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We present the first detailed case study using quadratic estimators (QE) to diagnose and remove systematics present in observed Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) maps. In this work we focus on the temperature to polarization leakage. We use an iterative QE analysis to remove systematics, in analogy to de-lensing, recovering the primordial B-mode signal and the systematic maps. We introduce a new Gaussian filtering scheme crucial to stable convergence of the iterative cleaning procedure and validate with comparisons to semi-analytical forecasts. We study the limitations of this method by examining its performance both on idealized simulations and on more realistic, non-ideal simulations, where we assume varying de-lensing efficiencies. Finally, we quantify the systematic cleaning efficiency by presenting a likelihood analysis on the tensor to scalar ratio, $r$, and demonstrate that the blind cleaning results in an un-biased measurement of $r$, reducing the systematic induced B-mode power by nearly two orders of magnitude., Comment: 30 pages, 12 figures, prepared for submission to JCAP

Cosmological Birefringence (CB) is a phenomenon, caused by parity violating modifications to electrodynamics, whereby the linear polarisation angle of light changes as photons traverse a vacuum. It is possible to use a number of different analysis techniques to constrain this effect using Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) polarisation observations. We investigate two different methods of constraining direction dependent birefringence for present and future CMB experiments including BICEP/Keck, Simons Observatory (SO), and LiteBIRD . Specifically we compare the constraints placed on anisotropic CB from a quadratic estimator technique to those derived from estimates of the $B$-mode power-spectrum for the three different experiments. The constraints derived from estimates of the $B$-mode power spectrum are found to be comparable to those derived from quadratic estimator for BICEP/Keck and SO, but not LiteBIRD due to its larger sky coverage. These forecasted upper bounds for CB are converted to constraints on primordial magnetic fields and the coupling between photons and pseudo Nambu-Goldstone bosons. Finally we show that even with the best constraints on CB, for the respective experiments, the potentially induced $B$-mode power can act as a significant contaminant in the prospective measurement of primordial $B$-modes., Comment: 17 pages, 2 figures, prepared for submission to JCAP

The Simons Observatory (SO) is a ground-based cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiment sited on Cerro Toco in the Atacama Desert in Chile that promises to provide breakthrough discoveries in fundamental physics, cosmology, and astrophysics. Supported by the Simons Foundation, the Heising-Simons Foundation, and with contributions from collaborating institutions, SO will see first light in 2021 and start a five year survey in 2022. SO has 287 collaborators from 12 countries and 53 institutions, including 85 students and 90 postdocs. The SO experiment in its currently funded form ('SO-Nominal') consists of three 0.4 m Small Aperture Telescopes (SATs) and one 6 m Large Aperture Telescope (LAT). Optimized for minimizing systematic errors in polarization measurements at large angular scales, the SATs will perform a deep, degree-scale survey of 10% of the sky to search for the signature of primordial gravitational waves. The LAT will survey 40% of the sky with arc-minute resolution. These observations will measure (or limit) the sum of neutrino masses, search for light relics, measure the early behavior of Dark Energy, and refine our understanding of the intergalactic medium, clusters and the role of feedback in galaxy formation. With up to ten times the sensitivity and five times the angular resolution of the Planck satellite, and roughly an order of magnitude increase in mapping speed over currently operating ("Stage 3") experiments, SO will measure the CMB temperature and polarization fluctuations to exquisite precision in six frequency bands from 27 to 280 GHz. SO will rapidly advance CMB science while informing the design of future observatories such as CMB-S4., Comment: Astro2020 Decadal Project Whitepaper. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1808.07445

