George
F. Smoot
Professor
Astrophysics Experiment
Group Site: http://aether.lbl.gov
Research Interests
Experimental Astrophysicist George Smoot is an active researcher in observational astrophysics and cosmology. Smoot’s group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California at Berkeley is observing our Galaxy and the cosmic background radiation that is remnant from the fiery beginning of our Universe. Projects include ground-based radio-telescope observations, balloon-borne instrumentation and satellite experiments. The most famous of these is COBE (the NASA Cosmic Background Explorer satellite) which has shown that the cosmic background radiation intensity has a wavelength dependence precisely that of a perfectly absorbing body indicating that it is the relic radiation from the Big Bang origin of the Universe.
Using NASA’s COBE DMR, Smoot and his colleagues have made a map of the early Universe discovering the seeds of present day galaxies and clusters of galaxies. These seeds show up as variations at the part in 100,000 level in density from place to place. They also reveal information on the Big Bang and the origin of the Universe. In addition to continuing work on the four years of COBE data and on-going balloon experiments, Dr. Smoot has joined with colleagues in Europe to propose a new European Space Agency satellite to extend and improve these measurements. Dr. Smoot has also published a popular book on cosmology: Wrinkles in Time.
More on Dr. Smoot’s research and projects can be found at http://aether.lbl.gov/ or through the Physics Department home page.
Current Projects
CMB data analysis: A major effort is data processing and analysis and the development of new techniques and algorithms. This included the analysis and extension of the extensive data set obtained by the COBE satellite during its four-year mission and analysis of balloon-borne instruments’ (MAXIMA/Boomerang) data. We are currently gearing up for analysis of the recently launched (June 2001) second-generation CMB anisotropy mission MAP (Microwave Anisotropy Probe).
Max Planck Surveyor is the forthcoming (~2007) third-generation CMB anisotropy satellite. Another major effort is the planning, simulation, and design for the Planck Surveyor satellite-borne mission to measure the cosmic microwave background anisotropy with greater angular resolution and more sensitivity than has been achieved with the COBE DMR and succeeding efforts including MAP. The European Space Agency and NASA have selected the Planck Surveyor and the development of the mission is in progress.
MAXIMA/Boomerang/MAXIPOL Balloon-borne Anisotropy and Polarization Experiments: A major project has been observation of the anisotropy and anisotropy power spectrum of the CMB around the degree angular scale. First through the MAX and then the very successful MAXIMA/BOOMERANG balloon-borne instruments. Work is underway on MAXIPOL to measure polarization also. An instrument is continually undergoing improvements and upgrades and is typically flown once per year leading to one or two Ph.D. theses and publications each time.
Galactic Emission Mapping (GEM): The GEM project is aimed at measuring and modeling Galactic millimeter to meter wavelength emission and Galactic structure. We utilize data from satellites, such as COBE, and ground-based observations in our Galactic modeling. As a major component of the program we have developed a precise, controlled radio telescope and receivers which are used to make and calibrate radio maps of the sky. The GEM instrumentation has operated from a remote site in California, Colombia, Tenerife (the Canary Islands) and currently in Brazil.
Supernova Cosmology Project: A portion of the group works on the supernova cosmology project, particularly the supernova factory and SNAP.
Very high energy Neutrino Detection: A portion of the group has been considering the scientific potential and development of the concept and technology of a km-scale (square or cubic) neutrino detector. Analytic calculations, simulations, electronics, detector, and deployment are key technical aspects of the R&D effort for this detector.
Selected Publications
G. F. Smoot, C. L Bennett, A. Kogut, et al., “Structure in the COBE DMR first year maps,” Ap. J. Lett. 396, L1 (1992).
G. Smoot, M. Gorenstein, and R. A. Muller, “Detection of anisotropy in the cosmic blackbody radiation,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 39, 898 (1977).
J. Mather, et al., “A preliminary measurement of the cosmic microwave background spectrum by the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite,” Ap. J. Lett. 354, L37 (1990).
A. T. Lee, P. Ade, A. Balbi, J. Bock, J. Borrill, A. Boscaleri, P. De Bernardis, P. G. Ferreira, S. Hanany, V. V. Hristov, A. H. Jaffe, P. D. Mauskopf, C. B. Netterfield, E. Pascale, B. Rabii, P. L. Richards, G. F. Smoot, R. Stompor, C. D. Winant, and J. H. P. Wu, “A high spatial resolution analysis of the MAXIMA-1 cosmic microwave background anisotropy data,” Ap. J. (accepted 2001), astro-ph/0104459.
I. F. M. Albuquerque and G. F. Smoot, “Measuring atmospheric neutrino oscillations with neutrino telescopes,” Phys. Rev. D64, 53008 (2001), hep-ph/0102078.
G. F. Smoot and D. Scott, “Review of cosmic background radiation,” Phys. Rev. D54, 118 (2001).
Angelica de Oliveira-Costa, George F. Smoot, and Alexei A. Starobinsky, “Can the lack of symmetry in the COBE/DMR maps constrain the topology of the universe?,” Ap. J. 468, 457 (1996), astro-ph/9510109.