Planck‘s recent measurements of the temperature and polarization anisotropies of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) have established a cosmological framework that will remain the standard for many years to come. From space, the LiteBIRD mission will pick up on this legacy in the next decade, with the aim to improve dramatically on polarization observations at large angular scales. In a later time frame, ESA’s recently issued future scientific programme – Voyage 2050 – has highlighted the need for a large space mission to focus on high-precision spectroscopy of the CMB. And both ground-based and balloon-borne observatories are also expected in the coming years to improve significantly on Planck’s observations of the polarized anisotropies of the CMB, especially on smaller angular scales.
In order to meet their ambitious objectives, all of these upcoming experiments will have to address and overcome very significant technical and data analysis challenges, some of which have already been revealed by Planck. It is therefore appropriate at this time to examine these challenges from the perspective of the experience accumulated by Planck in the design and operation of its instruments and in the preparation, conduct, and analysis of its all-sky surveys. In this context, the workshop is designed to bring together key members of the Planck and future experiment teams to foster discussion on some of the most challenging topics.
The workshop will start with a broad overview of the current goals of the field and foreseen experimental challenges. The remainder of the meeting will be structured around six major topics:
– detector and focal plane systems
– optical aspects, especially polarized beams and their modelling
– instrument characterization and calibration
– systematic effects and their impact on scientific analysis
– characterization and separation of foreground emissions
– inter-dependencies among the previous topics and approaches to “global analysis”
A small number of invited talks on the most challenging scientific goals will also be included in the programme.
A final session will allow participants to outline future directions, summarize conclusions, and highlight areas where most progress is required.
For each of the major topics to be addressed, invited review talks will survey the current status and understanding of the expected issues and challenges. Shorter contributed talks and posters will be solicited from interested participants. Adequate time will be reserved for both informal and structured discussions among participants.
We intend to carefully monitor the situation with the corona virus and take appropriate measures if needed. However, in order to enhance interactions between participants, the workshop will rely on physical presence as much as possible (attendance will be limited, however). We also intend to stream the sessions online to a broader audience. Our intention is to create a pleasant and collegial atmosphere for all attendees, and as part of this the workshop subscribes to the EAS Code of Conduct.
This workshop is sponsored by the ESA Gruber Fund, the University of Ferrara, ASI and INFN. We have funding to support travel to and participation in the workshop by a number of young(er) scientists who can contribute to and profit from the discussions. Applications for funding may be placed through this website.
The SOC believes that physical presence at the workshop is a very important ingredient for its success. Therefore registration and proposed contributions are initially being accepted only from participants who intend to be present in Ferrara, up to a maximum of about 100 participants as dictated by current social distancing guidelines.
Nonetheless, the SOC is very conscious that the Covid pandemic may still produce surprises and specific travel and meeting restrictions, and will follow developments closely. For this reason, we encourage prospective participants not to make definite travel plans until their personal circumstances in this respect are clear. In the same spirit, payment of registration fees is decoupled from registration and abstract submission until a later time. The workshop will in any case support remote participation, with obvious limitations to interactivity. Contributions from remote participants may be proposed only after an initial programme has been established based on contributions from participants who intend to be physically present.