Our group has wide experience in microwave technology thanks to our long-lasting involvement in ambitious experiments to observe microwave radiation from the distant universe. With μ-lab we intend to make our experience available to external partners interested in microwave technological applications.

OBSERVATIONAL COSMOLOGY

Our main interest is in observations of the microwave sky.

In particular, we are deeply involved in measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB), the very first light in the universe, which carries unique information about the origin and evolution of the cosmos. We are also interested in microwave emission from the Milky Way, which tells us about the environment in which new stars are born; and from extragalactic sources such as clusters of galaxies, the largest structures in the universe.  

To explore these fascinating topics the development and testing of cutting-edge microwave technology is crucial. Indeed, the microwave signals from distant astronomical sources, in particular from the CMB, are extremely faint (μK level) thus pushing the requirements on the systems designed for their observations to extreme levels.

The Observational Cosmology Group of the Physics Department - University of Milan. From left: D. Viganò, F. Cavaliere, P. Battaglia, E. Pagana, F. Pezzotta, B. Cappellini, A. Mennella, F. Del Torto, C. Franceschet, D. Maino, G. Trevisan, M.C. Rossetti, M. Tomasi, N. Krachmalnicoff, S. Donzelli, M. Bersanelli, A. Troja.

EXPERIENCE IN MICROWAVE INSTRUMENTATION

For over two decades our group has been deeply involved in the design, development, testing and data analysis of the Low Frequency Instrument (LFI), one of the two instruments on board the ESA Planck mission, covering the 27-80 GHz range. Planck is the state-of-the-art in space microwave instrumentation. We have also developed a focal plane array for the Large Scale Polarization Explorer (LSPE) balloon project (ASI), working in the Q band. We are currently working on other experiments, including a vast array of corrugated horns at 150 GHz for QUBIC, an experiment to be deployed in Antarctica.

The skills and facilities developed to support these challenging projects may be of interest for small and medium-sized enterprises working with microwave technology. Our group combines people with experience in design, mechanical production, testing and computation.  While our core business remains astrophysics and cosmology, we are keen to identify synergies and collaborations with external partners for mutual interest and benefit.