Astronomy Colloquium

Probing the primordial universe with high-resolution CMB and galaxy surveys

Date: Thursday, October 7th

Time: 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm

Place: 4421 Sterling Hall, Coffee and Cookies at 3:30 pm, Talk starts at 3:45 pm

Speaker: Moritz Muenchmeyer, UW Madison

Abstract: The big bang can be viewed as a massive cosmological particle collider, whose output is the matter and radiation distribution that developed into the universe we observe today. By measuring the matter distribution of the universe more precisely, we can in principle learn more about the ultra-high energy physics of the early universe (inflation). However, extracting this primordial information is very difficult because of the complicated non-linear physics of structure formation. In this talk I will describe current and upcoming experiments, in particular focusing on secondary CMB anisotropies and galaxy survey data. I will show some recent ideas how their data can be used for primordial physics, and describe how modern computational methods from machine learning help to deal with non-linear physics.

We strongly encourage you to attend the colloquium in person. If that is impossible, it is available over zoom at the following link:

Host: Professor Ellen Zweibel

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