{"id":398,"date":"2018-03-23T16:08:56","date_gmt":"2018-03-23T16:08:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.krieger.jhu.edu\/class\/?page_id=398"},"modified":"2018-08-22T19:01:55","modified_gmt":"2018-08-22T19:01:55","slug":"technology","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.krieger.jhu.edu\/class\/technology\/","title":{"rendered":"Technology"},"content":{"rendered":"
The Basics<\/a> | The Key Technology<\/a> | The Assembly<\/a><\/h5>\n

<\/a> The Basics: How do the CLASS telescopes work?<\/h3>\n

The Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) is a type of\u00a0electromagnetic radiation<\/a>, which has both intensity and polarization. CLASS uses this polarization to map over 70 percent of the sky.<\/p>\n

CLASS telescopes are unique. New technologies we have developed make CLASS stable and sensitive at a level necessary to achieve our scientific goals. Our one-of-a-kind measurement strategy involves mapping 70 percent of the sky with cross-checks against systematic errors from a premier site<\/a> in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile.<\/p>\n

<\/a> The Key Technology: Modulation<\/h3>\n

The CLASS telescopes are uniquely built to measure the large-angle polarization patterns in the CMB created during\u00a0Inflation<\/a>. “Modulation” is one of our most important aspects of technology that makes this measurement possible.<\/p>\n

To illustrate how CLASS uses modulation,<\/strong> we have created the following audio-frequency example<\/a>. In this example, the signal is represented by a voice saying \u201cThe Cosmic Microwave Background Polarization\u201d. When unmodulated, the signal is difficult to isolate from low-frequency noise. With modulation, the signal is encoded at a distinct (and comically higher) frequency. The ear can then distinguish the high-frequency modulated signal from the low-frequency noise.<\/p>\n