BOOMERANG returns

Abstract

BOOMERANG was one of the first experiments to map large areas of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) with high signal-to-noise during a long duration balloon (LDB) flight in 1998/99. BOOMERANG uses bolometric detectors measuring frequency bands from 90 to 400 GHz, a frequency range that complements the lower frequency range of experiments using HEMT amplifiers such as DASI and WMAP. Here, we discuss the status of the analysis of the B98 data including initial comparison of the B98 data with WMAP and component separation of the B98 maps in order to measure the Sunyaev–Zel’dovich effect. Finally, we describe the second LDB flight of the BOOMERANG telescope in January, 2003 with a receiver designed to map the polarisation of the CMB.