will be made of metal mesh band-pass filters (MMBF) comprised of a 100 nm thick gold film with cross-shaped slots of varying sizes along a silicon (Si) substrate with cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) anti-reflection (AR) coatings. We present our progress towards LVFs and DVFs with simulated and measured transmission of a room temperature, non-AR coated, single-band 44 $\mu$m MMBF filter. We have successfully fabricated, measured, and modeled a non-AR coated, room temperature 44 $\mu$m MMBF. The transmission at room temperature and non-AR coated was measured to be 27\% with a resolving power of 11. When COC-AR coated on both sides the transmission is expected to increase to 69\% with a resolving power of 10.

We developed a broadband two-layer anti-reflection (AR) coating for use on a sapphire half-wave plate (HWP) and an alumina infrared (IR) filter for the cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarimetry. Measuring the faint CMB B-mode signals requires maximizing the number of photons reaching the detectors and minimizing spurious polarization due to reflection with an off-axis incident angle. Sapphire and alumina have high refractive indices of 3.1 and are highly reflective without an AR coating. This paper presents the design, fabrication, quality control, and measured performance of an AR coating using thermally-sprayed mullite and Duroid 5880LZ. This technology enables large optical elements with diameters of 600 mm. We also present a newly developed thermography-based nondestructive quality control technique, which is key to assuring good adhesion and preventing delamination when thermal cycling. We demonstrate the average reflectance of about 2.6% (0.9%) for two observing bands centered at 90/150 (220/280) GHz. At room temperature, the average transmittance of a 105 mm square test sample at 220/280 GHz is 83%, and it will increase to 90% at 100 K, attributed to reduced absorption losses. Therefore, our developed layering technique has proved effective for 220/280 GHz applications, particularly in addressing dielectric loss concerns. This AR coating technology has been deployed in the cryogenic HWP and IR filters of the Simons Array and the Simons observatory experiments and applies to future experiments such as CMB-S4.

We describe a testbed to characterize the optical response of compact superconducting on-chip spectrometers in development for the Experiment for Cryogenic Large-Aperture Intensity Mapping (EXCLAIM) mission. EXCLAIM is a balloonborne far-infrared experiment to probe the CO and CII emission lines in galaxies from redshift 3.5 to the present. The spectrometer, called u-Spec, comprises a diffraction grating on a silicon chip coupled to kinetic inductance detectors (KIDs) read out via a single microwave feedline. We use a prototype spectrometer for EXCLAIM to demonstrate our ability to characterize the spectrometers spectral response using a photomixer source. We utilize an on-chip reference detector to normalize relative to spectral structure from the off-chip optics and a silicon etalon to calibrate the absolute frequency.

Photonics offer numerous functionalities that can be used to realize astrophotonic instruments. The most spectacular example to date is the ESO Gravity instrument at the Very Large Telescope in Chile. Integrated astrophotonic devices stand to offer critical advantages for instrument development, including extreme miniaturization, as well as integration, superior thermal and mechanical stabilization owing to the small footprint, and high replicability offering cost savings. Numerous astrophotonic technologies have been developed to address shortcomings of conventional instruments to date, including for example the development of photonic lanterns, complex aperiodic fiber Bragg gratings, complex beam combiners to enable long baseline interferometry, and laser frequency combs for high precision spectral calibration of spectrometers. Despite these successes, the facility implementation of photonic solutions in astronomical instrumentation is currently limited because of (1) low throughputs from coupling to fibers, coupling fibers to chips, propagation and bend losses, device losses, etc, (2) difficulties with scaling to large channel count devices needed for large bandwidths and high resolutions, and (3) efficient integration of photonics with detectors, to name a few. In this roadmap, we identify 24 areas that need further development. We outline the challenges and advances needed across those areas covering design tools, simulation capabilities, fabrication processes, the need for entirely new components, integration and hybridization and the characterization of devices. To realize these advances the astrophotonics community will have to work cooperatively with industrial partners who have more advanced manufacturing capabilities. With the advances described herein, multi-functional instruments will be realized leading to novel observing capabilities for both ground and space platforms., Comment: 191 pages, 47 figures. This is the version of the article before peer review or editing, as submitted by an author to J. Phys. Photonics. IOP Publishing Ltd is not responsible for any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or any version derived from it. The Version of Record is available online at https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/2515-7647/ace869/meta

