Event Time:
Monday, December 9, 2024 | 12:30 pm - 2:03 pm
Event Location:
Graduate Student Centre (6371 Crescent Road), Room 203
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2024-12-09T12:30:00
2024-12-09T14:03:00
Anomalies in the cosmic microwave background
Event Information:
Abstract:
Over the past century, our understanding of the Universe has grown dramatically. Today, scientists use a model that requires just six key numbers to describe how the Universe evolved. Yet, some big mysteries remain unsolved. In my thesis, I explore two of these mysteries.
The first involves a signal that might be hidden by our movement through the Universe. Since Earth -- and our entire Galaxy -- is moving, the signals we observe are altered, via the Doppler effect. This makes it hard to separate universe-spanning signals from those caused by our motion. I investigate ways to tell them apart.
The second mystery, cosmic birefringence, rotates the light as it moves through the Universe, like light through a crystal. This could only be caused by a new type of field, like gravity or electromagnetism, and is potentially an observable caused by dark matter or dark energy.
Event Location:
Graduate Student Centre (6371 Crescent Road), Room 203