de Sitter Space Field Theory and Inflationary Cosmology (Physics)

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If one looks at the biggest structures in the universe, one discovers that our "neighborhood", the region of space near our galaxy, is remarkably similar to other regions of similar size, located elsewhere in the universe. In fact our universe appears to be very much the same in all directions. This property is shared by the very cold radiation, discovered in 1965, which was left behind by the big-bang. To explain this fact in a way that is consistent with Einstein's theory of relativity is very difficult, and has forced cosmologists to consider a new theory of how the universe began. In this theory the universe "inflates" and grows very rapidly in size during a very short period of time. This project shall investigate under what conditions such a stage is consistent with the laws of quantum mechanics, which are the laws that govern matter at very tiny length scales. It shall also seek to understand better how gravitons, the light-like particles that transmit gravitational forces, are produced during such an inflationary stage, and how they could affect the appearance of the cold radiation left over from the big-bang.