We present a multi-frequency, multi-epoch catalog of extragalactic sources. The catalog is based on 150, 220, and 280 GHz observations carried out in 2008, 2009, and 2010 using the Millimeter Bolometric Array Camera on the Atacama Cosmology Telescope. We also present and release 280 GHz maps from 2008 and 2010. The catalog contains 483 sources found in a sky area of ${\sim}600$ square degrees. It was obtained by cross-matching sources found in 11 sub-catalogs, one for each season and frequency band. We also include co-added data from ${\sim}150$ and ${\sim}160$ square degrees using two and three years of overlapping observations. We divide the sources into two populations, synchrotron and dusty emitters, based on their spectral behavior in the 150-280 GHz frequency range. We find 284 synchrotron sources and 183 dusty source candidates. Our cross-matching with catalogs from radio to X-ray results in 251 synchrotron sources (88%) and 92 dusty sources (51%) with counterparts and suggests that 91 dusty candidates are not in existing catalogs. We study the variability and number counts of each population. In the case of synchrotron sources, we find year-to-year variability, with a mean value around 35%. As expected, we find no evidence of dusty source variability. Our number counts generally agree with previous measurements and models, except for dusty sources at 280 GHz, where some models overestimate our results., Comment: 24 pages, 16 figures, for associated data products see https://lambda.gsfc.nasa.gov/product/act/act_prod_table.html -- Accepted on Astronomy and Astrophysics

The dynamic atmosphere imposes challenges to ground-based cosmic microwave background observation, especially for measurements on large angular scales. The hydrometeors in the atmosphere, mostly in the form of clouds, scatter the ambient thermal radiation and are known to be the main linearly polarized source in the atmosphere. This scattering-induced polarization is significantly enhanced for ice clouds due to the alignment of ice crystals under gravity, which are also the most common clouds seen at the millimeter-astronomy sites at high altitudes. This work presents a multifrequency study of cloud polarization observed by the Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor (CLASS) experiment on Cerro Toco in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile, from 2016 to 2022, at the frequency bands centered around 40, 90, 150, and 220 GHz. Using a machine-learning-assisted cloud classifier, we made connections between the transient polarized emission found in all four frequencies with the clouds imaged by monitoring cameras at the observing site. The polarization angles of the cloud events are found to be mostly $90^\circ$ from the local meridian, which is consistent with the presence of horizontally aligned ice crystals. The 90 and 150 GHz polarization data are consistent with a power law with a spectral index of $3.90\pm0.06$, while an excess/deficit of polarization amplitude is found at 40/220 GHz compared with a Rayleigh scattering spectrum. These results are consistent with Rayleigh-scattering-dominated cloud polarization, with possible effects from supercooled water absorption and/or Mie scattering from a population of large cloud particles that contribute to the 220 GHz polarization., Comment: 16 pages, 14 figures, submitted to ApJ

We present tomographic measurements of structure growth using cross-correlations of Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) DR6 and Planck CMB lensing maps with the unWISE Blue and Green galaxy samples, which span the redshift ranges $0.2 \lesssim z \lesssim 1.1$ and $0.3 \lesssim z \lesssim 1.8$, respectively. We improve on prior unWISE cross-correlations not just by making use of the new, high-precision ACT DR6 lensing maps, but also by including additional spectroscopic data for redshift calibration and by analysing our measurements with a more flexible theoretical model. An extensive suite of systematic and null tests within a blind analysis framework ensures that our results are robust. We determine the amplitude of matter fluctuations at low redshifts ($z\simeq 0.2-1.6$), finding $S_8 \equiv \sigma_8 (\Omega_m / 0.3)^{0.5} = 0.813 \pm 0.021$ using the ACT cross-correlation alone and $S_8 = 0.810 \pm 0.015$ with a combination of Planck and ACT cross-correlations; these measurements are fully consistent with the predictions from primary CMB measurements assuming standard structure growth. The addition of Baryon Acoustic Oscillation data breaks the degeneracy between $\sigma_8$ and $\Omega_m$, allowing us to measure $\sigma_8 = 0.813 \pm 0.020$ from the cross-correlation of unWISE with ACT and $\sigma_8 = 0.813\pm 0.015$ from the combination of cross-correlations with ACT and Planck. These results also agree with the expectations from primary CMB extrapolations in $\Lambda$CDM cosmology; the consistency of $\sigma_8$ derived from our two redshift samples at $z \sim 0.6$ and $1.1$ provides a further check of our cosmological model. Our results suggest that structure formation on linear scales is well described by $\Lambda$CDM even down to low redshifts $z\lesssim 1$., Comment: 73 pages (incl. 31 pages of appendices), 52 figures, 16 tables, published in ApJ. Watch G. S. Farren and A. Krolewski discuss the analysis and results under https://cosmologytalks.com/2023/09/11/act-unwise

