CMBFOREGROUNDS · Accurate foreground characterisation for future CMB experiments

Accurate quantification and removal of astrophysical foregrounds, such as diffuse Galactic emission, will be critical for future, ultra-sensitive CMB experiments. Such experiments aim at detecting the predicted gravitational waves from inflation by their weak B-mode signature and require a precision of better than 1 micro-Kelvin. The astrophysics of the foregrounds themselves is a rich and diverse area of astronomy, which includes the understanding of radiation mechanisms, interstellar medium, Galactic structure, the physics of dust and magnetic fields. I will lead independent foregrounds-related projects in addition to collaborating on large projects: Planck, C-BASS, QUIET and CBI2. The emphasis will be on characterizing and removing foregrounds emission from CMB data and extracting the Galactic science that comes with it. Based at the University of Manchester (U.K.), I will play a major role in the observations and data analysis of several CMB/foreground experiments. A key aspect will be the quantification and removal of foreground emissions, which may require a combination of data from multiple instruments (covering a wider frequency range) to achieve reliable B-mode measurements, and thus the most precise cosmological information. Manchester’s involvement in a number of future CMB experiments covering a wide-range of frequencies will make it possible for me to combine the data and allow a superior measurement of CMB polarization. To accomplish these tasks, given the collaborative and international nature of these experiments, I request FP7-IRG funds to support a PhD studentship, additional travel for observing and data storage. An FP7-IRG grant would greatly enhance my chances of moving into a permanent faculty position at Manchester.