Rayleigh scattering of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) is a less studied yet potentially powerful probe of the recombination history. Scattering of CMB photons off neutral species right after recombination presents a distinctive $\nu^4$ scaling with frequency as well as a strong correlation with the primary CMB. These unique features should facilitate its detection by the next generation of CMB experiments.
During this internship, the student will work with my postdoc Benjamin Beringue to model this effect in modern Boltzmann solvers (CAMB). This will allow them to provide detectability forecasts for this effect with future observatories. They will also explore how this effect can yield drastic improvements on constraints of extensions of the standard cosmological model.