Anto Idicherian Lonappan
Postdoctoral Fellow in Astrophysics & Cosmology
University of California, San Diego
Exploring the Cosmic Microwave Background to unravel the secrets of our universe
University of California, San Diego
Exploring the Cosmic Microwave Background to unravel the secrets of our universe
I am a cosmologist with expertise in observational data analysis, particularly focused on the Cosmic Microwave Background and early-universe physics. My academic foundation was built through a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Physics from St. Berchman's College, Changanassery, where I developed a strong interest in cosmology, culminating in a thesis on Bayesian inference of cosmological data.
Following this, I joined the Centre for Theoretical Physics at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, as a project student under Prof. Anjan Ananda Sen. This collaboration led to my first publication, which investigated dark energy through a comprehensive analysis of observational data.
I then worked as a Junior Research Fellow at Presidency University, Kolkata, where I studied the co-evolution of supermassive black holes and their host galaxies.
In 2018, I began my PhD in Astrophysics and Cosmology at SISSA (International School for Advanced Studies), Trieste, Italy. During this time, I contributed to several major CMB experiments—POLARBEAR, Simons Array, Simons Observatory, and LiteBIRD—focused on detecting primordial gravitational waves and refining our understanding of the inflationary epoch.
Following my doctoral studies, I held a postdoctoral position at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, collaborating with Dr. Giuseppe Puglisi and Prof. Nicola Vittorio on CMB data analysis and forecasting.
Currently, I am a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, San Diego, working with Prof. Brian Keating on precision measurements of the CMB to probe the fundamental physics of the early universe.
My research focuses on the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), combining theoretical insights with data analysis. I explore various aspects of cosmology to better understand the fundamental nature of our universe.
Studying how gravitational lensing affects the cosmic microwave background radiation, providing insights into the distribution of matter in the universe.
Investigating the rotation of the polarization plane of CMB photons, which could indicate new physics beyond the standard model.
Developing and applying sophisticated statistical methods to extract cosmological information from CMB observations.
Using observational data to constrain cosmological models and parameters, testing theories about the universe's evolution.
Exploring the nature of dark energy through various theoretical models and observational constraints.
Applying data science techniques to astronomical datasets to uncover patterns and insights that traditional methods might miss.
I am an active member of several major collaborations in cosmology:
My research has been published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at international conferences. Below is a selection of my recent publications.
This paper presents a comprehensive study on how the LiteBIRD mission will measure gravitational lensing across the entire sky, providing unprecedented insights into the distribution of matter in the universe.
This study explores how multitracer delensing techniques can enhance LiteBIRD's sensitivity to the faint signals of gravitational waves from the inflationary epoch.
This paper presents improved constraints on the amplitude of primordial gravitational waves based on observations from the POLARBEAR experiment covering 670 square degrees of the sky.
This research explores how feedback from active galactic nuclei affects the formation and evolution of galaxy groups and clusters through cosmological simulations.
I develop and contribute to various software projects related to cosmology and astrophysics. Here are some of my key repositories:
Likelihood and parameter estimation tools for improved constraints on the tensor-to-scalar ratio (r) using POLARBEAR data.
GitHubTools for reconstruction of Kappa maps, foreground cleaning, delensing, and combining data from CMB-S4 and LiteBIRD experiments.
GitHubPipeline for delensing LiteBIRD data, including quadratic estimators, template delensing routines, pure B-mode calculations, and likelihood analysis.
GitHubFeel free to reach out to me for collaborations, questions about my research, or any other inquiries.
Department of Physics
University of California, San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla, CA 92093
alonappan[at]ucsd.edu