Measuring the Largest Structures in the Universe with the Smallest Telescopes in Space

Event Date:
2021-06-24T16:00:00
2021-06-24T17:00:00
Event Location:
Connect via zoom
Speaker:
Michael Zemcov (RIT)
Related Upcoming Events:
Intended Audience:
Undergraduate
Local Contact:

Douglas Scott

Event Information:

Observational astrophysics is often driven by the desire for ever increasing angular resolution, which has resulted in larger and more expensive telescopes with time. However, telescopes with very small apertures can sometimes perform cosmological measurements as important as their larger siblings. In this talk, I will present several examples of small aperture, space-based experiments providing unique views of the large scale structure of the Universe as traced at optical and infrared wavelengths.  I will discuss recent results from the Cosmic Infrared Background Experiment (CIBER) that has successfully measured the amplitude of the near-IR background fluctuations on arcminute scales, and our work using the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) on New Horizons to measure the cosmic optical background.  Looking forward, missions like the CIBER-2 sounding rocket and SPHEREx, a mid-class NASA Explorer mission designed to probe the inflationary history of the Universe and the evolution of galaxies, are expected to generate important new results in the next 5 years.

Dr. Zemcov's primary research focus is experimental astrophysics and cosmology, particularly the development of instruments and data analysis methods for a variety of platforms, including ground-based, sub-orbital rockets, and orbital observatories.  He is currently an Assistant Professor in the School of Physics & Astronomy and the Center for Detectors at the Rochester Institute of Technology and an Affiliate Scientist at Jet Propulsion Laboratory.  Prior to coming to RIT in 2015, Dr. Zemcov was a Senior Postdoctoral Fellow at the California Institute of Technology and a NASA Postdoctoral Fellow. He received his PhD from Cardiff University, Wales in 2006 and his BSc from the University of British Columbia in 2003.

Add to Calendar 2021-06-24T16:00:00 2021-06-24T17:00:00 Measuring the Largest Structures in the Universe with the Smallest Telescopes in Space Event Information: Observational astrophysics is often driven by the desire for ever increasing angular resolution, which has resulted in larger and more expensive telescopes with time. However, telescopes with very small apertures can sometimes perform cosmological measurements as important as their larger siblings. In this talk, I will present several examples of small aperture, space-based experiments providing unique views of the large scale structure of the Universe as traced at optical and infrared wavelengths.  I will discuss recent results from the Cosmic Infrared Background Experiment (CIBER) that has successfully measured the amplitude of the near-IR background fluctuations on arcminute scales, and our work using the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) on New Horizons to measure the cosmic optical background.  Looking forward, missions like the CIBER-2 sounding rocket and SPHEREx, a mid-class NASA Explorer mission designed to probe the inflationary history of the Universe and the evolution of galaxies, are expected to generate important new results in the next 5 years. Dr. Zemcov's primary research focus is experimental astrophysics and cosmology, particularly the development of instruments and data analysis methods for a variety of platforms, including ground-based, sub-orbital rockets, and orbital observatories.  He is currently an Assistant Professor in the School of Physics & Astronomy and the Center for Detectors at the Rochester Institute of Technology and an Affiliate Scientist at Jet Propulsion Laboratory.  Prior to coming to RIT in 2015, Dr. Zemcov was a Senior Postdoctoral Fellow at the California Institute of Technology and a NASA Postdoctoral Fellow. He received his PhD from Cardiff University, Wales in 2006 and his BSc from the University of British Columbia in 2003. Event Location: Connect via zoom