Cosmology Seminar- Characterizing Inflation from Antarctica: Improving Cosmology Constraints with the Cosmic Microwave Background and Line Intensity Mapping

Inflation, the theory describing a period of exponential expansion in the early universe, is a compelling model for the formation of the structure we see in our universe today, yet little is known about the energy scale and dynamics of the proposed inflationary field(s). In this talk, I will describe two ways to experimentally probe the physics of inflation: the cosmic microwave background, and line intensity mapping. First, I will describe how the imprint of inflation may exist in the oldest light in the universe, the cosmic microwave background. I will present the first inflationary constraints from SPT-3G, and propose ways to increase sensitivity to inflation by combining data from large and small aperture telescopes for future surveys such as the South Pole Observatory. Second, I will describe a new cosmology technique, line intensity mapping (LIM), which will be able to characterize the middle ages of the Universe's history by making a 3D map of structure over the last 11 billion years of cosmic time. The large number of modes in LIM data will provide a unique window into the dynamics of the inflationary field(s). I will describe the cameras and analysis techniques I am working on to make some of the first LIM measurements with the South Pole Telescope Shirokoff Line Intensity Mapper (SPT-SLIM) and the Terahertz Intensity Mapper (TIM). I will present the first results from the SPT-SLIM experiment, including the first on-sky measurements from January 2025. I will conclude by describing the instrumentation I am developing for the next generation of LIM cameras to realize LIM as a powerful cosmological probe for years to come.