Cosmology at a crossroads: Towards a more complex Universe

我们目前关于宇宙内容和结构的模型似乎无法共同解释当前最先进的望远镜所能观测到的大量结果。有趣的是，这些差异可能是我们目前的宇宙模型缺少一些基本东西的第一个暗示。这个项目将探索最有前途的领域，在那里新的物理学可能在塑造我们宇宙的进化中发挥重要作用。特别地，它将关注“暗物质”、“暗能量”和中微子在解决当前差异方面可能发挥的作用，以及它们可能的相互联系。作为这项研究的一部分，将为一名研究生提供培训，首席研究员还将与一名技术专家合作，为公众创造一种身临其境的互动体验，帮助直观地了解暗物质对我们宇宙的重要性。由于目前不同宇宙学数据集之间的紧张关系，该团队将对暗物质和中微子扇区中存在的新物理现象、它们彼此之间的潜在联系以及它们与暗能量类标量场扇区的可能关系进行系统研究。该项目专注于具有自然粒子物理实现的模型，并使用对超越标准Lambda冷暗物质模型的物理引入具有鲁棒性的分析技术，该项目将确定与暗物质，中微子或暗能量相关的良好动机的新物理是否可能是当前宇宙学紧张的原因。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Our current model for the content and structure of our Universe appears incapable of jointly explaining the vast array of observations made possible by current state-of-the-art telescopes. Intriguingly, these discrepancies might be the first hints that our current cosmological model is missing something fundamental. This project will explore the most promising areas where new physics could potentially play an important role in shaping the evolution of our Universe. In particular, it will focus on the possible role that “dark matter”, “dark energy”, and neutrinos could play in resolving the current discrepancies, as well as their possible interconnections. As part of this research, training will be provided to a graduate student and the principal investigator will also collaborate with a technologist to create an immersive interactive experience aimed at the general public that helps visualize the importance of dark matter to our Universe. Motivated by current tensions between different cosmological data sets, this team will perform a systematic study for the presence of new physics in the dark matter and neutrino sectors, their potential connection to each other, and their possible relation to a dark energy-like scalar field sector. Focusing exclusively on models that have natural particle physics realization and using analysis techniques that are robust to the introduction of physics beyond the standard Lambda Cold Dark Matter model, this project will determine whether well-motivated new physics related to dark matter, neutrinos, or dark energy could be the cause of the current tensions in cosmology.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.