Joint Astrophysics Colloquium

Joint Astrophysics Seminar

Inflation, Gravity waves, and the Cosmic Microwave Background

John Ruhl

Case Western Reserve University

Measurements of temperature anisotropies in the Cosmic Microwave Background have done wonders for our understanding of cosmology. Various teams have already detected small polarization signals in the CMB, consistent with the expected signal generated by density perturbations in standard "lambda cold dark matter" models. Theoretical predictions of a polarization signal with unique properties, generated by gravity waves left over from Inflation, have spurred interest in measuring the CMB polarization with greater sensitivity and precision. In this talk I will discuss the nature of these signals and the prospects for measuring this "fingerprint of Inflation".