The Millimeter-Wave Bolometric Interferometer (MBI):

The MBI-4 demonstrator, and a future space-based version of MBI, will be capable of performing the following scientific observations:

• Search for primordial B-mode polarization in the cosmic microwave background (CMB).
• Search for intracluster magnetic fields via Faraday rotation.
• Map magnetic fields near the core of our galaxy.

With the MBI-4 demonstrator and a future spaced-based MBI we expect to achieve the following scientific goals:

• Characterize the polarization of the CMB. MBI will measure simultaneously the temperature and polarization anisotropy of the CMB at angular scales from 30' to 40''
• Characterize clustering in the far-infrared background (FIRB).
• Measure and map magnetic fields near the center of the galaxy by measuring the Faraday rotation of synchrotron radiation.
• Measure the wavelength dependent properties of dust polarization.

Other possible science goals include the following:

• Image the Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) effect in clusters of galaxies.
• Spectrally separate the kinetic and thermal SZ effects. Search for CMB and SZ point source foregrounds.

MBI-4 observing the sky from Pine Bluff Observatory

MBI working page (private)

Brown, Wisconsin, Richmond, UIUC, UCSD, Cardiff, Manchester, Maynooth

The development of MBI is supported by NASA