Planck pre-launch status: Low Frequency Instrument calibration and expected scientific performance

¹ Università degli Studi di Milano, Dipartimento di Fisica, via Celoria 16, 20133 Milano, Italy e-mail: aniello.mennella@fisica.unimi.it
² INAF-IASF – Sezione di Bologna, via Gobetti 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy
³ CNR – Istituto di Fisica del Plasma, via Cozzi 53, 20125 Milano, Italy
⁴ Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, School of Physics & Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
⁵ INAf – Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste, via Tiepolo 11, 34143 Trieste, Italy
⁶ Università degli Studi di Trieste, Dipartimento di Fisica, via Valerio 2, 34127 Trieste, Italy
⁷ Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
⁸ University of California at Santa Barbara, Physics Department, Santa Barbara CA 93106-9530, USA
⁹ Science Office, European Space Agency, ESAC, PO box 78, 28691 Villanueva de la Caada, Madrid, Spain
¹⁰ INAF-IASF – Sezione di Milano, via Bassini 15, 20133 Milano, Italy
¹¹ Thales Alenia Space Italia, S.S Padana Superiore 290, 20090 Vimodrone (Milano), Italy
¹² Departamento de Ingeniera de Comunicaciones, Universidad de Cantabria, Avenida De Los Castros, 39005 Santander, Spain
¹³ Instituto de Fisica De Cantabria, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Universidad de Cantabria, Avenida De Los Castros, 39005 Santander, Spain
¹⁴ Agenzia Spaziale Italiana, Viale Liegi 26, 00198 Roma, Italy
¹⁵ Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias, vía Láctea, 38200 La Laguna (Tenerife), Spain
¹⁶ DA-Design Oy, Keskuskatu 29, 31600 Jokioinen, Finland
¹⁷ Ylinen Electronics Oy, Teollisuustie 9 A, 02700 Kauniainen, Finland
¹⁸ Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Oslo, PO box 1029 Blindern, 0315 Oslo, Norway
¹⁹ Joint ALMA Observatory, Las Condes, Santiago, Chile
²⁰ Research and Scientific Support Dpt, European Space Agency, ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands
²¹ National Radio Astronomy Observatory, 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville VA 22903-2475, USA
²² University of Helsinki, Department of Physics, PO Box 64 (Gustaf Hllstrmin katu 2a), 00014 Helsinki, Finland
²³ Helsinki Institute of Physics, PO Box 64 (Gustaf Hllstrmin katu 2a), 00014 Helsinki, Finland
²⁴ Metsähovi Radio Observatory, Helsinki University of Technology, Metshovintie 114 02540 Kylmälä, Finland
²⁵ MilliLab, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Tietotie 3, Otaniemi, Espoo, Finland

Received: 8 July 2009
Accepted: 12 January 2010

Abstract

We present the calibration and scientific performance parameters of the Planck Low Frequency Instrument (LFI) measured during the ground cryogenic test campaign. These parameters characterise the instrument response and constitute our optimal pre-launch knowledge of the LFI scientific performance. The LFI shows excellent 1/f stability and rejection of instrumental systematic effects; its measured noise performance shows that LFI is the most sensitive instrument of its kind. The calibration parameters will be updated during flight operations until the end of the mission.