BICEP and Keck Array
The BICEP2 detector array under a microscope | |
| Alternative names | Background Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization |
|---|---|
| Location(s) | Antarctic Treaty area |
| Coordinates | 89°59′59″S 0°00′00″E / 89.999722°S 0°E |
| Wavelength | 95, 150, 220 GHz (3.2, 2.0, 1.4 mm) |
| Diameter | 0.25 m (9.8 in) |
| Website | www |
Location of BICEP and Keck Array | |
| Related media on Commons | |
BICEP (Background Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization) and the Keck Array are a series of cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiments, deployed near the South Pole. These are cryogenic telescopes with arrays of detectors sensitive to several frequencies of microwave radiation. They aim to measure the polarization of the CMB, in order to find signals from primordial gravitational waves predicted by "slow roll" models of cosmic inflation. As of 2025, the relevant polarization from primordial gravitational waves has not been detected.
The experiments have had five generations of instrumentation, consisting of BICEP1 (or just BICEP), BICEP2, the Keck Array, BICEP3, and the BICEP Array. BICEP1 collected data from 2006 to 2008 and BICEP2 observed from 2010 to 2012. The Keck Array, consisting of five telescopes, started observations in 2012 and BICEP3 has been fully operational since May 2016. The BICEP Array of four telescopes is currently being constructed; its first telescope began collecting data in 2019 and the second one in 2022.