The Simons Observatory (SO) is a new cosmic microwave background experiment being built on Cerro Toco in Chile, due to begin observations in the early 2020s. We describe the scientific goals of the experiment, motivate the design, and forecast its performance. SO will measure the temperature and polarization anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background in six frequency bands: 27, 39, 93, 145, 225 and 280 GHz. The initial configuration of SO will have three small-aperture 0.5-m telescopes (SATs) and one large-aperture 6-m telescope (LAT), with a total of 60,000 cryogenic bolometers. Our key science goals are to characterize the primordial perturbations, measure the number of relativistic species and the mass of neutrinos, test for deviations from a cosmological constant, improve our understanding of galaxy evolution, and constrain the duration of reionization. The SATs will target the largest angular scales observable from Chile, mapping ~10% of the sky to a white noise level of 2 $\mu$K-arcmin in combined 93 and 145 GHz bands, to measure the primordial tensor-to-scalar ratio, $r$, at a target level of $\sigma(r)=0.003$. The LAT will map ~40% of the sky at arcminute angular resolution to an expected white noise level of 6 $\mu$K-arcmin in combined 93 and 145 GHz bands, overlapping with the majority of the LSST sky region and partially with DESI. With up to an order of magnitude lower polarization noise than maps from the Planck satellite, the high-resolution sky maps will constrain cosmological parameters derived from the damping tail, gravitational lensing of the microwave background, the primordial bispectrum, and the thermal and kinematic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effects, and will aid in delensing the large-angle polarization signal to measure the tensor-to-scalar ratio. The survey will also provide a legacy catalog of 16,000 galaxy clusters and more than 20,000 extragalactic sources., Comment: This paper presents an overview of the Simons Observatory science goals, details about the instrument will be presented in a companion paper. The author contribution to this paper is available at https://simonsobservatory.org/publications.php (Abstract abridged) -- matching version published in JCAP

The MCAS Way extends the MCAS concept of atomic orbitals to molecular bonding. There are many examples given for each bonding type. Part I: The MCAS atomic orbital concept. There are no spherical orbitals and spin pairing does not occur through spin reversal. Quantum numbers do not validate coexistence in identical space. Part II: Single bonds. There are no sigma-bonds wherein two electrons occupy identical space on a line between nuclei; only off-axis (Xi) bonding. Covalent bonding is purely electrostatic; just like ionic bonding. Part III: Triple bonds. There are no Pi-bonds in a triple bond. Part IV: Simple double bonds. There are no sigma bonds; only Pi| and Pi_ bonds. Part V: Multiple bonds. The traditional Pi-cloud is only a group of reciprocating, vertically pumping, electron pistons. Electrons conjugate by flowing around nuclei in the nuclear plane. Atoms adopt a twelve-lobed (T12) orbital arrangement for multiple bonding. Aromaticity is defined by 2(2n+1), not (4n+2). Part VI: Miscellaneous compounds. Isoelectronic XO3, phosphorous and its oxides, and boranes., Comment: 61 pages with figures in 41gif files

In the particle in the box problem, the particle is not in both boxes at the same time as some would have you believe. It is a set definition situation with the two boxes being part of a set that also contains a particle. Set and subset differences are explored. Atomic electron orbitals can be mimicked by roulette wheel probability; thus ELECTRONIC ROULETTE. 0 and 00 serve as boundary limits and are on opposite sides of the central core - a point that quantum physics ignores. Considering a stray marble on the floor as part of the roulette wheel menage is taking assumptions a bit too far. Likewise, the attraction between a positive and negative charge at distance does not make the negative charge part of the positive charge's orbital system. This, of course, is contrary to the stance of current quantum physics methodology that carries this orbital association a bit too far., Comment: 9 pages including 7 figure and 1 symbol in 8 gif files

Avogadro's number is a count of a definite number of things and, therefore, must be an integer and not a floating point number. Arguments are given herein that this integer should be precisely 2E79 - that is, N_o = 2E79 = 6.04 462 909 107 318 607 353 088 E23; hence, the binary mole., Comment: 7 pages including 1 table, 1 figure, and 6 equations in 7 gif files

The corresponding states principle is an important concept wherein materials are interrelated. The base state of this principle, however, currently has no specific physical reality. Instead, it is a definition: a set of conditions at which the gas state reaches its maximum compression and liquid can not longer form; namely, the critical point. This article shows that a discrete, real-life, 3-D, base state is consistent with published and new experimental data. The mathematical analyses were conducted in the same manner for all the materials using literature data, a simple, consistent liquid state model and a simple, physically definable, cluster state model at the critical point. The base state described herein has molecules traveling together in well-defined small-hard or large-soft clusters. These clusters are dubbed the DELTA state since they occur almost exclusively in tetrahedral groups of four. From this straightforward, mathematical and intuitive methodology, the DELTA state emerged as the fourth state of matter: the base state of the corresponding states. As a result, the universal gas law requires inclusion of the DELTA state with the monomer state to be accurate. The critical point is the point at which liquid ceases to form. It is also the point at which only the DELTA state exists. Hence, the critical point is more appropriately called the DELTA POINT., Comment: 27 pages including 2 tables, 13 figures, and 15 symbols in 31 gif files