HK Assembly in the E and B Experiment

Abstract

It has always been human nature to try to understand how the world works and EBEX is no different. Many theories regarding the origin of the universe have been formed. However, there are very few ways to test these theories. My research will be directed toward understanding what happened to the universe during its infancy by analyzing the cosmic microwave background radiation it emitted long ago. Right after the Big Bang, the universe was at such a high temperature that everything in it was plasma. As the universe cooled, atomic particles became stable enough to form permanent bonds with each other. This led the particles to emit their excess energy in the form of photons, thus starting an age when matter and light were separate entities. I am working with researchers in the EBEX project to try to detect the faint B-mode signal created by gravity waves due to inflation during the early universe. In addition, measurements on the polarization of dust will be taken to help calibrate instruments in future cosmology experiments. The information gathered from the project will be able to tell us if the inflationary model is a valid description of the moments after the Big Bang.