Noncommutative Geometry Seminar

In this talk, I will discuss how the spectral distortions of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) can be used to probe the early universe. After a brief introduction on the relevance and characteristics of the large scale modes of the CMB, I will explain how we can measure these modes at other locations in the universe by using the polarization signal that they induce in the direction of galaxy clusters. The primary importance of these measurements is that they will allow us to inspect the large scale anomalies observed in the CMB and determine if they are coincidental or fundamental. This, in turn, will constrain certain inflation models or exotic cosmologies that attempt to explain these anomalies. I will also discuss the implications of the generalized aberration kernel formalism and illustrate how the detailed study of spectral distortions enables the next generation of microwave surveys to separate the currently indistinguishable kinematic and intrinsic CMB dipoles.