Complete Characterization of One QUaD Pixel For Consideration of Honors on the Degree of Bachelor of Science

The QUaD project will measure the cosmic microwave background’s polarization anisotropy from the South Pole beginning in early 2005. This thesis discusses the optical characterization of a single pixel in both the 100 GHz and 150 GHz spectral bands using the QUaD test bed. It describes the methods and results for measuring the pixel’s spectral response, polarization response, spatial response, and the optical efficiency. It also estimates the sensitivity of one pair of polarization-sensitive bolometers for each spectral band.