Discovering Properties of Neutrinos, Inflation, and Dark Energy Using the Cosmic Microwave Background

本研究的目的是对NSF赞助的ACTpol和AdvACTpol实验进行数据分析。 这些实验是为了更好地理解大爆炸宇宙学中复合时遗留下来的热辐射（称为宇宙微波背景，或CMB）。ACT是阿塔卡马宇宙望远镜，这是一个直径6米的毫米波长望远镜，位于智利北方海拔17,000英尺处。这项工作的更广泛影响包括指导女本科生，以及研究生和博士后的研究培训。 得奖者亦会参观小学和博物馆，带领天文教育活动，作为ASTRO计划的一部分。研究将集中于CMB科学，包括暴胀和透镜B模式，以及CMB弱透镜。前者告诉我们大爆炸期间宇宙膨胀的知识，后者可以提供中微子质量的信息。 还将创建具有偏振的毫米天空模拟。

The objective of this research is to undertake data analysis for the NSF-sponsored ACTpol and AdvACTpol experiments. These experiments are seeking to better understand the thermal radiation (known as the cosmic microwave background, or CMB) left over from the time of recombination in Big Bang cosmology. The ACT is the Atacama Cosmology Telescope, a 6m-diameter millimeter wavelength telescope located at 17,000 ft elevation in northern Chile. Broader impacts of the work include mentoring of female undergraduates, and research training of graduate students and a postdoc. The awardee will also visit elementary schools and museums to lead astronomy education activities as part of the Project ASTRO program.The research will focus on CMB science including inflation and lensing B modes, and CMB weak lensing. The former informs our knowledge of cosmic inflation during the big bang, and the latter can provide information on the mass of neutrinos. Millimeter sky simulations with polarization will also be created.