Nov. 14, 2018
Dr. Brian Keating (University of California, San Diego)
What would it have been like to be an eyewitness to the Big Bang? In 2014, astronomers using the powerful BICEP2 telescope at the South Pole thought they’d glimpsed evidence of the period of cosmic inflation at the beginning of time. But had these scientists been deceived by a galactic mirage? In this popular-level talk, cosmologist Brian Keating tells the inside story of BICEP2’s detection and the ensuing scientific drama. (Dr. Keating's popular book, "Losing the Nobel Prize" was selected for several lists of the best science books of the year.)