The Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) is a relic radiation leftover from the Big Bang and provides a unique window into the very early Universe. We can use the properties of its temperature and polarisation fields to study the physics of the different components of the Universe and the physical phenomena that took place while it was evolving, including dark matter, dark energy, neutrino physics, inflation and cosmic dawn. During the last two decades, increasingly accurate CMB data have established a concordance standard model of cosmology; in particular, recent data from the Planck satellite set limits on the basic cosmological parameters to sub-percent precision. However, despite the success of the measurements, our standard model of cosmology relies on components and processes with unknown theoretical interpretation.
With the completion of the Planck mission, future breakthroughs are mostly expected from ground-based experiments. At Cardiff we lead science investigation of the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) and Simons Observatory (SO) experiments. ACT has now completed its observations and analyses of the final dataset are underway; first light for the Simons Observatory is expected next year. Accurate measurements of the polarization of the CMB and of the CMB deflections due to gravitational lensing from ACT and SO will provide, during the next 5 years, new cosmological state-of-the-art results.
This project spans both understanding the data and investigating different cosmological models with ACT and SO observations. It will focus on how to best extract physics from the CMB small-scale region which also contains significant information on the astrophysics of galaxies and galaxy clusters.
The work will be carried out as part of the ACT and SO international collaborations.
The work requires expertise in Python and Github, and familiarity with the CAMB/CLASS and Cosmomc/Cobaya softwares.
For more information please contact: [Email Address Removed]
Eligibility
The typical academic requirement is a minimum of a 2:1 physics and astronomy or a relevant discipline.
Applicants whose first language is not English are normally expected to meet the minimum University requirements (e.g. IELTS 6.5 Overall with 5.5 minimum in sub-scores) (https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/international/english-language-requirements)
How to apply
Applicants should apply to the Doctor of Philosophy in Physics and Astronomy with a start date of 1st October 2023.
Applicants should submit an application for postgraduate study via the Cardiff University webpages (https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/research/programmes/programme/physics-and-astronomy) including:
• your academic CV
• Your degree certificates and transcripts to date including certified translations if these are not in English
• a personal statement/covering letter
• two references, at least one of which should be academic. Your references can be emailed by the referee to [Email Address Removed]
Please note: We are do not contact referees directly for references for each applicant due to the volume of applications we receive.
In the "Research Proposal" section of your application, please specify the project title and supervisors of this project. You can apply for up to three of our advertised STFC projects by listing them in order of preference in the free text area of the "Research Proposal" section of the online application form.
In the funding section, please select that you will not be self-funding and write that the source of funding will be STFC.
Once the deadline for applications has passed, we will review your application and advise you within a few weeks if you have been shortlisted for an interview.
Continue with Facebook
