Abstract

Dark matter not only forms an invisible cosmic scaffolding within which galaxies form, its distribution in the universe also contains a wealth of information about neutrinos, dark energy, and physics at the earliest times. Analyses of gravitational lensing in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) allow this matter distribution to be directly seen and mapped, resulting in powerful probes of fundamental physics. In the first part of my talk, I will describe ongoing analysis and theory work to extract the lensing signal from the AdvACT and Simons Observatory CMB experiment data and derive precise cosmological constraints. Lensing is not only a signal, however, but also a source of noise that limits how much we can learn about inflation via CMB B -mode polarization. In the second part of my talk, I will show recent work in the area of delensing – removing the lensing effect to reveal the primordial sky and potential signals from inflation.