Beyond \LambdaCDM: Theoretical Predictions and Observational Constraints

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This proposal requests support for a program of research at the interface between cosmology and particle physics. The PI is interested in both developing theoretical ideas to explain major problems in cosmology, especially the problem of dark energy, and, at the same time, using cosmological data from observatories like WMAP to constrain models of cosmology and particle physics. Among the specific topics to be pursued in this proposal are a new model for dark energy and cosmological studies of the string theory landscape. The PI and her collaborators were the first to derive upper and lower bounds on the equation of state for dark energy, and this work has been highly cited and influential. The broader impacts of the proposal include the strong interplay between particle physics and cosmology, and between theory and observational data. Outreach efforts will be made to inform a larger public of students and lay persons about this exciting science which has always caught the public interest and imagination.