Abstract

We report the design of a telescope capable of making mK-sensitivity maps of the microwave sky, with potential to map large-scale structure of the CMB and galaxy, within the budget of a classroom or amateur astronomer. This project modifies a telescope designed by Harvard’s advanced undergraduate astrophysics lab course, with the goal of improving sensitivity enough to detect the CMB dipole. The telescope’s design allows replication of the experiment within the resources of most similar undergraduate laboratory research courses. We use a low-noise block (LNB) receiver and a bandpass filter to amplify radiation near 10.7 GHz and remove RFI, and we rotate the telescope at constant angular velocity and elevation to provide coverage of the entire visible sky over 24 hours. Before modifications, the telescope accurately measured the isotropic CMB temperature, but interference and 1/f noise limited detection of isotropies in the microwave signal. With current modifications, the telescope can collect data continuously for over 24 hours, and produce maps used to constrain galactic and CMB signals.