Far-Infrared Astrophysics

Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson, working at AT&T Bell Laboratories, discovered the 3K black-body radiation that is the remnant of the origin of our universe. In addition to the microwaves used at first, far-infrared spectroscopy has since added to our understanding of the radiation. New results by Paul Richards at Berkeley and others show unexpected deviations from the black-body spectrum. This talk will present an introduction to far-infrared spectroscopy and possible implications of the new results.