Measurement of the largest angular scale ($\ell < 30$) features of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization is a powerful way to constrain the optical depth to reionization and search for the signature of inflation through the detection of primordial $B$-modes. We present an analysis of maps covering 73.6\% of the sky made from the $40\,\mathrm{GHz}$ channel of the Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor (CLASS) from 2016 August to 2022 May. Taking advantage of the measurement stability enabled by front-end polarization modulation and excellent conditions from the Atacama Desert, we show this channel achieves higher sensitivity than the analogous frequencies from satellite measurements in the range $10 < \ell < 100$. Simulations show the CLASS linear (circular) polarization maps have a white noise level of $125 \,(130)\,\mathrm{\mu K\, arcmin}$. We measure the Galaxy-masked $EE$ and $BB$ spectra of diffuse synchrotron radiation and compare to space-based measurements at similar frequencies. In combination with external data, we expand measurements of the spatial variations of the synchrotron spectral energy density (SED) to include new sky regions and measure the diffuse SED in the harmonic domain. We place a new upper limit on a background of circular polarization in the range $5 < \ell < 125$ with the first bin showing $D_\ell < 0.023$ $\mathrm{\mu K^2_{CMB}}$ at 95\% confidence. These results establish a new standard for recovery of the largest-scale CMB polarization from the ground and signal exciting possibilities when the higher sensitivity and higher-frequency CLASS channels are included in the analysis., Comment: 38 pages, 25 figures, 6 tables. Accepted to The Astrophysical Journal

The Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor (CLASS) is a telescope array that observes the cosmic microwave background (CMB) over ~75% of the sky from the Atacama Desert, Chile, at frequency bands centered near 40, 90, 150, and 220 GHz. CLASS measures the large angular scale CMB polarization to constrain the tensor-to-scalar ratio and the optical depth to last scattering. This paper presents the optical characterization of the 90GHz telescope, which has been observing since July 2018. Observations of the Moon establish the pointing while dedicated observations of Jupiter are used for beam calibration. The standard deviations of the pointing error in azimuth, elevation, and boresight angle are 1.3, 2.1, and 2.0 arcminutes, respectively, over the first 3 years of observations. This corresponds to a pointing uncertainty ~7% of the beam's full width at half maximum (FWHM). The effective azimuthally-symmetrized instrument 1D beam estimated at 90 GHz has an FWHM of 0.620+/-0.003 deg and a solid angle of 138.7+/-0.6(stats.)+/-1.1(sys.) usr integrated to a radius of 4 deg. The corresponding beam window function drops to b_ell^2 = 0.93, 0.71, 0.14 at ell = 30, 100, 300, respectively. Far-sidelobes are studied using detector-centered intensity maps of the Moon and measured to be at a level of 10^-3 or below relative to the peak. The polarization angle of Tau A estimated from preliminary survey maps is 149.6+/-0.2(stats.) deg in equatorial coordinates. The instrumental temperature-to-polarization (T-to-P) leakage fraction, inferred from per-detector demodulated Jupiter scan data, has a monopole component at the level of 1.7 x 10^-3, a dipole component with an amplitude of 4.3 x 10^-3, with no evidence of quadrupolar leakage., Comment: 24 pages, 18 figures, submitted to ApJS

We present a cross-correlation analysis between $1'$ resolution total intensity and polarization observations from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) at 150 and 220 GHz and 15$''$ mid-infrared photometry from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) over 107 12.5$^\circ\times$12.5$^\circ$ patches of sky. We detect a spatially isotropic signal in the WISE$\times$ACT $TT$ cross power spectrum at 30$\sigma$ significance that we interpret as the correlation between the cosmic infrared background at ACT frequencies and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission from galaxies in WISE, i.e., the cosmic PAH background. Within the Milky Way, the Galactic dust $TT$ spectra are generally well-described by power laws in $\ell$ over the range 10$^3 < \ell < $10$^4$, but there is evidence both for variability in the power law index and for non-power law behavior in some regions. We measure a positive correlation between WISE total intensity and ACT $E$-mode polarization at 1000$ < \ell \lesssim $6000 at $>$3$\sigma$ in each of 35 distinct $\sim$100 deg$^2$ regions of the sky, suggesting alignment between Galactic density structures and the local magnetic field persists to sub-parsec physical scales in these regions. The distribution of $TE$ amplitudes in this $\ell$ range across all 107 regions is biased to positive values, while there is no evidence for such a bias in the $TB$ spectra. This work constitutes the highest-$\ell$ measurements of the Galactic dust $TE$ spectrum to date and indicates that cross-correlation with high-resolution mid-infrared measurements of dust emission is a promising tool for constraining the spatial statistics of dust emission at millimeter wavelengths., Comment: 20 pages, 14 figures, submitted to ApJ

