Status of the COSmological Microwave Observations CALibrator

L. Mousset; J. Aumont; S. Berta; L. Bizzarri; F. Boulanger; A. Catalano; F. Cuttaia; A. Denis; A. -L. Fontana; D. González Ovejero; B. Kalemi; S. Leclercq; J. -F. Macías-Pérez; B. Maffei; T. Mcnamara; S. Micheli; M. Migliaccio; L. Montier; P. Morfin; M. Moulin; M. Murgia; I. Myserlis; F. Nati; P. Ortu; M. Pérault; G. Pisano; T. Pisanu; N. Ponthieu; A. Ritacco; S. Savorgnano; L. Terenzi; L. Thibaut; J. Treuttel; C. Vescovi; L. Vacher; M. Zannoni

arXiv · 2605.01057

Status of the COSmological Microwave Observations CALibrator

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Abstract

As the sensitivity of CMB telescopes increases, the need for precise calibration becomes critical. Started in 2022, the COSMOCal project aims to place an artificial polarized source in geostationary orbit, which will serve as a reference for CMB telescopes. This source will emit at 90, 150 and 270 GHz and will be linearly polarized with a highly precise orientation smaller than 0.1 deg. This proceeding presents the scientific motivations for the project, the current status of the development of the instrument and the results of a calibration campaign performed in March 2026 at the Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale.

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L. Mousset, J. Aumont, S. Berta, L. Bizzarri, F. Boulanger, A. Catalano, F. Cuttaia, A. Denis, A. -L. Fontana, D. González Ovejero, B. Kalemi, S. Leclercq, J. -F. Macías-Pérez, B. Maffei, T. Mcnamara, S. Micheli, M. Migliaccio, L. Montier, P. Morfin, M. Moulin, M. Murgia, I. Myserlis, F. Nati, P. Ortu, M. Pérault, G. Pisano, T. Pisanu, N. Ponthieu, A. Ritacco, S. Savorgnano, L. Terenzi, L. Thibaut, J. Treuttel, C. Vescovi, L. Vacher, M. Zannoni. 2026-05-01. Status of the COSmological Microwave Observations CALibrator. https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.01057

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