Observational Signatures of Accelerating Universes

在观测宇宙学最新进展的推动下，我们提出了一个广泛而统一的理论研究方案，以探讨加速宇宙的本质。我们将继续并进一步发展我们在膨胀宇宙学方面的工作，特别强调建立该情景的可观察到的特征。我们将集中于一些理论上有良好动机的单场和多场模型类中非高斯密度微扰的产生。解释当今宇宙加速膨胀的机制和在大尺度上检验弗里德曼方程的机制将在修正的引力理论的背景下探索和发展。这项提议将继续我们目前在PPARC支持的这些主题方面的理论工作。最终，这样的计划将产生关于宇宙起源、演化和大尺度结构的独特信息，从而与PPARC路线图涵盖并由科学委员会战略文件强调的天文学和粒子物理学的关键领域显著重叠。

Motivated by recent advances in observational cosmology, we propose a broad and unified programme of theoretical research into the nature of accelerating universes. We will continue and further develop our work on inflationary cosmology, with particular emphasis on establishing observable signatures of the scenario. We will focus on the generation of non-Gaussian density perturbations in a number of theoretically well-motivated classes of single- and multiple-field models. Mechanisms for explaining the present-day accelerated expansion of the universe and for testing the Friedmann equation on large scales will be explored and developed within the context of modified gravity theories. This proposal will continue our present theoretical work in these topics supported by PPARC. Ultimately, such a programme will yield unique information on the origin, evolution and large-scale structure of the universe, thereby overlapping significantly with key areas of astronomy and particle physics as covered by the PPARC Road Map and emphasized by the Science Committee Strategy document.