arXiv subjects

S. Gratton

Publications and source records attributed to S. Gratton.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

BICEP/Keck XXII: Analysis of the South Pole Atmosphere for CMB Observations

The South Pole is among the driest sites on Earth, and the resulting high atmospheric transparency makes it an excellent site for millimeter-wave astronomical observations. Nevertheless, for bolometric surveys of the cosmic microwave background (CMB), fluctuations in line-of-sight water vapor drive variable atmospheric emission, which has a significant impact on survey sensitivity. We have deployed a water vapor radiometer (WVR) to characterize these fluctuations in space and time and to compare atmospheric and CMB signals with other sites. This WVR has been monitoring conditions from the South Pole over the past nine years, co-located and co-observing with the BICEP series of telescopes. In this work, we analyze the performance of the WVR and the characteristics of the South Pole atmosphere and demonstrate coherent wind-driven transport of water vapor structures across the site. We show that fluctuations in CMB detector timestreams are well correlated with fluctuations in atmospheric water vapor, providing independent justification for baseline filtering procedures used to remove these fluctuations and providing a new pathway to detect and mitigate the temperature-to-polarization leakage that currently limits the precision of ground-based CMB polarization measurements.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2026

Aliased noise characterization and mitigation in BICEP Array 150, 220 and 270 GHz time-division multiplexed detectors

Early observations with the BICEP Array 150 GHz (BA2-150) and 220/270 GHz (BA3-220/270) receivers revealed detector noise equivalent temperatures (NETs) higher than expected, together with substantial detector-to-detector and module-to-module scatter. Noise measurements acquired with multiplexing off and high frequency sampling demonstrate that this excess originates from elevated high-frequency detector noise that aliases into the science band during time-division multiplexing. We show that the excess high-frequency noise is correlated with anomalously large logarithmic TES transition slopes, {\alpha}, resulting in elevated electrothermal loop gain and operation near the detector stability boundary. Measurements of {\alpha} indicate values substantially larger than expected, consistent with the sharper superconducting transitions introduced by the inverted TES fabrication process adopted for BA2-150 and BA3-220/270 detectors. Operational mitigation strategies were investigated through both increased multiplexing rates and elevated focal-plane operating temperatures. Faster multiplexing reduces aliasing by shifting the multiplexing Nyquist frequency beyond the excess noise roll-off, while elevated bath temperatures reduce TES electrical power and loop gain, improving detector stability and reducing NET by approximately 10%. These results demonstrate the importance of balancing TES responsivity, electrothermal stability, and multiplexed readout performance in next-generation CMB polarimeters.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2026

Advanced Time-Division Multiplexed Readout Chain for the BICEP Array 90/150 GHz Receiver

This work presents the current performance of the advanced time-division multiplexed (TDM) readout chain for the BICEP Array 90/150 GHz receiver. BA4-90/150, scheduled for deployment to the South Pole in 2026--27, will use photon-noise-limited, feedhorn-coupled transition edge sensor detectors and an upgraded DC SQUID-based TDM system to map the cosmic microwave background. This new TDM system mitigates readout-induced systematics that are beginning to emerge above the noise floor of the most sensitive maps produced by the BICEP collaboration. Improvements include faster, fully differential SQUID designs, higher TES signal amplification, reduced crosstalk, and hierarchical row-addressing that reduces wiring required for row switching. Measurements made through legacy single-ended warm readout electronics show the upgraded cryogenic readout chain performs as well as or better than the TDM system currently fielded on the BICEP experiment. New warm electronics currently in development at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory will provide matched fully differential circuits and higher bandwidth, reducing RF susceptibility and aliased noise contributions. On-sky demonstration of this technology will establish a new low-noise, high-bandwidth TDM architecture for future CMB observatories.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2026

Optics and broadband anti-reflection coatings for the BA4-90/150 receiver

The BICEP Array telescopes search for primordial B-mode polarization from inflationary gravitational waves. This signal is exceedingly faint, demanding excellent map depth and systematics control. The new BA4-90/150 receiver introduces a wide 80-169GHz dichroic band, requiring upgrades throughout the optics chain to reduce loss, reflections, and thermal loading. We developed improved anti-reflection (AR) coatings for our HMPE window, HDPE lenses, and nylon infrared filter, extending our AR technology to span more than an octave of bandwidth. The thermal filtering scheme and several mechanical elements were also updated to further suppress optical loss, reflections, and beam truncation. We aim to build on the proven success of deployed BICEP Array (BA) telescopes to produce a new small aperture instrument with the lowest optical systematics to date.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2026

