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Revealing Elusive LIght particles with Cosmic microwave background surveys across cosmological Scales

Project description

A powerful approach to analysing data from advanced cosmology experiments

Neutrinos and other particles from the Big Bang hold vital clues to understanding the universe. Cosmology offers a unique arena to study these particles separately from astrophysical searches and efforts in laboratories. Next-generation cosmological surveys are expected to supersede current methods in uncovering the neutrino mass scale, which is key to exploring physics beyond the standard model. The ERC-funded RELiCS project will tackle the challenge of analysing complex, wide data sets from future cosmic microwave background surveys. Using an interconnected analysis pipeline, it will integrate theoretical predictions of key observables, instrument knowledge and high-level science outputs. By leading experiments like the Simons Observatory, CMB-S4 and LiteBIRD, RELiCS paves the way for further exploring the properties of neutrinos and light relics.

Objective

Neutrinos and other well-motivated particles from the Big Bang are gateways to much awaited new physics that will sharpen our understanding of Nature. Cosmology offers a unique arena to unveil their secrets in a way that is separate from, but complementary to astrophysical and terrestrial searches. The next generation of cosmological surveys will supersede the current, which is already highly sensitive to these particles’ fundamental properties. The first-ever measurement of the neutrino mass scale, a handle to its beyond-standard-model origin, has never been so close. A novel approach to data exploitation is both necessary and timely. Perfect command of theoretical predictions of key observables and instrument knowledge must inform each other. A robust inference framework is required to compare and combine the wide datasets soon to be available. Without this interconnected analysis pipeline, the richness and complexity of new data will spoil detection prospects. RELiCS is the project to lead new Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) experiments towards discoveries in particle physics. I propose a program built around my expertise in particle cosmology and CMB data analysis that will deliver new and robust limits on neutrino and light relics properties. The flagship experiment is the ground-based Simons Observatory, for which I already lead key parts of the analysis. RELiCS is timely: the analysis pipeline will be immediately applied to fresh data from 2024. The same pipeline will shape the analysis strategies of the two ultimate CMB experiments, of which I am a key member of: the ground-based CMB-S4, and the space-borne mission LiteBIRD. My expertise is unique in that embraces understanding of the theory, instrument, data analysis and high-level science exploitation. Through RELiCS, I will lead work that will crucially support cosmology towards first discoveries in the neutrino and light relics sector and pave the way to robust exploitation of ultimate surveys.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.

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Host institution

ISTITUTO NAZIONALE DI FISICA NUCLEARE
Net EU contribution
€ 1 498 451,00
Address
Via Enrico Fermi 54
00044 Frascati
Italy

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Region
Centro (IT) Lazio Roma
Activity type
Research Organisations
Links
Total cost
€ 1 498 451,00

Beneficiaries (1)

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