This award will support collaboration between George Smoot of the space sciences group at the University of California-Berkeley and Sergio Torres of the astrophysics group at the Universidad de los Andes in Bogota, Colombia. The project aims to study atmospheric conditions and preliminary radioastronomical measurements, in conjunction with the NSF-supported project on low frequency measurements of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR). By looking at the spectral distribution of the CMBR, the researchers can study the process that took place in an early epoch of the universe when the mechanisms that triggered galaxy formation must have left an imprint in the radiation. Data from a site near the equator will provide maximum observation of the galactic plane. This project will map the galactic emission in orthogonal linear polarizations, in order to produce more precise maps than exist today. Besides acquiring galactic intensity data, the researchers will select sites for future polarization measurements requiring correlation of data taken at different sites. The U.S. group has developed the radiometric technique for the CMBR measurements to be used in the project. The Colombian group will provide the infrastructure for the project in Colombia, as well as facilities and access to proposed sites for collecting data to improve galactic models.