Status of BICEP Array and Integration of the 220/270 GHz Receiver

Measurements of the polarization of the cosmic microwave background are critical for modern cosmology as they constrain the physics of the early universe and cosmic inflation. BICEP Array is using a series of small-aperture polarimeters located at the South Pole to measure this signal with a projected uncertainty on the tensor-to-scalar ratio r of approximately 0.001 by 2034. The 30/40 GHz receiver and the 150 GHz receiver have been observing the cosmic microwave background for multiple years, and data from these receivers will be included in the next published BICEP analysis result which includes all data taken through 2024. The 220/270 GHz receiver is partially completed with seven out of twelve detector modules installed, and is planned to be filled with five additional modules prior to the 2027 observation season. Finishing this receiver is a top priority for BA as the science goals of the experiment require the dust foreground cleaning this receiver will enable. On-site characterization efforts for this receiver from the 2025-26 austral summer show satisfactory spectroscopy, beam pointing, and 220 GHz efficiency, while the 270 GHz efficiency is an active area of work.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2026

Quantifying the systematic impact of differential beam response on the BICEP CMB polarization data from 2016 through 2024

As cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization experiments, including BICEP3, BICEP Array, and future BICEP experiments, achieve ever-deeper polarization maps in search of primordial B-modes sourced from inflation, constraining instrumental systematics below statistical uncertainties becomes progressively more challenging. Since polarimetry in the BICEP telescopes is performed by pair-differencing co-located, orthogonally polarized detectors, differential beam response leads to temperature-to-polarization ($T \rightarrow P$) leakage, introducing a potential systematic bias on the inferred tensor-to-scalar ratio $r$. To mitigate this leakage, the lowest-order beam mismatch modes are filtered out of the CMB polarization maps through deprojection; however, residual undeprojected modes remain. To quantify this residual contamination, we perform dedicated in situ far-field beam measurements of the BICEP receivers during austral-summer calibration campaigns. We quantify the systematic impact of the undeprojected residuals with a specialized set of timestream simulations based on the measured per-detector beams. These "beam measurement-informed simulations" yield an estimate of the false polarized signal sourced by the undeprojected residuals. We summarize the beam measurements relevant to the BK24 data release and present preliminary residual-leakage results for BICEP3 at 95 GHz. For BICEP3 over 2016-2024, deprojecting all six standard templates together with readout-crosstalk templates and their radially smoothed counterparts reduces the equivalent-$r$ leakage amplitude from $\rho=(4.5\pm0.7)\times10^{-3}$ to $(1.12\pm0.06)\times10^{-3}$. We further describe an ongoing program to extend the deprojection basis beyond its historical six modes, guided by a forward optical model that relates candidate leakage modes to perturbations of physical instrument parameters.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2026

Engineering of titanium transition edge sensor wafers for the BA4-90/150 receiver of BICEP Array

BA4-90/150, the fourth receiver to be deployed in the BICEP Array (BA) series, is a dichroic 90/150 GHz instrument targeting the frequency space where sensitivity to the CMB polarization is maximized. The receiver will be deployed in the 2026-2027 austral summer, and is set to position BA to achieve exceptionally precise measurements of cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization and strengthen constraints on inflationary models. Recent measurements in existing BA receivers suggest that unexpectedly high loop gain in the titanium (Ti) transition edge sensors (TESs) produces excess high-frequency noise that is consequently aliased down into the science band through the time-division multiplexed readout. To reduce the loop gain, we fabricated and tested prototype Ti TES wafers containing 16 modified detector architectures designed to broaden the superconducting transition and reduce the transition steepness (alpha). We present detector performance results, which will directly inform the final integrated wafer now being designed for full receiver commissioning.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2026

Overview and status of BICEP Array's BA4-90/150 CMB polarimeter

The inflation paradigm postulates a period of rapid expansion in the early Universe, which would generate gravitational waves. These tensor perturbations would produce a faint B-mode signature in the polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB), but this signal is orders of magnitude weaker than that from the CMB's other anisotropy and that from astrophysical foregrounds. Placing more-stringent upper limits on this signal or making a definitive detection thus requires exceptional control over instrument and measurement systematics, in addition to extremely-deep maps. The fourth BICEP Array receiver, BA4-90/150, aims to build and improve upon the heritage of the field-leading BICEP series of small-aperture CMB experiments with a dichroic instrument observing in 90 and 150 GHz bands, to advance the search for the inflationary B-mode signal. The instrument will utilize transition-edge-sensor bolometers, which will be read out using a new two-level time-division-multiplexed system and be fed via feedhorn-coupled orthomode transducers and refined cold refractive optics, with the goal of both improving systematics control and sensitivity over existing receivers. With a planned deployment to the South Pole in the 2026-27 austral summer, the instrument will occupy the fourth and final remaining slot in the BICEP Array mount, completing the phaseout of Keck Array receivers. An overview of the BA4-90/150 receiver will be presented, along with a discussion of its current status and future plans for the instrument.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2026

