Denis Barkats


Department of Physics, Princeton University
Phone: (609) 258-5077
Email: dbarkats@princeton.edu

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Experimental Cosmology and Instrumentation:

Born in 1976 in Cannes (France)
          1994    French Baccalaureat (mention Bien)
1994-1996      Foothill College (CA)
1996-1998      Stanford University, B.S. (Physics)
1998-Present  Princeton University, Ph.D. Candidate (Physics)

My current research is focused on the  polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Backgound (CMB).
The CMB is polarized at only a few parts per million. Detecting these small fluctuations thus requires a very precisely designed instrument. From the microwave devices to the data aquisition system,  I particularly enjoy the hands-on aspect of bringing a sophisticated instrument (such as CAPMAP) to completion.   As an experiment cosmologist, I am competent in areas such as cryogenics, low-noise electronics,  microwave and millimeter wave instrumentation.

Research

2001-Present: Research Assistant, Princeton University
(Thesis Advisor: S.T.Staggs)
Worked on  CAPMAP, a 16 element array of 90 and 40 GHz correlation receivers using MMIC HEMT amplifiers. Designed the CAPMAP cryostat. Lead a team to repair and upgrade the Crawford Hill 7meter antenna to be used for CAPMAP. Coordinated the receiver's integration, final testing, deployement at the antenna, and first observing season in the winter 2002. Currently involved in the analysis of this year's data.

1998-2001     Research Assistant, Princeton University   
(Thesis Advisor: S.T.Staggs)
Worked on the Princeton IQU  Experiment (PIQUE), a 90 GHz HEMT based correlation polarimeter
for measuring the polarization of CMB.  Involved in the data acquisition electronics, testing of the correlation multiplier device, deployment and observation during winter 2000 and 2001, and analysis of the

1997-1998 Research Assistant, Stanford University
(Advisor: Jeff Willick)
Performed data reduction and cleaning of raw CCD images and analyzed the luminosity profiles of a large population of spiral and elliptical galaxies.

Publication list:

Journal Articles:

  1. "A Limit on the Polarized Anisotropy of the Cosmic Microwave Background at Subdegree Angular Scales"  Hedman, Barkats, Gundersen,  Staggs, Winstein, Astrophys.J. 548 (2001) L111-L114
  2. "First attempt at measuring the CMB cross-polarization" de Oliveira-Costa, Tegmark, Zaldarriaga, Barkats, Gundersen, Hedman, Staggs & Winstein 2002, Submitted to Phys.  Rev. D.
  3. "New Limits on the Polarized Anisotropy of the Cosmic Microwave Background at Subdegree Angular Scales"  Hedman, Barkats, Gundersen, McMahon, Staggs, Winstein, Astrophys.J. 573 (2002) L73-L76
Proceedings:
  1. "Calibrating CMB Polarization Telescopes" , S. T. Staggs , D. Barkats , J. O. Gundersen , M. M. Hedman, C. Herzog , J. J. McMahon and B. Winstein, Astrophysical Polarizaed Backgrounds, AIP Conference Proceedings 609
  2. "The CAPMAP Instrument and its First Season", D Barkats , To be published in the proceedings of "The Cosmic Microwave Background and its Polarization", New Astronomy Reviews (eds. S. Hanany and K. A.Olive)
Other:
  1. Ph. D Thesis, in Preparation.
  2. Measuring Q and U Stokes Parameters Simultaneously:Advantages and Inconvenients, D. Barkats, Advanced Project.
  3. "Luminosity Profiles of Spiral and Ellipical Galaxies",  D. Barkats, Undergraduate Thesis.
           Talks:
  1. The Princeton IQU Experiement (PPT)        Paris, March 26 2002, New Frontiers in CMB Physics
  2. CAPMAP (PPT)    Minneapolis, MArch 19, 2003, The COsmic Microwave Background and its Polarization.

References

S.T.Staggs
Jadwin Hall, Physics Departement
Princeton, NJ, 08544
staggs@.princeton.edu      (609) 258-5930

N. Jarosik
Jadwin Hall, Physics Departement
Princeton, NJ, 08544
jarosik@pupgg.princeton.edu      (609) 258-5862

L. Page
Jadwin Hall, Physics Departement
Princeton, NJ, 08544
Page@princeton.edu   (609) 258-5578

Webmaster: Denis Barkats
Last modified: August 22, 2003.