Cosmic inflation was postulated to solve the horizon, flatness and monopole problems that arise from the standard LCDM model. Inflation generically predicts the existence of primordial gravitational waves which would leave a unique degree-scale B-mode polarization pattern in the cosmic microwave background (CMB). If detected, this could serve as a probe to the early Universe and high energy physics inaccessible with existing particle accelerators. The BICEP/Keck experiments are a series of telescopes at the South Pole designed to search for this degree-scale B-mode signature in the CMB. Our latest release (BK18) includes new data collected through the 2018 season, and is the first to utilize observations from the 95GHz BICEP3 telescope. This result shows the tensor-to-scalar ratio r < 0.036 at 95% confidence with σ(r)=0.009, which is the tightest constraint to date on primordial gravitational waves.
In this talk, I will first present the instrument design of the BICEP telescopes, and describe the analysis and scientific findings of BK18.
Add to Calendar
2022-02-28T15:00:002022-02-28T16:00:00Improved constraints on primordial gravitational waves using BICEP/Keck observationsEvent Information:
Cosmic inflation was postulated to solve the horizon, flatness and monopole problems that arise from the standard LCDM model. Inflation generically predicts the existence of primordial gravitational waves which would leave a unique degree-scale B-mode polarization pattern in the cosmic microwave background (CMB). If detected, this could serve as a probe to the early Universe and high energy physics inaccessible with existing particle accelerators. The BICEP/Keck experiments are a series of telescopes at the South Pole designed to search for this degree-scale B-mode signature in the CMB. Our latest release (BK18) includes new data collected through the 2018 season, and is the first to utilize observations from the 95GHz BICEP3 telescope. This result shows the tensor-to-scalar ratio r < 0.036 at 95% confidence with σ(r)=0.009, which is the tightest constraint to date on primordial gravitational waves.
In this talk, I will first present the instrument design of the BICEP telescopes, and describe the analysis and scientific findings of BK18.Event Location:
Connect via zoom