QUBIC, a bolometric interferometer to measure the B modes of the CMB
  Measuring the B modes of the CMB polarization fluctuations would provide very
strong constraints on inflation. The main challenge in this measurement is the
treatment of systematic effects. CMB observations with imagers and
interferometers, subject to very different systematics, are complementary in
this respect. Interferometry provides direct access to the Fourier transform of
the sky signal. In bolometric interferometry, the interference pattern produced
by the sky through a few hundred horns is imaged on a bolometer array. Several
such modules are needed to achieve the required sensitivity. We will describe
QUBIC, a merger of the US and European MBI and BRAIN collaborations. QUBIC is a
polarized bolometric interferometer to be deployed in 2011-2012.
