Fabienne Casoli is a prominent French astrophysicist specializing in observational cosmology, with a particular focus on the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) and large-scale structures of the universe. She holds a position as a senior researcher (Directrice de recherche) at the Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale (IAS), a joint research unit of the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and Université Paris-Saclay. Her extensive work contributes to understanding the fundamental properties of the universe, including its origin, composition, and evolution.
Career and Research:
Casoli has played a significant role in several major international space missions dedicated to probing the early universe and the distribution of matter. Her research primarily involves the analysis, interpretation, and theoretical implications of data from these cutting-edge experiments.
- Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB): A substantial portion of her scientific endeavor is directed towards the study of the CMB, the faint afterglow radiation from the Big Bang. By meticulously analyzing its minute temperature anisotropies and polarization, scientists can extract crucial information about the universe's initial conditions, its age, and the densities of its components, such as dark matter and dark energy.
- Planck Mission: She was a key member of the European Space Agency's (ESA) Planck collaboration (2009-2013), which produced the most precise full-sky maps of the CMB to date. Her contributions to Planck included aspects of instrument calibration, data processing, and the cosmological interpretation of the data, which significantly refined the standard model of cosmology.
- Euclid Mission: Casoli is actively involved in the ESA Euclid mission, a space telescope launched in 2023. Euclid aims to map the 3D distribution of galaxies and dark matter across a vast cosmic volume to investigate the nature of dark energy, dark matter, and modifications to gravity. Her work within this collaboration focuses on ensuring the scientific return related to cosmological parameters.
- LiteBIRD Mission: She is also a contributor to the LiteBIRD (Lite (Light) satellite for the study of B-mode polarization and Inflation from cosmic background Radiation Detection) mission. This planned JAXA-led satellite is designed to measure the B-mode polarization of the CMB with unprecedented precision, which could provide definitive evidence for cosmic inflation, a hypothesized period of exponential expansion in the very early universe.
Her research methodologies frequently involve complex statistical analysis of astronomical data, the development of new observational and data processing techniques, and the comparison of observational results with theoretical cosmological models. She has co-authored numerous peer-reviewed scientific articles published in leading astrophysics journals.
Affiliations:
- Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale (IAS), CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay.
- Member of the Planck, Euclid, and LiteBIRD scientific collaborations.