February 4, 2022 7-9PM

Event Type: Lecture and Stargazing
Title: Mapping the Universe with Atoms and Molecules that Shine
Lecturer: Guochao (Jason) Sun
Position: PhD Candidate
Institution: Caltech
Abstract:
Since the beginning, people have wondered about the structure of the universe around us. Studying the starlight from millions of observed galaxies, astronomers are assembling an increasingly detailed picture of our universe, from the present to the distant past. In this lecture, I will describe a novel tool that allows astronomers to map the universe in a complementary manner to starlight: by measuring the light emitted from the cosmic gas, composed of atoms and molecules, that permeates our universe. Using this technique, astronomers are now peeking into the still mysterious chapters of our cosmic history, such as the infant universe when the first stars and galaxies formed.