BeyondPlanck digs deep into Planck LFI

In a new paper titled "BeyondPlanck VI. Noise characterization and modelling”, Håvard Tveit Ihle (University of Oslo) and his collaborators have developed a noise model for the ESA's Planck satellite mission that, for the first time, takes into account how the LFI noise properties varies during the four year mission.

Keep the noise down

One of the key aspects of this analysis is a new and detailed model of the instrumental "noise" of the LFI instrument caused by thermal or electrical imperfections within the detectors.

In general, controlling such imperfections is one of the most fundamental aspects of any modern astronomical experiment, and huge resources are spent every year on developing both instruments and data analysis methods that minimize the impact of such noise.

Towards a new understanding

All previous analyses have assumed that the instrument does not change, but this is not an accurate description of the real data, according to the new results. Further, by combining the new time-dependent noise model with external on-board satellite thermometer data, the BeyondPlanck team has established a fundamentally new understanding of the performance and thermal environment of Planck LFI. This new understanding has in turn allowed them to make better use of the LFI data then ever before, and present new and better maps of the microwave sky to the cosmological community.