Cosmology from the Cosmic Microwave Background

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 has observed the fluctuations in the CMB with unprecedented precision, and now a new wave of observations are measuring the polarization with ever better precision. The polarization gives a powerful way to constrain early-universe physics (via the so-called "B-modes" from gravity waves from the early universe, on much larger scales than the waves recently detected by Ligo). B-mode polarization also gives a measure the gravitational lensing of the CMB, leading to a projected map of all the matter in the universe between us and the big bang. Sussex is a member of the Simons Observatory and members of the group are also involved in ongoing Polearbear and Simons Array observations. We also have world-leading theoretical expertise, developing several of the key codes that are used to make the cosmological predictions. This student will be part of a team working on developing analysis tools, theoretical predictions and polarization data analysis over the time of the PhD. The project includes some analytic work, as well as extensive numerical calculations and simulations.