Professor Peterson's research focuses on observational cosmology, including measurements of anisotropy in the 2.7K Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), the thermal radiation relic of the hot big bang. CMB anisotropy provides direct information on the structure in the Universe at age 300,000 years. This information is used to attempt to answer such questions as these: Did the Universe undergo an inflationary period of vacuum-energy-driven expansion? If so could quantum fluctuations have produced the anisotropy in the CBR? How did the large scale structure in the Universe, the great clusters and sheets of galaxies, form? Peterson's group builds telescopes and photometers to make CBR anisotropy measurements and uses them at the South Pole. Graduate students and undergraduates travel to the Pole to install and test their instruments. Other research projects within the group include studies of galaxy clustering and gravitational lensing.

Selected Publications

J. B. Peterson, J. E. Carlstrom, E. S. Cheng, M. Kamionkowski, A. E. Lange, M. Seiffert, D. N. Spergel, A. Stebbins, "Cosmic Microwave Background Observations in the Post-Planck Era," (in press, astro-ph 9907276).

Peterson, J. B., Griffin, G. S. , Newcomb, M. G.., Alvarez, D. L., Cantalupo, C. M., Morgan, D., Miller, K. W., Ganga, K., Pernic, D. and Thoma, M, First Results from Viper: Detection of Small-scale Anisotropy at 40 GHZ, Ap. J. Lett., 532: L83 (2000).

Coble, K., Dragovan, M. Kovac, J. Halverson, N. W. Holzapfel, W. L. Knox, L. Dodelson, S. Ganga, K., Alvarez, D. Peterson, J. B. Griffin, G. Newcomb, M. Miller, K. Platt, S. R. Novak, G., "Anisotropy in the Cosmic Microwave Background at Degree Angular Scales: Python V Results," Ap. J. Lett., 519: 5 (1999).

Matsuda, Y., N.P. Ong, Y.F. Yan, J.M. Harris and J.B. Peterson, "Vortex Viscosity in YBa₂Cu₃O_7-delta at Low Temperatures," Phys. Rev. B49(6), (1994).