Sebastian Nicolae Vaia
Class of 2029Bucuresti, Romania
About
My name is Vaia Sebastian Nicolae, I am 16 years old, I am a student at the International Computer Highschool Bucharest, Romania. I developed an astrophysics project titled: "What is the Cosmic Microwave Background and what does it tell us about the initial conditions of the Universe?" alongside my mentor, Sanah Bhimani. I am a multiple medalist at the International STEM Olympiad and placed fourth at the 2026 Taiwan International Science Fair I am a Black Belt in Karate and a two-time European champion (2024, 2026) and a world-level bronze medalist (2025).Projects
- "What is the cosmic microwave background and what does it tell us about the initial conditions of the universe?" with mentor Sanah (Aug. 24, 2026)
Project Portfolio
What is the cosmic microwave background and what does it tell us about the initial conditions of the universe?
Started Jan. 12, 2026
Abstract or project description
The aim of this paper is to look at the early Universe, using the theory of cosmic inflation and observations of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). Inflation is a short but very rapid expansion that resolves many of the problems associated with the Universe, such as the uniformity on its large scales, the near-flatness and the absence of the magnetic monopoles predicted by theories of physics. The CMB, formed about 380,000 years after the big bang, carries the imprint of the physics of the early Universe in the form of its temperature anisotropies and polarization patterns. This paper covers the CMB blackbody spectrum, temperature fluctuations, density perturbations, power spectrum and E-mode and B-mode polarization. Particular focus is placed on primordial B-modes, which would be strong evidence for gravitational waves produced by inflation.