Governing Council of the University of Toronto

Published purpose

Exploring the nature of the universe at its earliest times is one of the most exciting scientific goals in cosmology today. SPIDER is a polarimeter designed to test our most fundamental theories of the beginning of the universe by measuring or constraining the amplitude of primordial gravitational waves. SPIDER is a set of six telescopes that observe the oldest light we can see, the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation. The second stratospheric balloon flight of SPIDER will take place as part of this project, to observe the Cosmic Microwave Background polarization at three wavelengths. It will be able to produce very high-sensitivity dust maps, allowing for much better removal of foreground dust and better imaging. An efficient suite of software tools will also be developed in order to analyze the raw data from the balloon payload. The data will allow for the testing of fundamental cosmology theories.