Astrophysics Luncheon Seminar The Connection between Large Scale Structure and the Cosmic Microwave Background Presented by Marcelo Alvarez University of California, Berkeley Monday, May 20, 2019 12:00 noon in 169-336 and on Webex Abstract Cosmic microwave background (CMB) photons were initially released at recombination, less than half a million years after the big bang. In the nearly 14 billion years since, they have been scattered and lensed by intervening structures, creating a complex pattern of intensity and polarization anisotropies in the observed CMB sky. Maps of the CMB therefore contain a wealth of information about the large scale structure (LSS) of the universe. I will review the main physical effects through which LSS affects the CMB and highlight the questions in cosmology and galaxy formation that we will be able to answer in the coming decade with CMB observations. I will then describe the crucial step of building realistic computational models that incorporate these effects, based on existing theoretical models and observations, directly into the analysis pipelines for upcoming CMB experiments such as the Simons Observatory and CMB-S4. Along the way I will emphasize the complementary role of LSS data at other wavelengths. JPL Contact: Philippe Berger   Site Manager: Webmaster: CL 08-3220