Next Generation CMB Analysis

下一代 CMB 分析

• 批准号: RGPIN-2019-05938
• 负责人: Sievers, Jonathan
• 金额: $ 2.84万
• 依托单位: McGill University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=762582
• 关键词: Next; Generation; CMB; Analysis

We can use light as a kind of time machine, and by looking far away we can see back in time. The ultimate limit of this lets us see a snapshot of the universe when it was less than 400,000 years old, and is the oldest light we can see. The universe was a simpler place then, with the first stars and galaxies hundreds of millions of years in the future. This simplicity has turned out to be a boon for astronomers, as we can learn about the fundamental properties of the universe without worrying about the still poorly-understood ways in which stars and galaxies were formed. Previous results in this field have transformed cosmology into a precision science, and have let us measure basic parameters like the age of the universe to better than 1% accuracy. While this snapshot of the universe (called the cosmic microwave background or CMB) has already taught us a tremendous amount about the universe, new telescopes will let us learn even more in the coming decade. We will search for the signs of cosmic inflation, widely believed to be what set the properties of the universe today. We will measure the mass of the neutrino, ghostly particles that can freely stream through light years of lead without hitting anything. We will also look at the shadows cast by galaxy clusters, the most massive objects in the universe. This will help us understand the complicated physics driving the structure of clusters. These new telescopes will create a flood of data that must be ever more accurately analyzed to unlock the secrets of the universe. The current tools we have are not enough to handle the upcoming experiments with the necessary precision. I will train Canadian students to develop the new tools to deal with this data, and to analyze CMB data on Canadian supercomputers. This in turn will enable us to play leading roles in international collaborations at the cutting edge of cosmology research and answer fundamental questions about the nature of thecosmos.

我们可以使用光作为一种时间机器，通过远处看，我们可以看到过去。这个极限让我们能够看到宇宙年龄不到 40 万年时的快照，并且是我们能看到的最古老的光。那时的宇宙是一个更简单的地方，在未来的数亿年里出现了第一批恒星和星系。这种简单性对天文学家来说是一个福音，因为我们可以了解宇宙的基本属性，而不必担心仍然知之甚少的恒星和星系的形成方式。该领域先前的成果已将宇宙学转变为一门精密科学，使我们能够以超过 1% 的精度测量宇宙年龄等基本参数。虽然这张宇宙快照（称为宇宙微波背景或 CMB）已经让我们了解了大量关于宇宙的知识，但新的望远镜将让我们在未来十年了解更多。我们将寻找宇宙膨胀的迹象，人们普遍认为宇宙膨胀的迹象决定了当今宇宙的特性。我们将测量中微子的质量，中微子是一种幽灵般的粒子，它们可以自由地穿过几光年的铅而不撞击任何东西。我们还将观察星系团（宇宙中质量最大的物体）投射的阴影。这将帮助我们理解驱动星团结构的复杂物理原理。这些新望远镜将产生大量数据，必须对这些数据进行更准确的分析，才能解开宇宙的秘密。我们现有的工具不足以以必要的精度处理即将进行的实验。我将培训加拿大学生开发新工具来处理这些数据，并在加拿大超级计算机上分析 CMB 数据。这反过来将使我们能够在宇宙学研究前沿的国际合作中发挥主导作用，并回答有关宇宙本质的基本问题。