MAX - Millimeter wavelength Anisotropy eXperiment
1989-1994
Figure 1 with Description (23K)
Figure 1. Temperature map of the Cosmic Microwave Background near the star Gamma Ursa Minoris (GUM) calculated from MAX data.
Figure 2 with Description (39K)
Figure 2. Photograph of MAX experiment before
launch.
The MAX Collaboration
MAX is a collaboration between the Berkeley and Santa Barbara campuses
of the University of California.
Click here to learn more about the people in MAX.
The MAX Experiment
A gondola houses the MAX experiment including the telescope optics, a
millimeter-wave receiver, and a system for pointing the telescope.
All flights to date have been done with UCSB's Advanced Cosmic
Microwave Explorer (ACME) gondola. The gondola flys underneath an 11
million cubic foot helium filled polyethelene balloon at ~120,000 ft
to escape atmospheric noise. The balloon is launched from the
National Scientific Ballooning Facility base in Palestine Texas at
sunset, flys for one night, and is returned to the ground by a
parachute after sunrise. MAX rapidly compares two different points on
the sky by mechanical modulation of the secondary mirror. Anisotropy
in the CMB gives a measured "temperature difference" between these two
points on the sky. MAX scans several sky regions in one night of
observation. In sky regions that are free of galactic interference
MAX measures anisotropy in the temperature of the 2.73 degree Kelvin
CMB of roughly three parts in 100,000. A four frequency band
photometer allows discrimination of the CMB from galactic interference
based on differences in spectra. An Adiabatic Demagnetization
Refrigerator (ADR) cools the bolometric detectors to below
100 mK, giving high sensitivity.
Click here to learn more about the MAX experiment.
Click here to get list of MAX experiment publications.
Click here to obtain the MAX experiment data .
Click here to go back to the MAXIMA Overview
.
Click here to go back to the main MAXIMA web page.