RadioForegroundsPlus
HORIZON-CL4-2023-SPACE-01, GA 101135036


The RadioForegroundsPlus Consortium

There are six institutions participating in the project, the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC, involving IFCA), the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), the University of Oxford (OXF), the Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS, involving IRAP and LPSC) and the University of Manchester (UNIMAN).

The CSIC group (formed by members of the Instituto de Física de Cantabria, IFCA) is the project coordinator, responsible for the global management of the project and contributing to many key aspects. The CSIC has a large expertise in the development of component separation techniques both for foreground and compact source emissions. Therefore, they will have a major contribution to the work related to these two topics, coordinating WP3.2 and WP3.3 On the one hand, they will participate in the development of advanced component separation techniques for diffuse Galactic foregrounds and the production of component separation maps. On the other hand, they will be responsible for the development and application of optimal compact source extraction techniques, in order to produce a catalogue of polarized radio sources using all the available data sets. The CSIC node will also participate, at a lower level, in tasks associated to other WPs, such as the processing of the QUIJOTE data or the integration of data on public databases and tools.

The IAC group has a wide experience in the observational study of the CMB anisotropies, with experiments like Tenerife, COSMOSOMAS, JBO-IAC, VSA, QUIJOTE, TMS and PLANCK. Given its excellent knowledge of the QUIJOTE data, the IAC will coordinate the WP2.1, in charge of the combined processing of the Planck and QUIJOTE data (as well as other datasets). Another major contribution will be made to the modelling of the diffuse Galactic foregrounds (AME and synchrotron), topics where they are well-recognised experts, especially in the study of the AME with experiments like Tenerife, COSMOSOMAS or QUIJOTE. The IAC group will also participate in the simulation of the QUIJOTE and other CMB data and in the generation of the final products of the project. Finally, based on the consolidated experience in the management and coordination of EU projects, which was demonstrated with the successful experience of RADIOFOREGROUNDS, and thanks to the support of the Communication and Scientific Culture Unit (UC3), the IAC node will also coordinate the activities in WP1.2.

The University of Oxford (OXF) node has extensive experience in the design, operation, data pipelining and calibration, and scientific analysis of both CMB and foreground data. They currently lead the C-BASS experiment and are participants in the Simons Observatory and ELFS collaboration. They have previously worked on the CMB experiments VSA, CBI, QUIET. The team has particular expertise in low-level pipeline and calibration techniques and in the development of algorithms for characterizing systematics such as ground and RFI contamination. This expertise will be essential when combining and cross-calibrating the data sets in WP2. During the course of the RadioForegrounds+ project, the team will also be separately leading the operations and data analysis of the C-BASS Southern survey. The team’s detailed knowledge of the C-BASS data will be essential for the combined analyses proposed to allow development of improved models of the Galactic synchrotron and AME foregrounds (WP4.1, WP4.2) and in the development of accurate simulations and forecasting (WP3.1, WP5.1).

The team at the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) has decades of leading experience concerning the analysis and interpretation of CMB and Foregrounds data, and design of component separation algorithms. SISSA has been coordinating the Planck Working Group on Component Separation and Level 3 work for the Planck Low Frequency Instrument Data Processing Center. The team has analysed the S-PASS data and derived the implications for operating and future B-mode experiments. The team is now involved, also at the level of the management board, in the analysis of the PolarBear/Simons Array data, leading the pipeline construction for the Simons Observatory for the Analysis Working Group on Foregrounds and coordinating the Joint Study Group on Foregrounds for the LiteBIRD Satellite Project. SISSA will be relying on these expertises and roles to combine the RadioForegrounds+ data (WP2), support modelling, simulation and component separation (WP4 and 3), and work out the impact of the network on the most important future B-mode experiments (WP5).

The CNRS group (formed by members of the IRAP and the LPSC) has long-standing participation in the observation and study of the Universe and its related astrophysics, covering theory, instrumentation, data interpretation, teaching and dissemination of knowledge. The LPSC has been involved in the Archeops balloon experiment, which produced first simultaneous measurements of the CMB at large and intermediate scales as well as a first view on dust polarized emission. Furthermore, both institutes were very active in the Planck project throughout its lifetime, simultaneously working on the ground-based and in-flight calibration of the High Frequency Instrument, the characterization of systematic effects, data processing, and scientific data analysis. CNRS researchers took the lead in the development of many important scientific results from the Planck 2013, 2015 and 2018 releases. The groups have extensive experience in the study of polarized Galactic foregrounds and the modelling of the Galactic magnetic field based on the low and high frequency WMAP and Planck data sets. This expertise will allow the group to contribute significantly to diffuse component separation (WP3.2) activities, studies related to dust astrophysics (WP4.3), and the modelling of the Galactic magnetic field (WP4.1, WP4.4). The CNRS group will also lead WP5.2.

The University of Manchester (MAN) node has played a major role with regard to the calibration of the Planck data, the LFI data processing and control of systematics. At the same time, they ran one of the data processing pipelines of QUIJOTE, and therefore have a very good knowledge of the QUIJOTE MFI data. The node has similarly been involved with C-BASS. Another major contribution of this node is in the characterisation and modelling of the low frequency Galactic foregrounds (WP4.1), especially of the synchrotron emission, a topic on which they have a long and well recognised experience. Moreover we have incorporated to the proposal a series of external advisors that have already agreed to participate if the project is granted: Mark Ashdown (Univ. of Cambridge, co-coordinator of the Planck component separation WG), Susan Clark (Standford Univ., co-coordinator of PanEx), Jos de Bruijne (Science Lead for Astronomy survey archives at ESA), Brandon Hensley (Princeton Univ., co-coordinator of PanEx and contributor to the PySM package) and Diego Herranz (Univ. of Cantabria, expert on algorithms for the detection of point sources). They will help to maximise the impact of the proposal and provide advice on specific topics.