Testing fundamental physics with new observations

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Research carried out over recent decades has established the main building blocks of the current cosmological model: Dark Matter and Dark Energy, as the two components that dominate the present density, and Inflation, as the leading mechanism for the initial conditions. These building blocks are largely phenomenological concepts — providing an economical description of the universe, while still lacking a proper theoretical understanding. With the new types and the higher precision of observations expected over the next decade, the focus is shifting to developing and testing specific theoretical proposals, as well as using Cosmology as a laboratory for testing fundamental physics. The proposed research will advance two main directions. One will focus on the problem of Cosmic Acceleration and testable aspects of gravity on cosmological scales. The second will study events that took place in the early universe and novel ways of looking for them in the cosmic microwave background (CMB).    My group will identify all the theoretically consistent ways in which new gravitational physics can appear and, based on that, derive a set of phenomenological models that can be readily tested against data. We will develop numerical tools appropriate for tests with upcoming weak lensing, imaging, spectroscopic and 21 cm surveys, such as Euclid, LSST and SKA. At this time, my group is working closely with members of the SDSS-IV and Euclid teams, who are using statistical and numerical tools developed by us. At the same time, CMB science is experiencing a period of renewed growth.  Experiments are reaching the sensitivity levels required for studying the B-mode polarization, which is of fundamental importance for testing Inflation. My group will study cosmic strings and primordial magnetic fields (PMF) which also generate B-modes. PMF carry imprints of high energy universe and can help explain magnetic fields observed in galaxies and clusters. Another type of future CMB experiments will measure CMB spectral distortions with a qualitatively better accuracy, opening a new observational window into the early universe. My group is in a prime position to take advantage of these new CMB frontiers for testing fundamental physics.    The work outlined in this proposal is of importance to observational teams in planning their experiments and will allow my group to take advantage of the new data as it becomes available. Our research is in areas of active international interest and will solidify Canada’s role as a leading contributor to fundamental research. This proposal also provides tremendous opportunities for training students and postdocs. This includes highly transferrable skills, such as computer programming, state of the art statistical analysis, analytical problem solving, writing and communication skill, all of which will benefit Canadian economy, and society in general, independent of the career path my HQP pursue later.