Planck (space observatory)

Plank
English Planck
Plank; English Planck
Organization	ESA
Other names	COBRAS / SAMBA
Wave range	350 - 10,000 µm
NSSDC ID	2009-026B
Location	1,500,000 km; ( Lagrange Point L2 of the Sun-Earth System)
Orbit type
Launch date	May 14, 2009 , 13:12 GMT
Launch place	Kuru
Orbiter	Arian-5 ECA
Weight	1800 kg
Diameter	1,5 m
Scientific instruments
Low Frequency Receiver (LFI);	30-70 GHz
High Frequency Receiver (HFI);	100–857 GHz
Site	Planck Science Team Home

Planck is an astronomical satellite of the European Space Agency (ESA), created to study variations of the cosmic microwave background - relict radiation . Launched on May 14, 2009, the Arian-5 launch vehicle . In the period from September 2009 to November 2010, Planck successfully completed the bulk of its research mission, moving on to the additional part, which ended on October 23, 2013.

Content

Goals

The mission has a wide range of scientific goals:

High-resolution studies of the distribution of intensity and polarization of CMB radiation .
Creation of a catalog of galaxy clusters through the Sunyaev – Zel'dovich effect .
Observations of gravitational lensing of CMB radiation , as well as the complex Sachs-Wolf effect .
Observations of bright extragalactic radio sources ( active galactic nuclei ) and infrared (galactic dust) sources.
Observations of the Milky Way , including the local interstellar medium , distribution of synchrotron radiation and measurements of the galactic magnetic field .
Study of the solar system , including planets , asteroids , comets and zodiacal light .

Tools

The Planck is equipped with an off-axis telescope of the Gregory system . The main mirror has a size of 1.9 × 1.5 m . Since the mirror is tilted with respect to the incoming beam, the telescope aperture remains 1.5 m. The secondary mirror has a size of 1.1 × 1.0 m. It focuses the collected radiation on two devices: Low-frequency receiver (LFI) (30 ÷ 70 GHz or approximately 4 ÷ 10 mm) and High Frequency Receiver (HFI) (100 ÷ 857 GHz or approximately 0.35 ÷ 1 mm). Both devices can detect the total intensity and polarization of photons .

Low Frequency Receiver (LFI)

Frequency (GHz)	Bandwidth ( $\Delta \nu /\nu$ ${\ displaystyle \ Delta \ nu / \ nu}$ )	Resolution (arcmin)	Sensitivity (total intensity) $\Delta T/T$ ${\ displaystyle \ Delta T / T}$ , 14 months follow-up (10 ⁻⁶ )	Sensitivity (polarization) $\Delta T/T$ ${\ displaystyle \ Delta T / T}$ , 14 months follow-up (10 ⁻⁶ )
thirty	0.2	33	2.0	2,8
44	0.2	24	2.7	3.9
70	0.2	14	4.7	6.7

The Low Frequency Receiver (LFI) is an array of 22 microwave radios that operate at a temperature of 20 K (−253 ° C). These radiometers operate in three frequency channels, in the interval between 30 and 70 GHz. Highly sensitive microwave amplifiers are used, which work in the same way as transistor radios . Transistors amplify the signal collected by the antenna, and the amplified signal is then converted to voltage. The output signal is proportional to the temperature of the object. The receiver was designed and manufactured by Elektrobit in Finland ^[1] .

High Frequency Receiver (HFI)

Frequency (GHz)	Bandwidth ( $\Delta \nu /\nu$ ${\ displaystyle \ Delta \ nu / \ nu}$ )	Resolution (arcmin)	Sensitivity (total intensity) $\Delta T/T$ ${\ displaystyle \ Delta T / T}$ , 14 months follow-up (10 ⁻⁶ )	Sensitivity (polarization) $\Delta T/T$ ${\ displaystyle \ Delta T / T}$ , 14 months follow-up (10 ⁻⁶ )
100	0.33	ten	2,5	4.0
143	0.33	7.1	2.2	4.2
217	0.33	5.5	4.8	9.8
353	0.33	5,0	14.7	29.8
545	0.33	5,0	147	n / a
857	0.33	5,0	6700	n / a

High Frequency Receiver (HFI) is an array of 54 bolometric detectors that convert received radiation to heat. The amount of heat is then measured by an electric thermometer, the signal from which is converted to temperature using a computer. HFI detectors operate in six frequency channels in the range from 100 to 857 GHz. They are cooled almost to absolute zero , operating at a temperature of −273 ° C (that is, only one tenth of a degree above absolute zero).