Controlling instrumental systematics for the BICEP inflation survey

The BICEP series of experiments has been observing CMB polarisation from the South Pole for over 20 years, with the goal of constraining inflationary gravitational waves. The upcoming data release, using data taken through 2024, is forecasted to constrain the tensor-to-scalar ratio $r$ at the level of $\sigma(r) \sim 0.005$ (including delensing), with the longer-term goal of reaching $\sigma(r) \sim 0.001$ by 2034. As the survey sensitivity increases, it is crucial to control instrumental systematics to unprecedented levels, and our goal is to limit dominant sources of systematics to 20% of $\sigma(r)$ or lower. Achieving this requires careful instrumental characterisation and dedicated end-to-end studies to evaluate the impact of each systematic on cosmological parameters. We first present the BICEP calibration program, which characterises the optical, spectral, and polarisation response of the receivers. We then describe the analysis strategies implemented to identify and mitigate systematic contamination, and we detail simulations used to evaluate the impact of residual effects. We focus in particular on beam systematics, the dominant source of systematics for BICEP receivers. Finally, we report preliminary estimates of the expected level of systematic contamination for upcoming BICEP results, and we discuss approaches to evaluate and mitigate instrumental systematics for future surveys.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2026

A unified convergence theory for adaptive first-order methods in the nonconvex case, including AdaNorm, full and diagonal AdaGrad and Muon

A unified framework for first-order optimization algorithms fornonconvex unconstrained optimization is proposed that uses adaptivelypreconditioned gradients and includes popular methods such as full anddiagonal AdaGrad, AdaNorm, as well as an adpative variant of Muon. This framework also allows combining heterogeneous geometries across different groups of variables while preserving a unified convergence analysis. A fully stochastic global rate-of-convergence analysis is conducted for all methods in the framework, with andwithout two types of momentum, using reasonable assumptions on the variance of the gradient oracle and without assuming bounded stochastic gradients or small enough stepsize.

cs.LG↗

arXiv2026

An objective-function-free algorithm for nonconvex stochastic optimization with deterministic equality and inequality constraints

An algorithm is proposed for solving optimization problems with stochastic objective and deterministic equality and inequality constraints. This algorithm is objective-function-free in the sense that it only uses the objective's gradient and never evaluates the function value. It is based on an adaptive selection of function-decreasing and constraint-improving iterations, the first ones using an Adagrad-type stepsize. When applied to problems with full-rank Jacobian, the combined primal-dual optimality measure is shown to decrease at the rate of O(1/sqrt{k}), which is identical to the convergence rate of first-order methods in the unconstrained case.

math.OC↗

arXiv2026

An objective-function-free algorithm for general smooth constrained optimization

A new algorithm for smooth constrained optimization is proposed that never computes the value of the problem's objective function and that handles both equality and inequality constraints. The algorithm uses an adaptive switching strategy between a normal step aiming at reducing constraint's infeasibility and a tangential step improving dual optimality, the latter being inspired by the AdaGrad-norm method. Its worst-case iteration complexity is analyzed, showing that the norm of the gradients generated converges to zero like O(1/\sqrt{k+1}) for problems with full-rank Jacobians. Numerical experiments show that the algorithm's performance is remarkably insensitive to noise in the objective function's gradient.

math.OC↗

arXiv2025

Improved Absolute Polarization Calibrator for BICEP CMB Polarimeters

Cosmic birefringence is a hypothesized parity violation in electromagnetism that predicts a frequency-independent polarization rotation as light propagates. This would rotate the light from the Cosmic Microwave Background, producing an unexpected EB correlation. However, cosmic birefringence angle is degenerate with instrument polarization angle, and breaking this degeneracy requires an absolute polarization calibration. We calibrate the BICEP3 telescope (a 95GHz CMB polarimeter) by observing a rotating polarized source (RPS) with both the telescope and a small test receiver called the In-Situ Absolute Angle Calibrator (ISAAC).

