Cosmology from Planck and other Data
Supervisor: Antony Lewis
The cosmic microwave background (CMB) originates from a time when the universe was only a few hundred thousand years old, a distance 98% of the way to the edge of the observable universe. The Planck satellite is currently observing the fluctuations in the CMB with unprecedented precision, giving high-resolution maps of the universe in its earliest observable state. By studying the fluctuations we can measure cosmological parameters to high precision, constrain the large-scale geometry of the universe, and learn about models of the big bang, including inflation. These projects will cover a variety of topics, aiming to calculate accurate theoretical predictions, find new methods for comparing theoretical models with data from the Planck satellite, and study how other data sets can best be combined with data from Planck to extract the most information. The project(s) would include analytic work as well as extensive numerical calculations and simulations.
For more information/to apply for this project, please contact Antony Lewis.