Flight

Lagrange Points

It was launched from the Kourou spaceport at 13:12 on May 14, 2009 aboard the Arian-5 rocket, and the Herschel infrared telescope was launched with the same rocket. ^[2]

On November 26, 2010, for 15 months of operation , Planck successfully completed the main part of the mission and switched to the expanded part, during which the satellite continued to view the sky until the cooling of liquid receiver cooling helium in January 2012 ^[3] .

On October 23, 2013, the last team was sent from the ESA mission control center to turn off the telescope ^[4] . Before shutting down, the software “patch” was downloaded to the Planck computer, which permanently blocked the control system so that no signal could accidentally turn on the device again. It is also necessary that the telescope does not create interference with its signals, which can interfere with the researchers and mislead them. ^[five]

Results

From January 10 to 14, 2011, a conference was held in Paris on the first scientific data obtained from the satellite ^[6] . At the same time, the first results obtained from observations of the observatory were published ^[7] .

The final results of the mission were published on March 21, 2013. ^[8] :

According to Planck, the world consists of 4.9% of ordinary ( baryonic ) matter (previous estimate - according to WMAP - 4.6%), 26.8% of dark matter (versus 22.4%) and 68.3% (against 73%) of dark energy .
Hubble constant specified the new value H0 = 68 km / s / Mpc (i.e., 13.80 billion years have passed since the big bang ; the previous estimate of 70 km / s / Mpc was 13.75 billion years).
From the analysis of the data obtained, it was possible to more confidently establish the number of types of neutrinos - three types (electron, muon and tau neutrinos).
Planck confirmed that there is a slight difference in the spectrum of the initial perturbations of matter from the homogeneous one (spectral index 0.96), which is an important result for the inflationary theory , which is today fundamental ^{[ specify ] by the} theory of the first moments of the life of the Universe.

Part of the data, as of the end of March 2013, has not yet been fully analyzed, in particular, data on the polarization of the microwave background, the analysis of which, possibly, will detect traces of relic gravitational waves ^[9] .

Links

Notes

↑ The device will explore the beginnings of the universe
↑ Herschel and Planck launched into space , Grani.ru (May 14, 2009). /
↑ Planck's HFI completes its survey of early Universe (neopr.) . ESA (January 16, 2012). Date of treatment January 18, 2012. Archived March 31, 2012.
↑ The Planck inconstancy (Space telescope left in space for eternal storage) // lenta.ru
↑ The Planck Space Telescope is finally turned off , RIA Novosti (October 23, 2013). /
↑ Scan result on YouTube
↑ Sean . First Science from Planck (Russian) , Discover Magazine (January 11th, 2011). Date of treatment January 12, 2011.
↑ Planck news from CNES (unopened) (inaccessible link) . Date of treatment March 15, 2013. Archived February 24, 2013.
↑ Letters to the Journal of Relative Uselessness (Neopr.) (04/10/2013).

[1] The device will explore the beginnings of the universe

[2] Herschel and Planck launched into space , Grani.ru (May 14, 2009). /

[3] Planck's HFI completes its survey of early Universe (neopr.) . ESA (January 16, 2012). Date of treatment January 18, 2012. Archived March 31, 2012.

[4] The Planck inconstancy (Space telescope left in space for eternal storage) // lenta.ru

[5] The Planck Space Telescope is finally turned off , RIA Novosti (October 23, 2013). /

[6] Scan result on YouTube

[7] Sean . First Science from Planck (Russian) , Discover Magazine (January 11th, 2011). Date of treatment January 12, 2011.

[8] Planck news from CNES (unopened) (inaccessible link) . Date of treatment March 15, 2013. Archived February 24, 2013.

[9] Letters to the Journal of Relative Uselessness (Neopr.) (04/10/2013).