Cosmic Microwave Background Polarization and Life at the South Pole

Sarah Stokes Kernasovskiy is from the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (KIPAC)  and a Phd candidate in Physics at Stanford University.    Her research focuses on the measurement of B-mode polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB).  A positive detection of B-mode polarization could be direct evidence for the theory of cosmic inflation or an alternative model. Finding evidence of inflation is one of the highest priorities in cosmology today. 

Sarah is currently active on several KIPAC project teams working on this measurement:  BICEP2/3, POLAR, and the Keck Array which all use telescopes at the South Pole.  Sarah has completed 4 seasons at the South Pole Station on these projects.  Outside of research, she is an accomplished trail runner, having completed several 100 milers as well as the Race Around the World,  and has also taken time off to trek in another remote area:  the Himalayas!   Sarah received her undergraduate degree in Physics at California Institute of Technology in 2008,  and is a Phd candiate in Physics at Stanford University with her thesis 'Measuring the Polarization of the CMB with the Keck Array and BICEP2'.

In her talk, Sarah will discuss the various telescopes used in the CMB measurements, research goals and findings, as well as give us a glimpse of the challenges of life and research at the South Pole Station.