Astrophysical and Cosmological Information Content in Anisotropies of the Near and Far-IR Background and Intensity Fluctuations of Atomic and Molecular Lines

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This award will support theoretical and data analysis studies to understand the spatial fluctuations of the unresolved cosmic near and far-infrared backgrounds and the intensity mapping of atomic and molecular lines. The infrared background at optical to near-IR wavelengths is the direct starlight emission from galaxies, while the far-infrared background is mainly due to reprocessed light by the intervening dust. The work will enable us to better understand intrahalo light, intrahalo dust and faint reionizing galaxies at redshifts greater than 6 through measurements involving anisotropies of the near and far-infrared backgrounds. The research team will (1) measure or improve the existing measurements, (2) interpret unresolved fluctuations seen in Spitzer, Hubble, and CIBER data, and (3) conduct a multiband study from 0.5 to 4.5 microns to measure the spectral energy distribution of the fluctuations. Understanding the high-redshift universe is one of the most pressing priorities in contemporary astronomy. This work has great significance because an improved understanding in our knowledge of the infrared background will have significant consequences for our knowledge of how galaxies form and evolve. The broader impacts of this work include an ongoing research program that involves undergraduate students. The research program and other topics in cosmology will also be integrated into a Computational Physics course at UC Irvine.