South Pole Telescope

The South Pole Telescope is a 10-meter radio telescope at Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station. It surveys the cosmic microwave background and galaxy clusters, especially through observations at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths.

Sunyaev–Zel'dovich effect: The spectral distortion of the cosmic microwave background caused by its scattering off energetic electrons. This effect lets the telescope detect galaxy clusters as they imprint signals on the microwave background.
South Pole Telescope Sunyaev–Zel'dovich survey: A survey using the South Pole Telescope to identify galaxy clusters through their Sunyaev–Zel'dovich signals. It established a major cluster sample for studying cosmic structure and expansion.
Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station: A United States research station located at the geographic South Pole in Antarctica. The telescope operates here, where cold, dry air favors millimeter-wave observations.
John Carlstrom: An American astrophysicist known for work on the cosmic microwave background and leadership of the South Pole Telescope project. He led the scientific effort that developed and operated the telescope.
Atacama Cosmology Telescope: A six-meter ground-based telescope in Chile that surveys the cosmic microwave background at millimeter wavelengths. It pursues overlapping CMB science from a high, dry site in the Atacama Desert.
Bolometer: A detector that measures electromagnetic radiation by registering the heat it deposits. The telescope’s sensitive camera arrays use bolometers to measure incoming millimeter-wave radiation.
SPT-3G: A third-generation camera for the South Pole Telescope, designed for sensitive, wide-area cosmic microwave background measurements. Its large detector array supports deeper cluster and microwave-background surveys.
Antarctic Submillimeter Telescope and Remote Observatory: A radio observatory near the South Pole that preceded the South Pole Telescope’s millimeter-wave program. Its site and observing experience helped establish the South Pole as a radio-astronomy location.
University of Chicago: A private research university in Chicago, Illinois, with a prominent program in physical sciences and astronomy. Its researchers and facilities have played a central role in the telescope collaboration.
Planck satellite: A European Space Agency mission that mapped the cosmic microwave background across the entire sky from space. Its all-sky maps complement the South Pole Telescope’s deeper, narrower ground-based surveys.

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