UC Berkeley

Observations of the sky at millimeter wavelengths are of critical importance to modern cosmology. Measurements of the primary cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies, its secondary anisotropies, and foreground objects all contribute to our understanding the universe. As the oldest light in the universe, the CMB contains imprints from much of cosmic history. Measurements of these secondary anisotropies provides a window into the evolution of the universe, including the growth of the largest structures in the universe, and the process of reionization by early stars and galaxies.

These measurements are only possible with a high-resolution telescope and extremely precise calibration. This dissertation is primarily concerned with the design and calibration of the SPT-3G camera on the South Pole Telescope. In particular, the calibration of the raw detector data, and the measurement of the telescope beams are described in detail. These pieces are essential for making a precise measurement of the mm-wave sky, and properly accounting for the effects of the telescope optics. In the last chapter, we show how all of this comes together to produce a catalog of galaxy clusters discovered through the thermal Sunyaev Zel’dovich effect. We report 89 candidates, with 81 confirmed by optical and infrared follow-up observations. 29 are reported for the first time. This provides a mass-limited catalog of galaxy clusters over 100 square degrees.