On November 18, 2020, Dr. Seghal talked about how the oldest light in the Universe, called Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), is being collected using the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) and the Simons Array in the Chilean Atacama Desert.
Using data gathered from the ACT and Simons Array, Dr. Seghal’s research team projected the contour of dark matter onto a 2D map. They took images of the CMB they observed, shifted the images and reconstructed the original CMB image to gain a better understanding of how the universe was created. They then produced a map showing the difference between the CMB we observe today and the original CMB image.
A new $100 million project is underway to build the next generation of microwave telescopes in Chile, which will be called the Simons Observatory. The new high sensitivity observatory will have the capability to detect ancient gravitational waves and will help scientists unfold how the universe came to its current state.
The intriguing lecture was well-attended, and generated interesting discussions about CMB.
Clara Tran
Email: clara.tran@stonybrook.edu
