The Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

The Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

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Paul Grimes

Center for Astrophysics

Paul Grimes

pgrimes@cfa.harvard.edu

About

Paul K. Grimes received the B.A. (Hons) and M.Sci degrees in Experimental and Theoretical Physics from King’s College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, U.K., in 2001, and the Ph.D. degree in astrophysics from the Cavendish Laboratory,
University of Cambridge, in 2006. From 2005 to 2011, he was a Postdoctoral Researcher with Oxford Astrophysics, University of Oxford, Oxford, U.K., developing astronomical instrumentation for radio, millimeter and submillimeter-wave astronomy and cosmology, also carrying out research on superconducting bolometers and heterodyne mixers. In 2011, he joined the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory as a Physicist, where his main research interest is the development of superconducting detectors, optics and other instrumentation for the Submillimeter Array and cosmic microwave background instruments.

PhD in Astrophysics, Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge; MSci and BA Natural Sciences, King's College, University of Cambridge

Telescopes and Instruments

South Pole Telescope, Antarctica

The South Pole Telescope (SPT) is a submillimeter observatory in Antarctica that performs measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and the dark energy driving the acceleration of the expansion of the universe. The observatory is also part of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), a globe-spanning multi-telescope project that captured the first image of a black hole at the center of a nearby galaxy. The SPT project is a collaboration between the University of Chicago, the University of California at Berkeley, Case Western Reserve University, the University of Illinois, and the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian.

Visit the South Pole Telescope, Antarctica Website

Event Horizon Telescope (EHT)

Black holes are found in the centers of most galaxies, where they can influence star formation and the distribution of atoms in the environment surrounding them. However, direct observation of a black hole is difficult because it is so small relative to their masses. Founded by Shep Doeleman at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) captured the first image ever taken of a black hole: specifically, the ring of light produced by matter just as it falls into the black hole at the center of the nearby galaxy M87. The EHT is a virtual observatory consisting of telescopes spanning the planet, from Greenland to the South Pole. The international collaboration operating the EHT includes observatories affiliated with the Center for Astrophysics: the CfA’s Submillimeter Array (SMA) and the Greenland Telescope.

Visit the EHT Website

BICEP

The first moments after the Big Bang are literally hidden from us: the entire cosmos was too hot and dense for any light to pierce. However, signs of what happened then could be imprinted on the cosmic microwave background (CMB), a cold sea of light filling the modern universe. The BICEP Program is an international collaboration looking for those signs using telescopes at the South Pole. Researchers from the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian play a leading role in this project, which could provide the first discovery of gravitational waves produced when the universe was just a fraction of a second old.

Visit the BICEP Website

The Greenland Telescope

The polar regions are challenging environments for humans, but worthwhile for astronomy with their long nights and often-clear skies. The Greenland Telescope is the latest telescope to be placed in the Arctic, as part of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) project to capture the first images of black holes. The telescope operates in the region of the spectrum where infrared and radio light meet, which is ideal for looking into the dense central region of the Milky Way, where our galaxy’s supermassive black hole resides. The Greenland Telescope is jointly operated by the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian and the Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy & Astrophysics (ASIAA) of Taiwan.

Visit the Greenland Telescope Website

The Submillimeter Array - Maunakea, HI

Located near the summit of Maunakea on the Big Island of Hawaii, the Submillimeter Array (SMA) is one of the flagship observatories of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian. The observatory consists of eight radio dishes working together as one telescope, giving astronomers a window on a wide range of astronomical objects and phenomena: planets and comets in our own Solar System; the birth of stars and planets; and the supermassive black holes hidden at the centers of the Milky Way and other galaxies. The SMA is operated jointly by the CfA and the Academia Sinica in Taiwan.

Visit the Submillimeter Array Website