Astrophysics, Relativity, and Cosmology Seminar - David Zegeye (UIUC) "Testing the kinematics and dynamics of inflation using the CMB at radio frequencies"
- Event Type
- Seminar/Symposium
- Sponsor
- Department of Physics
- Location
- Rhondale Tso Seminar Room, Loomis 236
- Virtual
- Join online
- Date
- Dec 3, 2025 11:00 am
- Speaker
- David Zegeye (UIUC)
- Contact
- Deanna Frye
- ddebord@illinois.edu
- Views
- 53
- Originating Calendar
- Physics - Astrophysics, Relativity, and Cosmology Seminar
Measurements of the primordial power spectrum and bispectrum from the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) probe cosmic inflation, a period in the early universe which could have reached ∼10^14 GeV. Despite initial observations being performed in the radio regime, CMB measurements are commonly performed at frequencies above 20 GHz, where the total foreground power is minimized. However, certain CMB signals are better optimized for frequencies below 20 GHz. One such example is detecting μ-distortions, spectral distortions of the standard CMB blackbody spectrum. While μ-distortions are harder to measure than the CMB temperature anisotropies, they are significantly brighter at radio frequencies. I will demonstrate that modern high spectral-resolution and low noise radio surveys can minimize the effects of foregrounds, and provide constraints on the CMB competitive with observations above 20 GHz.