This 1-week "hands-on" summer school is designed to provide the participants with working knowledge of the detectors and instrumentation used to detect the tiny temperature and polarization anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). Early graduate students interested in pursuing a PhD in experimental CMB research methods are particularly encouraged to apply. A feature of the school is hands-on activities to teach students the basics of CMB instrumentation. We expect to have room for approximately 15 students.

Topics will include: superconducting detectors, e.g., transition-edge-sensor (TES) bolometers, kinetic-inductance-detectors (KIDs); detector characterization (responsivity, beams, bands, time constants, polarization calibration); coherent techniques for characterizing mm-wave components; SQUIDs and detector readout; antenna design; and Fourier transform spectroscopy.


The School will be held at the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics (KICP) at the University of Chicago in the William Eckhardt Research Center (ERC):
William Eckhart Research Center,
Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics,
University of Chicago,
5640 South Ellis Avenue,
Chicago, IL

The School will be held at the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics (KICP) at the University of Chicago in the William Eckhardt Research Center (ERC):

William Eckhart Research Center,
Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics,
University of Chicago,
5640 South Ellis Avenue,
Chicago, IL

Accommodation will be provided, free of charge, at the Max Palevsky Residential Commons of the University of Chicago. Limited assistance for travel expenses is available for exceptional circumstances.