Astrophysics

I will discuss the results of the second observing season of the CO Mapping Array Project (COMAP).  COMAP is a line intensity mapping experiment seeking to probe the cosmic star formation history by mapping the 115 GHz CO(1-0) emission line at z~3. ...

Abstract: Axion dark matter thermalizes by gravitational self-interactions and forms a Bose-Einstein condensate.  It is shown that the rethermalization of the axion fluid during the initial collapse of large scale overdensities at cosmic dawn...

The Bahcall Lunch follows the astrophysics colloquium lecture. Registration is required by 4pm the previous Thursday so a meal can be provided. Email Amanda at cenker@ias.edu with questions.

Neutrinos are the second most abundant particle in the known Universe yet they remain mysterious. While they played an important role in the early Universe, today they contribute at most 1-2% of the energy budget and leave only faint signatures. A...

Intrinsic-Alignments are one of the main systematic effects hindering the robust interpretation of weak-lensing measurements. In this talk I will describe several works by which my collaborators and I advance the modelling and understanding of IA in...

Abstract: Based on https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.11139(Link is external) (Link opens in new window) . In pure Einstein gravity, the amplitude for an arbitrary number of positive helicity gravitons to scatter is zero at tree-level. If a single negative...

Both solar system studies and exoplanet science focus on the same class of objects: planetary bodies. Thus, rich synergies between these disciplines can advance our knowledge of fundamental planetary processes. In this talk, I will present new...

Carlos Sierra, Stanford University

"SPECTER: a new instrument concept for measuring the CMB spectral distortions"

The standard cosmological model predicts deviations from a perfect blackbody spectrum in the cosmic microwave background (CMB). A precise...