Observations of the millimeter sky contain valuable information on a number of signals, including the blackbody cosmic microwave background (CMB), Galactic emissions, and the Compton-$y$ distortion due to the thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (tSZ) effect. Extracting new insight into cosmological and astrophysical questions often requires combining multi-wavelength observations to spectrally isolate one component. In this work, we present a new arcminute-resolution Compton-$y$ map, which traces out the line-of-sight-integrated electron pressure, as well as maps of the CMB in intensity and E-mode polarization, across a third of the sky (around 13,000 sq.~deg.). We produce these through a joint analysis of data from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) Data Release 4 and 6 at frequencies of roughly 93, 148, and 225 GHz, together with data from the \textit{Planck} satellite at frequencies between 30 GHz and 545 GHz. We present detailed verification of an internal linear combination pipeline implemented in a needlet frame that allows us to efficiently suppress Galactic contamination and account for spatial variations in the ACT instrument noise. These maps provide a significant advance, in noise levels and resolution, over the existing \textit{Planck} component-separated maps and will enable a host of science goals including studies of cluster and galaxy astrophysics, inferences of the cosmic velocity field, primordial non-Gaussianity searches, and gravitational lensing reconstruction of the CMB., Comment: The Compton-y map and associated products will be made publicly available upon publication of the paper. The CMB T and E mode maps will be made available when the DR6 maps are made public

We present fluxes and light curves for a population of asteroids at millimeter (mm) wavelengths, detected by the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) over 18, 000 deg2 of the sky using data from 2017 to 2021. We utilize high cadence maps, which can be used in searching for moving objects such as asteroids and trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs), as well as for studying transients. We detect 160 asteroids with a signal-to-noise of at least 5 in at least one of the ACT observing bands, which are centered near 90, 150, and 220 GHz. For each asteroid, we compare the ACT measured flux to predicted fluxes from the Near Earth Asteroid Thermal Model (NEATM) fit to WISE data. We confirm previous results that detected a deficit of flux at millimeter wavelengths. Moreover, we report a spectral characteristic to this deficit, such that the flux is relatively lower at 150 and 220 GHz than at 90 GHz. Additionally, we find that the deficit in flux is greater for S-type asteroids than for C-type., Comment: 15 pages, 9 Figures, 4 Tables

We present the first data release (DR1) of the Far-Infrared Polarimetric Large Area CMZ Exploration (FIREPLACE) survey. The survey was taken using the 214-micron band of the HAWC+ instrument with the SOFIA telescope (19.6$'$ resolution; 0.7 pc). In this first data release we present dust polarization observations covering a ~0.5$\deg$ region of the Galactic Center's Central Molecular Zone (CMZ), approximately centered on the Sgr B2 complex. We detect ~25,000 Nyquist-sampled polarization pseudovectors, after applying the standard SOFIA cuts for minimum signal-to-noise in fractional polarization and total intensity of 3 and 200, respectively. Analysis of the magnetic field orientation suggests a bimodal distribution in the field direction. This bimodal distribution shows enhancements in the distribution of field directions for orientations parallel and perpendicular to the Galactic plane, which is suggestive of a CMZ magnetic field configuration with polodial and torodial components. Furthermore, a detailed analysis of individual clouds included in our survey (i.e., Sgr B2, Sgr B2-NW, Sgr B2-Halo, Sgr B1, and Clouds-E/F) shows these clouds have fractional polarization values of 1--10% at 214-micron, with most of the emission having values $<$5%. A few of these clouds (i.e., Sgr B2, Clouds-E/F) show relatively low fractional polarization values toward the cores of the cloud, with higher fractional polarization values toward the less dense periphery. We also observe higher fractional polarization towards compact HII regions which could indicate an enhancement in the grain alignment in the dust surrounding these sources., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ

The Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor (CLASS) is a telescope array that observes the cosmic microwave background over 75\% of the sky from the Atacama Desert, Chile, at frequency bands centered near 40, 90, 150, and 220~GHz. This paper describes the CLASS data pipeline and maps for 40~GHz observations conducted from August 2016 to May 2022. We demonstrate how well the CLASS survey strategy, with rapid ($\sim10\,\mathrm{Hz}$) front-end modulation, recovers the large-scale Galactic polarization signal from the ground: the mapping transfer function recovers $\sim75$\% of $EE$, $BB$, and $VV$ power at $\ell=20$ and $\sim45$\% at $\ell=10$. We present linear and circular polarization maps over 75\% of the sky. Simulations based on the data imply the maps have a white noise level of $110\,\mathrm{\mu K\, arcmin}$ and correlated noise component rising at low-$\ell$ as $\ell^{-2.2}$. The transfer-function-corrected low-$\ell$ component is comparable to the white noise at the angular knee frequencies of $\ell\approx16$ (linear polarization) and $\ell\approx12$ (circular polarization). Finally, we present simulations of the level at which expected sources of systematic error bias the measurements, finding sub-percent bias for the $\Lambda\mathrm{CDM}$ $EE$ power spectra. Bias from $E$-to-$B$ leakage due to the data reduction pipeline and polarization angle uncertainty approaches the expected level for an $r=0.01$ $BB$ power spectrum. Improvements to the instrument calibration and the data pipeline will decrease this bias., Comment: 29 pages, 17 figures; submitted to ApJ

We present weak gravitational lensing measurements of a sample of 157 clusters within the Kilo Degree Survey (KiDS), detected with a $>5\sigma$ thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) signal by the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT). Using a halo-model approach we constrain the average total cluster mass, $M_{\rm WL}$, accounting for the ACT cluster selection function of the full sample. We find that the SZ cluster mass estimate $M_{\rm SZ}$, which was calibrated using X-ray observations, is biased with $M_{\rm SZ}/M_{\rm WL} = (1-b_{\rm SZ}) = 0.65\pm 0.05$. Separating the sample into six mass bins, we find no evidence of a strong mass-dependency for the mass bias, $(1-b_{\rm SZ})$. Adopting this ACT-KiDS SZ mass-calibration would bring the Planck SZ cluster count into agreement with the counts expected from the {\it Planck} cosmic microwave background $\Lambda$CDM cosmological model, although it should be noted that the cluster sample considered in this work has a lower average mass $M_{\rm SZ, uncor} = 3.64 \times 10^{14} M_{\odot}$ compared to the Planck cluster sample which has an average mass in the range $M_{\rm SZ, uncor} = (5.5-8.5) \times 10^{14} M_{\odot}$, depending on the sub-sample used., Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures

We use time-domain simulations of Jupiter observations to test and develop a beam reconstruction pipeline for the Simons Observatory Small Aperture Telescopes. The method relies on a map maker that estimates and subtracts correlated atmospheric noise and a beam fitting code designed to compensate for the bias caused by the map maker. We test our reconstruction performance for four different frequency bands against various algorithmic parameters, atmospheric conditions and input beams. We additionally show the reconstruction quality as function of the number of available observations and investigate how different calibration strategies affect the beam uncertainty. For all of the cases considered, we find good agreement between the fitted results and the input beam model within a ~1.5% error for a multipole range l = 30 - 700 and an ~0.5% error for a multipole range l = 50 - 200. We conclude by using a harmonic-domain component separation algorithm to verify that the beam reconstruction errors and biases observed in our analysis do not significantly bias the Simons Observatory r-measurement., Comment: 23 pages, 21 figures, published in ApJ

We report on the disk-averaged absolute brightness temperatures of Venus measured at four microwave frequency bands with the Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor (CLASS). We measure temperatures of 432.3 $\pm$ 2.8 K, 355.6 $\pm$ 1.3 K, 317.9 $\pm$ 1.7 K, and 294.7 $\pm$ 1.9 K for frequency bands centered at 38.8, 93.7, 147.9, and 217.5 GHz, respectively. We do not observe any dependence of the measured brightness temperatures on solar illumination for all four frequency bands. A joint analysis of our measurements with lower frequency Very Large Array (VLA) observations suggests relatively warmer ($\sim$ 7 K higher) mean atmospheric temperatures and lower abundances of microwave continuum absorbers than those inferred from prior radio occultation measurements., Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, published in PSJ

