Testing fundamental physics with new observations

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

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).