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" First Light: Using the Cosmic Microwave Background

to Constrain Physics and Cosmology "

Date:

Download-files:

Time:

Thursday, 29. May 2019

Video-Recording for any system with MP4-support

- Video.mp4 (ca.351 Mb)

15:15 – 16:25

Charles Bennett

(Johns Hopkins University)

Abstract :

Observations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) has been spectacularly

successful in providing precise answers to age-old questions, including the age, geometry,

and composition of the universe. CMB data are often analyzed in conjunction with other

cosmological data. While this provides significantly improved constraints, at times it also

highlights tensions between observations. The tensions could indicate underestimated

measurement errors or could be due to exciting physics that has been missed.

Understanding the detailed nature of the tensions is crucial so as not to miss new physics.

The CMB has yet to be fully explored and current experiments are aimed at sensitive

measurements of CMB polarization at a wide range of angular scales. New discoveries

may relate to inflation, neutrino masses, reionization, cosmological birefringence

(caused by the coupling between the cosmic scalar field and the CMB photons) or

completed unexpected new physics. This talk will provide an overview of the field and

select recent advances.