We present cosmological constraints from a gravitational lensing mass map covering 9400 sq. deg. reconstructed from CMB measurements made by the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) from 2017 to 2021. In combination with BAO measurements (from SDSS and 6dF), we obtain the amplitude of matter fluctuations $\sigma_8 = 0.819 \pm 0.015$ at 1.8% precision, $S_8\equiv\sigma_8({\Omega_{\rm m}}/0.3)^{0.5}=0.840\pm0.028$ and the Hubble constant $H_0= (68.3 \pm 1.1)\, \text{km}\,\text{s}^{-1}\,\text{Mpc}^{-1}$ at 1.6% precision. A joint constraint with CMB lensing measured by the Planck satellite yields even more precise values: $\sigma_8 = 0.812 \pm 0.013$, $S_8\equiv\sigma_8({\Omega_{\rm m}}/0.3)^{0.5}=0.831\pm0.023$ and $H_0= (68.1 \pm 1.0)\, \text{km}\,\text{s}^{-1}\,\text{Mpc}^{-1}$. These measurements agree well with $\Lambda$CDM-model extrapolations from the CMB anisotropies measured by Planck. To compare these constraints to those from the KiDS, DES, and HSC galaxy surveys, we revisit those data sets with a uniform set of assumptions, and find $S_8$ from all three surveys are lower than that from ACT+Planck lensing by varying levels ranging from 1.7-2.1$\sigma$. These results motivate further measurements and comparison, not just between the CMB anisotropies and galaxy lensing, but also between CMB lensing probing $z\sim 0.5-5$ on mostly-linear scales and galaxy lensing at $z\sim 0.5$ on smaller scales. We combine our CMB lensing measurements with CMB anisotropies to constrain extensions of $\Lambda$CDM, limiting the sum of the neutrino masses to $\sum m_{\nu} < 0.13$ eV (95% c.l.), for example. Our results provide independent confirmation that the universe is spatially flat, conforms with general relativity, and is described remarkably well by the $\Lambda$CDM model, while paving a promising path for neutrino physics with gravitational lensing from upcoming ground-based CMB surveys., Comment: 32 pages, 17 figures, replaced with version accepted in ApJ (Feb 2024). Cosmological likelihood data and mass maps are public here: https://lambda.gsfc.nasa.gov/product/act/actadv_prod_table.html ; likelihood software is here: https://github.com/ACTCollaboration/act_dr6_lenslike . Also see companion papers Qu et al and MacCrann et al

We present new measurements of cosmic microwave background (CMB) lensing over $9400$ sq. deg. of the sky. These lensing measurements are derived from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) Data Release 6 (DR6) CMB dataset, which consists of five seasons of ACT CMB temperature and polarization observations. We determine the amplitude of the CMB lensing power spectrum at $2.3\%$ precision ($43\sigma$ significance) using a novel pipeline that minimizes sensitivity to foregrounds and to noise properties. To ensure our results are robust, we analyze an extensive set of null tests, consistency tests, and systematic error estimates and employ a blinded analysis framework. The baseline spectrum is well fit by a lensing amplitude of $A_{\mathrm{lens}}=1.013\pm0.023$ relative to the Planck 2018 CMB power spectra best-fit $\Lambda$CDM model and $A_{\mathrm{lens}}=1.005\pm0.023$ relative to the $\text{ACT DR4} + \text{WMAP}$ best-fit model. From our lensing power spectrum measurement, we derive constraints on the parameter combination $S^{\mathrm{CMBL}}_8 \equiv \sigma_8 \left({\Omega_m}/{0.3}\right)^{0.25}$ of $S^{\mathrm{CMBL}}_8= 0.818\pm0.022$ from ACT DR6 CMB lensing alone and $S^{\mathrm{CMBL}}_8= 0.813\pm0.018$ when combining ACT DR6 and Planck NPIPE CMB lensing power spectra. These results are in excellent agreement with $\Lambda$CDM model constraints from Planck or $\text{ACT DR4} + \text{WMAP}$ CMB power spectrum measurements. Our lensing measurements from redshifts $z\sim0.5$--$5$ are thus fully consistent with $\Lambda$CDM structure growth predictions based on CMB anisotropies probing primarily $z\sim1100$. We find no evidence for a suppression of the amplitude of cosmic structure at low redshifts, Comment: 45+22 pages, 50 figures. v2 matches with published version in ApJ. Cosmological likelihood data and lensing maps are here: https://lambda.gsfc.nasa.gov/product/act/actadv_prod_table.html ; likelihood software is here: https://github.com/ACTCollaboration/act_dr6_lenslike . Also see companion papers Madhavacheril et al and MacCrann et al

