Cosmic microwave background polarization: causal formalism

• Grant number: 07/02631-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: September 01, 2007
• End date: July 31, 2009
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Astronomy - Extragalactic Astrophysics
• Principal Investigator: Luis Raul Weber Abramo
• Grantee: Paulo Henrique Flose Reimberg
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física (IF). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The polarization of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) is the next frontier in observational cosmology. Data on CMB polarization is of great interest both from a cosmological viewpoint (due to its signatures of gravitational waves in the $B$ mode, as a test of dark energy, etc.) as well as from the astrophysical viewpoint (reionization, properties of galaxy clusters and of the intra-cluster media, etc.) Recently, we have shown (Abramo & Xavier, 2006) that a causal formalism in real space can be used to describe how the initial cosmological fluctuations end up generating polarization of the CMB. In this Research Project we will extend this causal formalism to include three effects that affect CMB polarization: 1) recombination, 2) reionization, and 3) weak gravitational lensing from large-scale structure.

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

REIMBERG, Paulo Henrique Flose. Cosmic microwave background polarization. 2009. Master's Dissertation - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Física (IF/SBI) São Paulo.