MSI Seminar

CMB Lensing: Fundamental Physics from Maps of the Invisible

Blake Sherwin

University of California, Berkeley

Dark matter not only forms an invisible cosmic scaffolding within which galaxies form, its distribution in the universe also contains a wealth of information about fundamental physics. Measurements of gravitational lensing in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) allow this matter distribution to be directly seen and mapped. In my talk, I will describe the rapid advance of CMB lensing measurements from first detections, to current work, to ultra-high-precision cosmology in the near future. I will explain how upcoming CMB lensing measurements will allow us to determine the masses of neutrinos and probe the properties of inflation and the very early universe.