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2025

BICEP/Keck XX: Component-separated maps of polarized CMB and thermal dust emission using Planck and BICEP/Keck Observations through the 2018 Observing Season

We present component-separated polarization maps of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and Galactic thermal dust emission, derived using data from the BICEP/Keck experiments through the 2018 observing season and Planck. By employing a maximum-likelihood method that utilizes observing matrices, we produce unbiased maps of the CMB and dust signals. We outline the computational challenges and demonstrate an efficient implementation of the component map estimator. We show methods to compute and characterize power spectra of these maps, opening up an alternative way to infer the tensor-to-scalar ratio from our data. We compare the results of this map-based separation method with the baseline BICEP/Keck analysis. Our analysis demonstrates consistency between the two methods, finding an 84% correlation between the pipelines.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

Fast Stochastic Second-Order Adagrad for Nonconvex Bound-Constrained Optimization

ADAGB2, a generalization of the Adagrad algorithm for stochastic optimization is introduced, which is also applicable to bound-constrained problems and capable of using second-order information when available. It is shown that, given $\delta\in(0,1)$ and $\epsilon\in(0,1]$, the ADAGB2 algorithm needs at most $\calO(\epsilon^{-2})$ iterations to ensure an $\epsilon$-approximate first-order critical point of the bound-constrained problem with probability at least $1-\delta$, provided the average root mean square error of the gradient oracle is sufficiently small. Should this condition fail, it is also shown that the optimality level of iterates is bounded above by this average. The relation between the approximate and true classical projected-gradient-based optimality measures for bound constrained problems is also investigated, and it is shown that merely assuming unbiased gradient oracles may be insufficient to ensure convergence in $\calO(\epsilon^{-2})$ iterations.

math.OC↗

arXiv2023

An optimally fast objective-function-free minimization algorithm using random subspaces

An algorithm for unconstrained non-convex optimization is described, which does not evaluate the objective function and in which minimization is carried out, at each iteration, within a randomly selected subspace. It is shown that this random approximation technique does not affect the method's convergence nor its evaluation complexity for the search of an $\epsilon$-approximate first-order critical point, which is $\mathcal{O}(\epsilon^{-(p+1)/p})$, where $p$ is the order of derivatives used. A variant of the algorithm using approximate Hessian matrices is also analysed and shown to require at most $\mathcal{O}(\epsilon^{-2})$ evaluations. Preliminary numerical tests show that the random-subspace technique can significantly improve performance when used with $p=2$ in the correct context, making it very competitive when compared to standard first-order algorithms.

math.OC↗

arXiv2023

Multilevel Objective-Function-Free Optimization with an Application to Neural Networks Training

A class of multi-level algorithms for unconstrained nonlinear optimization is presented which does not require the evaluation of the objective function. The class contains the momentum-less AdaGrad method as a particular (single-level) instance. The choice of avoiding the evaluation of the objective function is intended to make the algorithms of the class less sensitive to noise, while the multi-level feature aims at reducing their computational cost. The evaluation complexity of these algorithms is analyzed and their behaviour in the presence of noise is then illustrated in the context of training deep neural networks for supervised learning applications.

math.OC↗

arXiv2022

Convergence properties of an Objective-Function-Free Optimization regularization algorithm, including an $\mathcal{O}(\epsilon^{-3/2})$ complexity bound

An adaptive regularization algorithm for unconstrained nonconvex optimization is presented in which the objective function is never evaluated, but only derivatives are used. This algorithm belongs to the class of adaptive regularization methods, for which optimal worst-case complexity results are known for the standard framework where the objective function is evaluated. It is shown in this paper that these excellent complexity bounds are also valid for the new algorithm, despite the fact that significantly less information is used. In particular, it is shown that, if derivatives of degree one to $p$ are used, the algorithm will find a $\epsilon_1$-approximate first-order minimizer in at most $O(\epsilon_1^{-(p+1)/p})$ iterations, and an $(\epsilon_1,\epsilon_2)$-approximate second-order minimizer in at most $O(\max[\epsilon^{-(p+1)/p},\epsilon_2^{-(p+1)/(p-1)}])$ iterations. As a special case, the new algorithm using first and second derivatives, when applied to functions with Lipschitz continuous Hessian, will find an iterate $x_k$ at which the gradient's norm is less than $\epsilon_1$ in at most $O(\epsilon_1^{-3/2})$ iterations.

math.OC↗