MG11 
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From BOOMERanG to Planck... and beyond

What can we learn, still, from Cosmic Microwave Background observations ? After the extremely successful maps of the early universe obtained from BOOMERanG, WMAP and all the other CMB anisotropy experiments, the focus of experimental CMB research is moving towards high resolution and polarizationmeasurements. And here there is a lot to learn, on the outstanding issues of the current cosmological model. High accuracy polarization measurements are linked to the very early Universe (Inflation). High resolution measurements of SZ effect and CMB anisotropy will break degeneracies in cosmological parameter estimates, and will probe the early stages of cosmic structure formation. The forthcoming Planck experiment of the European Space Agency will provide wide frequency coverage, full sky coverage, and very good angular resolution and sensitivity. It will be able to separate local foregrounds and cosmological background very efficiently, producing "definitive" maps of CMB anisotropy. It will also carry out very sensitive polarization measurements, detecting the "E-modes" of CMB polarization with high accuracy. It is not known if Planck will detect "B-modes" in the CMB polarization field. The extreme faintness this signal most likely requires a new generation of experiments, using new detection and foreground removal technologies. The target is very ambitious, but can be the only way we have to test observationally the first split-second of our Universe.