Cosmic Microwave Background radiation

• Provide an overview of the CMB radiation and its significance in cosmology.

-Thermal history of the universe (https://www.dropbox.com/s/5slirav7yd9mocf/Chapter3.pdf?dl=0)
• Explain the historical context of CMB discovery.
(https://www.e-education.psu.edu/astro801/content/l10_p8.html)
• Describe the key scientists and experiments involved.
(https://wmap.gsfc.nasa.gov/universe/bb_tests_cmb.html)
• Detail the methods and instruments used to observe and measure the CMB.
(https://www.astronomy.com/science/decoding-the-cosmic-microwave-background/)

Why CMB is so uniform? Group I

• Explain the basics of CMB, its properties, and its connection to the Big Bang theory.
• How does CMB solve the horizon problem in cosmology?
• Explain the concept of cosmic inflation
(https://www.dropbox.com/s/mvp7oe5qn5qrih6/Chapter2.pdf?dl=0)

What do the small fluctuations teach us? Group II

• CMB polarization (https://lweb.cfa.harvard.edu/~cbischoff/cmb/)
Why is CMB so uniform? (group I)
1. Origin in the Early Universe: The CMB radiation originated in the very early universe,
specifically about 380,000 years after the Big Bang. At that time, the universe was relatively
homogeneous and isotropic. The distribution of matter and energy was very uniform on
large scales because there hadn't been enough time for significant structures or variations to
form.
2. Cosmic Inflation: The concept of cosmic inflation suggests that the universe underwent an
extremely rapid and exponential expansion in the first fraction of a second after the Big
Bang. Inflation helps explain the uniformity of the CMB by stretching out any initial
irregularities in the distribution of matter and energy to cosmological scales. This theory has
been supported also by observations of the CMB's temperature anisotropies. In terms of
math, inflation pushes the Big Bang singularity to the infinite past, so in this way the regions
of spacetime had enough time to interact and correlate in such a way that they all show the
same background temperature (horizon problem solved).
3. Last Scattering Surface: The CMB radiation was emitted when the universe cooled down
to a temperature of about 3,000 Kelvin. At this point, electrons and protons combined to
form neutral hydrogen atoms, which made the universe transparent to radiation. The CMB
photons, which had previously been continuously scattering off charged particles, were then
free to travel through space without scattering. This last scattering event was a crucial factor
in making the CMB appear uniform because it essentially "froze in" the distribution of
matter and radiation at that moment. One astonishing thing about CMB is that it got emitted
from everywhere in the universe around that time, so this is why we see it being isotropic
and we still observe it up to this date.
Polarization of the CMB can teach us: (Group II)
1. Evidence for Cosmic Inflation: One of the most significant discoveries related to CMB
polarization is its confirmation of cosmic inflation. Inflation is a theoretical concept that
suggests a rapid and exponential expansion of the universe in its early moments. Inflationary
models predict specific patterns of polarization in the CMB, and these patterns have been
observed and confirmed by experiments like the Planck satellite. Thus, CMB polarization
provides strong evidence for the inflationary model of the universe's early expansion.
2. Mapping Large-Scale Structures: CMB polarization can help astronomers map the large-
scale structures of the universe. Polarization patterns in the CMB can be influenced by the
gravitational lensing effect of massive structures like galaxy clusters. By studying CMB
polarization, scientists can infer the distribution of matter in the universe and gain insights
into the growth of structures over cosmic time.
3. Measurement of Dark Matter and Dark Energy: CMB polarization plays a role in the
study of dark matter and dark energy, two mysterious components that make up most of the
universe's mass and energy. Polarization data helps refine measurements of the density and
properties of dark matter and contributes to our understanding of the accelerated expansion
of the universe driven by dark energy.
(https://indico.cern.ch/event/421367/attachments/883123/1240919/lecture1.pdf)
4. Probing Primordial Gravitational Waves: Gravitational waves are ripples in spacetime
predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity. The inflationary theory suggests that
gravitational waves were generated during the rapid expansion of the early universe. These
gravitational waves can leave an imprint on CMB polarization patterns in what is known as
B-mode polarization. The detection of B-mode polarization can provide direct evidence of
primordial gravitational waves, which would be a major breakthrough in cosmology.
5. Constraining Cosmological Parameters: CMB polarization data, along with temperature
anisotropy data, allows scientists to constrain various cosmological parameters, such as the
density of baryonic matter, the Hubble constant, the age of the universe, and the composition
of the universe. These constraints help refine our cosmological models and improve our
understanding of the universe's properties and evolution.