Instrumental polarization modelling for the PILOT submm experiment

PILOT is a balloon borne experiment which aims at measuring precisely the polarized emission of the interstellar dust emission, in the submm range (240 and 550 μm). These measurements will be used to reach a better understanding of the galactic magnetic field role in the structure of the Galaxy and the star formation process. They will be useful too for CMB experiments by providing a precise knowledge of galactic foreground emission. Simulations including realistic instrument performances show that after three flights (around 24 hours each), it will be possible to cover the full galactic plane map (+/-30° in latitude). In addition, several deep surveys will be performed at high galactic latitude. As the level of polarized emission of interstellar dust is less than 5%, an accurate knowledge of the instrumental polarization is mandatory for the data processing and analysis.