We investigate the impact and mitigation of extragalactic foregrounds for the CMB lensing power spectrum analysis of Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) data release 6 (DR6) data. Two independent microwave sky simulations are used to test a range of mitigation strategies. We demonstrate that finding and then subtracting point sources, finding and then subtracting models of clusters, and using a profile bias-hardened lensing estimator, together reduce the fractional biases to well below statistical uncertainties, with the inferred lensing amplitude, $A_{\mathrm{lens}}$, biased by less than $0.2\sigma$. We also show that another method where a model for the cosmic infrared background (CIB) contribution is deprojected and high frequency data from Planck is included has similar performance. Other frequency-cleaned options do not perform as well, incurring either a large noise cost, or resulting in biased recovery of the lensing spectrum. In addition to these simulation-based tests, we also present null tests performed on the ACT DR6 data which test for sensitivity of our lensing spectrum estimation to differences in foreground levels between the two ACT frequencies used, while nulling the CMB lensing signal. These tests pass whether the nulling is performed at the map or bandpower level. The CIB-deprojected measurement performed on the DR6 data is consistent with our baseline measurement, implying contamination from the CIB is unlikely to significantly bias the DR6 lensing spectrum. This collection of tests gives confidence that the ACT DR6 lensing measurements and cosmological constraints presented in companion papers to this work are robust to extragalactic foregrounds., Comment: Companion paper to Qu et al and Madhavacheril et al

The Primordial Inflation Explorer (PIXIE) is an Explorer-class mission concept to measure the spectrum and polarization of the cosmic microwave background. Cosmological signals are small compared to the instantaneous instrument noise, requiring strict control of instrumental signals. The instrument design provides multiple levels of null operation, signal modulation, and signal differences, with only few-percent systematic error suppression required at each level. Jackknife tests based on discrete instrument symmetries provide an independent means to identify, model, and remove remaining instrumental signals. We use detailed time-ordered simulations, including realistic performance and tolerance parameters, to evaluate the instrument response to broad classes of systematic errors for both spectral distortions and polarization. The largest systematic errors contribute additional white noise at the few-percent level compared to the dominant photon noise. Coherent instrumental effects which do not integrate down are smaller still, and remain several orders of magnitude below the targeted cosmological signals., Comment: 37 pages including 23 figures

We conduct a systematic search for transients in three years of data (2017-2019) from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT). ACT covers 40 percent of the sky at three bands spanning from 77 GHz to 277 GHz. Analysis of 3-day mean-subtracted sky maps, which were match-filtered for point sources, yielded 29 transients detections. Eight of these transients are due to known asteroids, and three others were previously published. Four of these events occur in areas of with poor noise models and thus we cannot be confident they are real transients. We are left with 14 new transient events occurring at 11 unique locations. All of these events are associated with either rotationally variable stars or cool stars. Ten events have flat or falling spectra indicating radiation from synchrotron emission. One event has a rising spectrum indicating a different engine for the flare.

The increasing statistical power of cosmic microwave background (CMB) datasets requires a commensurate effort in understanding their noise properties. The noise in maps from ground-based instruments is dominated by large-scale correlations, which poses a modeling challenge. This paper develops novel models of the complex noise covariance structure in the Atacama Cosmology Telescope Data Release 6 (ACT DR6) maps. We first enumerate the noise properties that arise from the combination of the atmosphere and the ACT scan strategy. We then prescribe a class of Gaussian, map-based noise models, including a new wavelet-based approach that uses directional wavelet kernels for modeling correlated instrumental noise. The models are empirical, whose only inputs are a small number of independent realizations of the same region of sky. We evaluate the performance of these models against the ACT DR6 data by drawing ensembles of noise realizations. Applying these simulations to the ACT DR6 power spectrum pipeline reveals a $\sim 20\%$ excess in the covariance matrix diagonal when compared to an analytic expression that assumes noise properties are uniquely described by their power spectrum. Along with our public code, $\mathtt{mnms}$, this work establishes a necessary element in the science pipelines of both ACT DR6 and future ground-based CMB experiments such as the Simons Observatory (SO)., Comment: 41 pages (+10 appendix), 22 figures (+5 appendix), submitted to JCAP

