NEWS for Okayama University
From 2021, Okayama University is partnering in CMB-INFLATEA 4 years European MSCA-RISE project -- Accepted for Funding - (Early January-2021)(CMB-INFLATE will contribute further understanding of the origins of Universe and more specifically the still poorly known physics of theINFLATION phase)
On January 18th - 2021, Pr. Patanchon (from UniversitéPartnershipde Paris) started to circulate a good News: as theCMB-INFLATE European coordinator, he got a mail from theEuropean Commission confirming that the CMB-INFLATE
proposal (RISE type: Research and Innovation Staff Exchanges)
has finally been accepted for funding.
This is excellent News for the consortium and specificallyfor Japanese Institutions as over 4 years from 2021, they will
welcome in their research labs
EU scientists rely on the legacy of the ESA Planck mission(2009). Improvements of analysis methods and modelling of
the instruments are now required.
Expected breakthroughs from CMB-INFLATEThe main goal of CMB-INFLATE is to build a community ofscientists dedicated to the development of innovative analysisof large angular scale CMB polarization data to identify theinflation mechanism. CMB-INFLATE will focus on: (1) modelling
hardware developed over three continents, including polarization modulators, optical systems, and detectors; (2) the develop
ment and implementation of innovative techniques to mitigate
systematics from the sky and the instrument. Such advances
will be obtained by a large scale international consortium including instrumentalists, data analysis experts and theoreticians.
Amid the efforts to improve the understanding of Inflation,
Japan is proposing a satellite project (LiteBIRD, to be launched in the late 2020's). The large angular scales targeted by LiteBIRD are difficult
to properly measure due to Galactic emissions and instrumental systematics, requiring careful, detailed modelling and advanced data analysis
techniques. These are major achievements expected from the CMB-INFLATE partnership.
A few background features in basic physical cosmology:
Inflation: In physical cosmology, cosmic inflation, or just inflation, is a theory of exponential expansion of space in the early universe. Inflation theory uses Generalrelativity to model the inflation mathematically.
The inflationary epoch lasted from 10−36 seconds prior the conjectured Big Bang singularity to some time between 10−33 and 10−32 seconds.
Based on the Standard Model of Cosmology, the universe has been expanding. The classical Big Bang theory assumes that the universe expanded at the same rate
throughout universal history. But several problems are related with it:
Pbe-1: Origin of large-scale structures, such as galaxies. Inflation theory says that in a slow expansion of the universe, quantum fluctuations were only on the tiny
distance scales; when the universe experienced a brief period of inflation, however, these quantum fluctuations were "stretched" much larger to cause density
fluctuations. The places of higher density later caused matter to clump in those locations and form large-scale objects.
Pbe-2: The temperature uniformity in the universe: why is the temperature so evenly distributed ?
Inflation says that objects that were previously in close proximity to one another were separated very quickly during a period of inflation, so the temperature balance
was still held. In the classical Big Bang theory this was a problem because the uniform expansion would mean that objects would have to travel many times thespeed of light to maintain temperature balance.
Pbe-3: Magnetic monopoles. Why do we no longer see magnetic monopoles in our universe?
Inflation says that the few existing monopoles were so dispersed during periods of inflation that it is virtually impossible to find them now.
CMB: Cosmic Microwaves BackgroundWhy using CMB ?
The cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation was emitted when the Universe was 380,000 years old and is observed today in specific very low temperatures:
2.7 K (approximately -270 Celsius degree). It is a wonderful probe to study the evolution of the Universe. Tiny anisotropies in its temperature and polarization areinduced by quantum scalar (density) and tensor fluctuations (gravitational waves, GW) generated during inflation. Primordial GW imprinted a unique parity-odd pattern
on CMB polarization, called B-modes. Such modes, undetected as of today, are a direct probe of the poorly known physics of inflation, and main target of several
forthcoming observational projects.

Benefit for Oka-Dai
CMB-INFLATE acceptance for EU funding is excellent for Okayama University, as Pr. Ishino's group will have for 4 years from 2021, theopportunity to welcome a number of high level scientists from European partners (Norway, Italy, France) all supported by EuropeanCommission funding. A total of 43 months of Mobility (TO Ishino's group) is attached to the project (the total CMB-INFLATE funded Mobility
is 248 months so about 16% for Oka-Dai). Project funding: about 1 億えん).

Professional communication specialists will take care of the Web sites: those platforms will be quite suitable to further promote abroad
the image of excellence of Okayama University.
This opportunity gives Prof. Ishino’s group to accelerate the research activities for the development of novel data analysis methods tomeasure the CMB polarization with an unprecedent accuracy, an order of nK, by modeling the instruments precisely and mitigating
systematic effects. The analysis techniques developed in this program can be applied not only to LiteBIRD but also to any future CMB
measurements.
All those stays will contribute a strong momentum to further apply to more specific funding agencies and help building a long term ultimate
project: the "Okayama Data Center" designed to collect LITEBIRD signals (After LITEBIRD satellite launch - planned in 2027).
In the CMB-INFLATE Japanese partnership, Okayama University is playing a major role: this also confirms the capability of theUniversity to return to the road of success and to reach a recognized international profile.
Benefit for the European Partners
In agreement with the basics of a RISE-type project, researchers, staff and Ph-Ds or P-Docs will be training in top-level centers aroundthe world
European scientists have gained a huge expertise in satellite CMB polarisation data analysis with the Planck experiment, and became
world leaders in the domain. By increasing exchanges between Europe, Asia and North-America, CMB-INFLATE will contribute further
European leadership improvement in the field. The creation of a large no frontier network of researchers is crucial to reach the objectives of
the community: understanding the new intrinsic physical properties at the core of universe inflation.
Status of the CMB-INFLATE project in January-2021.
Agreements Signature process is underway. In April-2021, a Kick-Off meeting will be organized (physical or "on-line" depending on theCovid sanitary conditions).