Pushing the Limits of Cosmology with Next-Generation Millimeter-Wave Telescopes
Christina Zhou (headasst@phas.ubc.ca)
Zoom Meeting Info:
Meeting URL: https://ubc.zoom.us/j/61716486360?pwd=V3VPdVEweDkrM2JpMi9JR29vMlAxdz09
Meeting ID: 617 1648 6360
Passcode: 358956
Abstract:
While the Lambda-CDM model is remarkably effective at describing the Universe and its evolution as a whole, foundational questions remain about the origin of the primordial fluctuations, the physics of the present-day acceleration, and the astrophysics of the first billion years. Maps of large-scale structure throughout the full history of the Universe can answer these questions. I will discuss our plans to test cosmic inflation with the "ultimate" ground-based cosmic microwave background experiment, CMB-S4. I will then introduce millimeter-wave line intensity mapping---a new probe for measuring large-scale structure well into the first billion years---and the SuperSpec on-chip mm-wave spectrometer that my team is developing to enable this measurement. Finally I will discuss the SPT-SLIM pathfinder experiment, and how future line intensity mappers will characterize the dynamics of reionization and test the physics of inflation and dark energy.