Diffusion damping of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) power spectrum results from imperfect photon-baryon coupling in the pre-recombination plasma. At redshift $5 \times 10^4 < z < 2 \times 10^6$, the plasma acquires an effective chemical potential, and energy injections from acoustic damping in this era create $\mu$-type spectral distortions of the CMB. These $\mu$ distortions trace the underlying photon density fluctuations, probing the primordial power spectrum in short-wavelength modes $k_\mathrm{S}$ over the range $50 \ \mathrm{Mpc}^{-1} \lesssim k \lesssim 10^4 \ \mathrm{Mpc}^{-1}$. Small-scale power modulated by long-wavelength modes $k_\mathrm{L}$ from squeezed-limit non-Gaussianities introduces cross-correlations between CMB temperature anisotropies and $\mu$ distortions. Under single-field inflation models, $\mu \times T$ correlations measured from an observer in an inertial frame should vanish up to a factor of $(k_\mathrm{L}/k_\mathrm{S})^2 \ll 1$. Thus, any measurable correlation rules out single-field inflation models. We forecast how well the next-generation ground-based CMB experiment CMB-S4 will be able to constrain primordial squeezed-limit non-Gaussianity, parameterized by $f_\mathrm{NL}$, using measurements of $C_{\ell}^{\mu T}$ as well as $C_{\ell}^{\mu E}$ from CMB $E$ modes. Using current experimental specifications and foreground modeling, we expect $\sigma(f_\mathrm{NL}) \lesssim 1000$. This is roughly four times better than the current limit on $f_\mathrm{NL}$ using $\mu \times T$ and $\mu \times E$ correlations from Planck and is comparable to what is achievable with LiteBIRD, demonstrating the power of the CMB-S4 experiment. This measurement is at an effective scale of $k \simeq 740 \ \text{Mpc}^{-1}$ and is thus highly complementary to measurements at larger scales from primary CMB and large-scale structure., Comment: 19 pages, 6 figures

Telescopes measuring cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization on large angular scales require exquisite control of systematic errors to ensure the fidelity of the cosmological results. In particular, far-sidelobe contamination from wide angle scattering is a potentially prominent source of systematic error for large aperture microwave telescopes. Here we describe and demonstrate a ray-tracing-based modeling technique to predict far sidelobes for a Three Mirror Anistigmat (TMA) telescope designed to observe the CMB from the South Pole. Those sidelobes are produced by light scattered in the receiver optics subsequently interacting with the walls of the surrounding telescope enclosure. After comparing simulated sidelobe maps and angular power spectra for different enclosure wall treatments, we propose a highly scattering surface that would provide more than an order of magnitude reduction in the degree-scale far-sidelobe contrast compared to a typical reflective surface. We conclude by discussing the fabrication of a prototype scattering wall panel and presenting measurements of its angular scattering profile., Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures

We have performed targeted searches of known extragalactic transient events at millimetre wavelengths using nine seasons (2013--2021) of 98, 150, and 229\,GHz Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) observations that mapped ${\sim}40$ per cent of the sky for most of the data volume. Our data cover 88 gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), 12 tidal disruption events (TDEs) and 203 other transients, including supernovae (SNe). We stack our ACT observations to increase the signal-to-noise ratio of the maps. In all cases but one, we do not detect these transients in the ACT data. The single candidate detection (event AT2019ppm), seen at ${\sim}5\sigma$ significance in our data, appears to be due to active galactic nuclei (AGN) activity in the host galaxy coincident with a transient alert. For each source in our search we provide flux upper limits. For example, the medians for the 95 per cent confidence upper limits at 98\,GHz are $15$, $18$, and $16$\,mJy for GRBs, SNe, and TDEs respectively, in the first month after discovery. The projected sensitivity of future wide-area cosmic microwave background (CMB) surveys should be sufficient to detect many of these events using the methods described in this paper., Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures, 8 tables. The full tables of flux upper limits for individual transients are available at https://lambda.gsfc.nasa.gov/product/act/actadv_targeted_transient_constraints_2023_info.html. Accepted for publication by MNRAS

The Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor (CLASS) is a polarization-sensitive telescope array located at an altitude of 5,200 m in the Chilean Atacama Desert and designed to measure the polarized Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) over large angular scales. The CLASS array is currently observing with three telescopes covering four frequency bands: one at 40 GHz (Q); one at 90 GHz (W1); and one dichroic system at 150/220 GHz (HF). During the austral winter of 2022, we upgraded the first 90 GHz telescope (W1) by replacing four of the seven focal plane modules. These new modules contain detector wafers with an updated design, aimed at improving the optical efficiency and detector stability. We present a description of the design changes and measurements of on-sky optical efficiencies derived from observations of Jupiter., Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, to appear in the IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2208.05006