Special Astrophysics Seminar

First results from the South Pole Telescope

Joaquin Vieira

University of Chicago

I will present the first results from the South Pole Telescope (SPT), a 10 meter diameter off-axis telescope optimized for fine scale CMB anisotropy. The SPT is the first instrument to demonstrate the requisite combination of resolution, mapping speed, and observing time to carry out a successful search for distant galaxy clusters through the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect. I will present details of the first blind detection of galaxy clusters using this technique, in addition to preliminary results on millimeter sources down to the mJy level at 150 and 225 GHz in the first of our 100 square degree surveys.