Exploring the Secrets of the Infant Universe with Hugh Ross (Reasons to Believe)

Into the Impossible With Brian Keating

Brian Keating

Science, Physics, Natural Sciences

4.7 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 11 October 2024

⏱️ 68 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What is the cosmic microwave background (CMB), and why is it essential in cosmology? What role do instruments like BICEP and the Simons Observatory play in studying the early universe? And is the multiverse real? I had the absolute pleasure of discussing these questions with Dr. Hugh Ross, astrophysicist and founder of Reasons to Believe. In our conversation, Hugh and I discuss my research on polarization signals in the cosmic microwave background (CMB), focusing on my work with the BICEP, POLARBEAR2, and Simons Array telescopes. These signals are key to understanding the inflationary event that shaped the early universe. We explore how ongoing data collection helps us learn more about the universe’s origins. I also share a brief overview of my spiritual journey, from a Catholic upbringing to atheism and now being a practicing Jew with agnostic beliefs. Tune in to learn about the infant universe! Key Takeaways: 00:00:00 Intro 00:00:40 Understanding the cosmic microwave background (CMB) 00:11:30 Cutting-edge technology, precision cosmology, and the inflation hypothesis 00:33:36 The biggest challenge with inflation 00:45:58 The role of the Simons Observatory 01:00:15 Presenting our data 01:02:47 Neutrinos 01:07:43 Outro Additional resources: ➡️ Check out Reason to Believe: 🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RTB_official 🎙️ Website: https://reasons.org/ ➡️ Follow me on your fav platforms: ✖️ Twitter: https://x.com/DrBrianKeating 🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1 📝 Join my mailing list: https://briankeating.com/list ✍️ Check out my blog: https://briankeating.com/cosmic-musings/ 🎙️ Follow my podcast: https://briankeating.com/podcast ✨ Member's only playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=UUMOmXH_moPhfkqCk6S3b9RWuw Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known. Make sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	There are as many models of inflation as there are cosmologists, maybe even more.
0:05.0	So there's literally 200, 300 different models, quote unquote, of inflation, which is a big problem.
0:10.0	There aren't 200 models of general relativity. There's one. And actually
0:14.3	there are a vast number of very eminent including Nobel Prize winners who disagree
0:18.9	with the notion that inflation took place. There are models that don't invoke inflation for very good reasons. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
0:36.0	Open the pod bay doors now.
0:40.0	I've been reading your book losing the Nobel Prize and yeah it brings back a lot of memories of what happened
0:46.1	when the Bicep II team basically jumped the gun. So and the insights you give on just how much the Nobel Prize motivates people in a good way and some ways not so good.
0:59.0	So I really enjoyed the book, especially enjoyed all the stories you told about people I knew personally
1:04.4	people like Bob Dickie and the I knew both of the the bervages so in fact when I arrived at Caltech, the first phone call I got was from
1:15.9	Jeffrey and he said, we want you to come down. So I was only at Caltech a week. I drove down to
1:21.0	give a colloquium there and it was really good just meeting the astronomy faculty there.
1:27.0	So we have a lot of connections there even though we're a generation apart from one another.
1:33.2	So I think we got a lot of fun things we can talk about.
1:36.3	But we're not going to go there.
1:37.4	What I already want to talk about is the research you've done on the cosmic microwave background
1:42.2	radiation.
1:43.6	And what amazes me about reading your papers
1:46.0	is you've been involved in almost all the ground-based
1:49.6	cosmic background radiation telescopes that are out there. I mean we got
1:54.2	Bicep Bicep 2 the Polar Bear and now you got this new thing that you're in charge
1:58.8	of and I want to hear about you and I apparently you got first light just a little while ago. So where we want to go with this is that you know this is actually a recording that we're going to make available to our scholars that are participating in a workshop
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