Science with CMB spectral distortions

Abstract

The measurements of COBE/FIRAS have shown that the CMB spectrum is extremely close to a perfect blackbody. There are, however, a number of processes in the early Universe that should create spectral distortions at a level which is within reach of present day technology. In this talk, I will give a brief overview of recent theoretical and experimental developments, explaining why future measurements of the CMB spectrum will open up an unexplored window to early-universe and particle physics with possible non-standard surprises but also several guaranteed signals awaiting us.

8 pages, 6 figures, to appear as Proceedings of the XLIXth RENCONTRES DE MORIOND

References in corpus (4)

• Planck 2013 results. XVI. Cosmological parameters
• Silk damping at a redshift of a billion: a new limit on small-scale adiabatic perturbations
• Enduring Quests-Daring Visions (NASA Astrophysics in the Next Three Decades)
• Scalar runnings and a test of slow roll from CMB distortions

Cited by in corpus (6)

• Prospects for Measuring Cosmic Microwave Background Spectral Distortions in the Presence of Foregrounds
• Mapping metals at high redshift with far-infrared lines
• Spectral Distortion of the CMB by the Cumulative CO Emission from Galaxies throughout Cosmic History
• Cosmic Microwave Background Spectral Distortions from Cosmic String Loops
• Extragalactic Background Light: Measurements and Applications
• Dark Matter Energy Deposition and Production from the Table-Top to the Cosmos