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| S-PASS | |
|---|---|
| Name | S-PASS |
| Type | Radio polarimetric survey |
| Frequency | 2.3 GHz |
| Telescope | Parkes Radio Telescope |
| Region | Southern sky |
| Status | Completed |
S-PASS
S-PASS is a radio polarimetric survey of the southern sky conducted with the Parkes Radio Telescope. It provided wide-area measurements of Stokes I, Q, and U at 2.3 GHz and produced maps used by work on Cosmic Microwave Background, Galactic magnetic field, Faraday rotation, synchrotron radiation, and foreground modelling. The survey has been cited in studies involving instruments and projects such as Planck (spacecraft), WMAP, ALMA, ASKAP, and Square Kilometre Array.
S-PASS aimed to map polarized radio emission across declinations south of +0° using the 64-m Parkes Radio Telescope at 2.3 GHz. The survey strategy balanced sky coverage and sensitivity to angular scales relevant to analyses by teams from institutions including CSIRO, Max Planck Society, Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and European Southern Observatory. The maps complement datasets from missions and observatories such as Planck (spacecraft), WMAP, ATCA, and MeerKAT for studies of the southern sky, the Magellanic Clouds, and regions near the Galactic Centre.
Observations used the 64-m dish at Parkes Observatory equipped with a dual-polarization receiver and backend systems influenced by designs from projects like HIPASS and PARKES Multibeam Receiver. The 2.3 GHz band was selected to balance sensitivity to diffuse synchrotron radiation and mitigation of depolarization seen in lower-frequency surveys such as those by Effelsberg 100-m Telescope and Green Bank Telescope. The survey scanning strategy employed constant-elevation azimuth scans to reduce atmospheric and ground pickup, integrating lessons from experiments including BOOMERanG, QUaD, DASI, and BICEP. Coordination with calibration sources such as PKS1934-638, Hydra A, and 3C286 linked instrumental responses to flux-density scales used by ATCA and VLA.
Raw S-PASS data underwent flagging, RFI excision, and baseline removal using pipelines influenced by software tools developed for CASA, MIRIAD, and algorithms used by teams from NRAO and CSIRO. Stokes parameter maps were produced through techniques akin to those used by Planck Collaboration, with map-making steps including destriping and basket-weaving comparable to methods in IRAS and Herschel data reduction. Data processing accounted for contributions from compact sources catalogued in surveys like SUMSS, NVSS, AT20G, and PMN to separate diffuse emission from pointlike objects such as Pulsar Wind Nebulae, Supernova Remnants, and active nuclei like Centaurus A and PKS 0521-365.
S-PASS produced polarized intensity and angle maps that advanced studies of the Galactic magnetic field and Faraday rotation measure structure across the southern hemisphere. Analyses compared S-PASS results to rotation measure catalogs from Taylor et al. and RM synthesis efforts associated with LOFAR and ASKAP. The survey clarified the morphology of polarized features near the Fermi Bubbles, the Magellanic Stream, and the North Polar Spur analogue in the south, informing models developed by groups at Princeton University, University of Cambridge, and Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics. Cross-correlation with Planck (spacecraft) polarization allowed improved foreground separation for CMB B-mode searches pursued by collaborations including BICEP/Keck, POLARBEAR, and SPTpol.
Calibration relied on observations of standard flux and polarization calibrators such as 3C286, Hydra A, and PKS B1934-638 to set absolute scales and polarization angle references consistent with conventions used by VLA, ATCA, and Effelsberg 100-m Telescope. Systematic effects addressed beam polarization patterns, instrumental leakage, and scan-synchronous signals—issues similarly confronted by teams from Planck Collaboration, WMAP, and QUIET. The treatment of Faraday depolarization and bandpass effects drew on analysis techniques used in studies from Istanbul Technical University and University of Sydney groups specializing in low-frequency magnetism.
S-PASS released full-sky Stokes I, Q, and U maps, ancillary maps of polarized intensity and angle, and source catalogs cross-matched with surveys such as SUMSS, NVSS, AT20G, and PMN. Data products have been distributed via institutional archives associated with CSIRO and project webpages used by research groups at University of Manchester, University of Oxford, and University of Chicago. These products have been incorporated into multi-wavelength analyses alongside datasets from Planck (spacecraft), WMAP, IRAS, and GALEX.
S-PASS provided a high-fidelity southern sky polarization reference that influenced follow-up and complementary surveys by ASKAP, MeerKAT, and design studies for the Square Kilometre Array. The survey's maps have been used in publications from teams at Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, Harvard University, Princeton University, and Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias to inform models of magnetized interstellar medium structure and foreground mitigation strategies for CMB experiments. Its datasets continue to serve as benchmarks in cross-calibration efforts with catalogs from ATCA, VLA, LOFAR, and space missions such as Planck (spacecraft) and WMAP.
Category:Radio surveys