Orateur
Description
The Simons Observatory (SO) Large Aperture Telescope (LAT) achieved first light in February 2025 and is expected to reach unprecedented depth at high resolutions over a large area of the millimeter sky for the duration of the survey, making it one of the leading Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) experiments of the next decade. In this talk, I will provide an overview of the LAT science goals, which include understanding the nature of dark energy, constraining primordial non-gaussianity to probe inflation models, and probing dark matter candidates. I will also present preliminary science verification results from the initial period of LAT observations, gathered over the months of September and October 2025. Analysis of these observations aims to validate the instrument’s sensitivity, data quality, and the readiness of the analysis pipelines. I will highlight preliminary CMB lensing measurements, null test results performed with the SO lensing reconstruction pipeline, and cross-correlations between lensing and external tracers, which ensure that the LAT is ready for science observations and poised to achieve its science goals.