The instrumentation and analysis work needed for SO is supported by labs and research groups around the world. Here are some of their stories!
Cardiff group: The ‘socially distanced’ SO team at Cardiff University. The filter production team are now manufacturing the 84 components required for the optical and thermal filtering in both the SAT and LATR. The Cardiff facility has had to scale from 300mm diameter components to 800mm and now have a dedicated SO production line. Cardiff Group: The first two thermal filters for SAT. Milan Group: The SO team at the University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy. The warm readout interfaces for the LAT and SAT receivers are on the table in front of us, while the calibration hardware, like the 150 GHz drone source and the star camera, is being built and tested on the table on our left. We are also making analysis and simulations for the Galactic Science WG. From the left to the right: Valentina Fanfani, Giulia Conenna, Mario Zannoni, Andrea Passerini, Federico Nati, Gabriele Coppi. The SO team at Stockholm University, Sweden. We combine advanced time-domain beam convolution techniques with state-of-the-art optical and radio-frequency simulation capabilities. This will help us predict and look for systematic effects during initial calibration and early data analysis. From top left, clockwise: Alexandre Adler, Jon Gudmundsson, Nadia Dachlythra, Alexeï Molin. UCSD Group: The members of the UCSD cosmology group participate in a wide range of projects throughout the world. We also find that cosmology is especially rewarding because of the public fascination with the universe and its origins. It is our hope that exposure to our excitement will plant the seeds of interest that will blossom into a budding fascination with science in the next generation of young adults. We have an intense commitment across the education and public outreach (E/PO) spectrum from elementary school to college level, and the public. We endeavor to captivate young people, especially women and other underrepresented minorities in physics, and instil an appreciation for science. Yale Group: Graduate student Sanah Bhimani installing temperature sensors for calibration in the Yale dilution refrigerator.