LSPE (Large Scale Polarization Explorer) is an experiment for the direct measurement of the B-modes of polarization of the cosmic microwave background.
To do this, LSPE will use two tools to cover different observation frequencies: SWIPE and STRIP. The STRIP telescope will be installed at the El Teide observatory (Tenerife, Canary Islands) while SWIPE will be mounted on a balloon and will perform a long-duration flight with a circumpolar orbit during the Arctic night.
In particular, the design, development, manufacture and first tests of the detectors used for the SWIPE telescope take place in Genoa.
The detectors are TES (Transition Edge Sensor) bolometers with spider-web geometry, made using microlithographic techniques and ultra-high vacuum thin film deposition.