P. de Bernardis, P.A.R. Ade, J.J.A. Baselmans, E.S. Battistelli, A. Benoit, M. Bersanelli, A. Bideaud, M. Calvo, F.J. Casas, G. Castellano, A. Catalano, I. Charles, I. Colantoni, F. Columbro, A. Coppolecchia, M. Crook, G. D’Alessandro, M. De Petris, J. Delabrouille, S. Doyle, C. Franceschet, A. Gomez, J. Goupy, S. Hanany, M. Hills, L. Lamagna, J. Macias-Perez, B. Maffei, S. Martin, E. Martinez-Gonzalez, S. Masi, D. McCarthy, A. Mennella, A. Monfardini, F. Noviello, A. Paiella, F. Piacentini, M. Piat, G. Pisano, G. Signorelli, C.Y. Tan, A. Tartari, N. Trappe, S. Triqueneaux, C. Tucker, G. Vermeulen, K. Young, M. Zannoni, A. Achúcarro, R. Allison, M. Ashdown, M. Ballardini, A.J. Banday, R. Banerji, J. Bartlett, N. Bartolo, S. Basak, A. Bonaldi, M. Bonato, J. Borrill, F. Bouchet, F. Boulanger, T. Brinckmann, M. Bucher, C. Burigana, A. Buzzelli, Z.Y. Cai, C.S. Carvalho, A. Challinor, J. Chluba, S. Clesse, G. De Gasperis, G. De Zotti, E. Di Valentino, J.M. Diego, J. Errard, S. Feeney, R. Fernandez-Cobos, F. Finelli, F. Forastieri, S. Galli, R. Génova-Santos, M. Gerbino, J. González-Nuevo, S. Hagstotz, J. Greenslade, W. Handley, C. Hernández-Monteagudo, C. Hervias-Caimapo, E. Hivon, K. Kiiveri, T. Kisner, T. Kitching, M. Kunz, H. Kurki-Suonio, A. Lasenby, M. Lattanzi, J. Lesgourgues, A. Lewis, M. Liguori et al. (29 autores adicionales no acopiados). 2018. Exploring cosmic origins with CORE: The instrument. Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics 4, DOI: 10.1088/1475-7516/2018/04/015
We describe a space-borne, multi-band, multi-beam polarimeter aiming at a precise and accurate measurement of the polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background. The instrument is optimized to be compatible with the strict budget requirements of a medium size space mission within the Cosmic Vision Programme of the European Space Agency. The instrument has no moving parts, and uses arrays of diffraction-limited Kinetic Inductance Detectors to cover the frequency range from 60 GHz to 600 GHz in 19 wide bands, in the focal plane of a 1.2 m aperture telescope cooled at 40K, allowing for an accurate extraction of the CMB signal from polarized foreground emission. The projected CMB polarization survey sensitivity of this instrument, after foregrounds removal, is 1.7 mu K.arcmin. The design is robust enough to allow, if needed, a downscoped version of the instrument covering the 100 GHz to 600 GHz range with a 0.8 m aperture telescope cooled at 85K, with a projected CMB polarization survey sensitivity of 3.2 mu K.arcmin.