Title: Measuring the Anisotropy in the Cosmic Microwave Background
Speaker: Lyman Page, Princeton
Abstract: A precise measurement of the anisotropy in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) will significantly enhance our understanding of the early universe and of the process of cosmic structure formation. If the data support certain cosmological models, it is also possible to recover the cosmological parameters to unprecedented accuracy. In this talk, first the CMB and our basic understanding of it are reviewed, next the status of all the anisotropy data are discussed, and finally, future experiments, including the MAP and PLANCK satellites, are indicated.
Reference for students: Jean Collins has the Nov. Physics Today article "The Cosmic Rosetta Stone", by Bennett, Turner, and White.