A precision observable for precision cosmology

Upcoming stage-IV cosmological surveys will allow humankind to study the Universe in unprecedented detail. The leap in both quantity and quality of data compared to stage-III surveys will firmly place the community in the era of "precision cosmology".

One intriguing aspect of new surveys is the plethora of new probes that can be studied, which will complement the already standard analysis techniques. In this talk we will provide a brief introduction to one of the most promising new probes that will be measured in these surveys: the phase shift of acoustic peaks. Phase shifts are powerful tools, sensitive to a broad class of extensions to the standard models of both cosmology and particle physics. We will go over the theory behind the phase shifts, studying the physical conditions that lead to their existence. We will then briefly discuss their application in Planck data to constrain the existence of the cosmic neutrino background. Finally, we will illustrate the mechanisms that source these shifts using a toy model and discuss forecasts on their detection by CMB-S4 and galaxy surveys.

Speaker: Nickolas Kokron

Room 232