Unraveling new physics with the high-resolution CMB

Zoom Recording Passcode: b2=4bdGW

The cosmic microwave background (CMB) acts as a backlight to large-scale structure through multiple effects. The kinetic Sunyaev Zeldovoch (kSZ) effect in particular imparts additional anisotropies due to scattering of CMB photons off of moving clouds of ionized electrons. This effect probes both bulk motions as well as the small scale distribution of gas.  I will show how high-resolution CMB measurements combined with dense galaxy surveys have allowed the kSZ effect to open a new window into the early Universe through constraints on primordial non-Gaussianity. I will also sketch new directions for using kSZ to constrain baryonic feedback, allowing us to disentangle astrophysics from new physics. Finally, I will present early results from the Simons Observatory, a new high-resolution CMB experiment that will allow these science goals to be fully realized over the next decade.