Abstract
We give the calibration and scientific performance parameters of the Planck Low Frequency Instrument (LFI) measured during the ground cryogenic test campaign. These parameters characterise the instrument response and constitute our best pre-launch knowledge of the LFI scientific performance. The LFI shows excellent $1/f$ stability and rejection of instrumental systematic effects; measured noise performance shows that LFI is the most sensitive instrument of its kind. The set of measured calibration parameters will be updated during flight operations through the end of the mission.
Highlights
The Low Frequency Instrument (LFI) is an array of 22 coherent differential receivers at 30, 44, and 70 GHz onboard the European Space Agency Planck1 satellite
We present the calibration and scientific performance parameters of the Planck Low Frequency Instrument (LFI) measured during the ground cryogenic test campaign
The LFI shows excellent 1/ f stability and rejection of instrumental systematic effects; its measured noise performance shows that LFI is the most sensitive instrument of its kind
Summary
The Low Frequency Instrument (LFI) is an array of 22 coherent differential receivers at 30, 44, and 70 GHz onboard the European Space Agency Planck satellite. The LFI shares the focal plane of the Planck telescope with the High Frequency Instrument (HFI), an array of 52 bolometers in the 100–857 GHz range, cooled to 0.1 K. This wide frequency coverage, necessary for optimal component separation, constitutes a unique feature of Planck and a formidable technological challenge, because it requires the integration of two different technologies with different cryogenic requirements in the same focal plane. The naming convention that we use for receivers and individual channels is given in Appendix A
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