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Monday, 19 October 2026, 14:30 in P8445B
Prof. Andrew Long (Rice)
Looking through loops: CMB birefringence from axion strings
Does the Universe contain a network of as-yet unseen topological defects? In this talk I will discuss how current and next-generation measurements of CMB polarization may reveal a cosmic string network in the Universe today through the phenomenon of axion-induced birefringence. We’ll discuss why axion strings are predicted to create an anisotropic birefringence signal, how this signal depends on the properties of the axion-like particle and its string network, how existing measurements of anisotropic birefringence place strong constraints on axion strings and their UV embeddings, and what are the implications for recently reported detections of isotropic cosmic birefringence.
Zoom: Zoom
Upcoming Seminars:
2026-10-19 14:30 in P8445B - Andrew Long (Rice): Looking through loops: CMB birefringence from axion strings
Past Seminars:
2026-10-06 11:30 in P8445B - Xinyu Li (Tsinghua): Cosmology with Fuzzy Dark Matter model 2026-09-28 14:30 in P8445B - William Luszczak (SFU): Atmospheric muon observations near the base of a forming tornado
[ See complete seminar archives | iCal feed ]
Modified by Andrei Frolov <frolov@sfu.ca> on 2026-10-13