Fundamental Physics at Cosmology/High Energy Interface

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This award funds the research activities of Professors William H. Kinney and Dejan Stojkovic at the University at Buffalo, the State University of New York. The primary purpose of this research is to address important unsolved issues of fundamental physics at the interface of cosmology, gravity and high-energy physics. Kinney's research focuses on the physics of Cosmological Inflation, the leading model for the physics of the earliest moments of the universe. This research will address the questions of observational constraints on inflation, alternatives to inflation, and probes of fundamental physics. By contrast, Stojkovic will focus on building, developing, and using the very comprehensive BlackMax computer code for simulating dark matter signatures at the Large Hadron Collider, and addressing puzzles raised by recent observational data. Joint effort by the PIs is also planned in studying alternatives to inflation and addressing the puzzles raised by recent observational data. The research funded by this award will also have significant broader impacts. The tools developed (such as the BlackMax software package) will be made publicly available for the benefit of a wide physics community. This project will also provide an excellent training ground for students at the undergraduate and graduate levels, preparing them for future careers in scientific research. Both Kinney and Stojkovic are very active in outreach activities such as public lectures, school visits, planetarium shows, and the ongoing "Science & Art Cabaret" organized by Kinney in conjunction with Hallwall's Contemporary Art Center and the Buffalo Science Museum.