Probing Fundamental Physics on Cosmological Scales

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。拟议的工作需要几个目标：（1）提高我们对早期宇宙的理论理解和可用于探测它的不同宇宙学工具，（2）提高我们对宇宙学探测基础的天体物理过程的理论理解和（3）开发技术，充分利用现有和即将到来的宇宙学数据集，可以探测基础物理。特别是PI打算（1）研究相互作用如何修改慢滚模型中永恒暴胀相变的特征。(2)努力提供永恒暴胀的内在量子力学定义。（3）计算了单场暴胀模型中原初涨落的功率谱。(4)在没有原始非高斯性的情况下，计算预期的复合时CMB各向异性的三点函数。计算了考虑GR效应时物质密度场的三点函数。(5)应用新开发的分析技术，以限制非高斯使用WMAP 5年的数据。(6)探索21厘米观测的潜力，以约束基础物理学，并改善我们对影响这一观测的天体物理过程的建模。该提案的更广泛影响既包括科学方面的影响，也包括教育方面的影响。PI是CMBFAST的合著者，CMBFAST是一个公开的代码，已成为用于进行理论预测以与CMB数据进行比较的标准代码。他曾指导过研究生和本科生。他为学生开发了一门新的宇宙学课程。PI还定期举办公开讲座，包括面向小学生的讲座。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). The proposed work entails several goals: (1) to improve our theoretical understanding of the early Universe and the different cosmological tools that can be used to probe it, (2) improve our theoretical understanding of the astrophysical processes that underlie our cosmological probes and (3) develop techniques to make full use of existing and upcoming cosmological data sets that can probe fundamental physics. In particular the PI intends to (1) study how interactions modify the characterization of the phase transition to eternal inflation in slow-roll models . (2) Strive to provide an intrinsically quantum mechanical definition of eternal inflation. (3)Calculate the power spectrum of primordial fluctuations in single field inflation models to one-loop. (4) Calculate the three-point function of CMB anisotropies at recombination expected in the absence of primordial non-Gaussianities. Also calculate the three point function of the matter density field including GR effects. (5) Apply newly developed analysis techniques to constrain non-Gaussianities using WMAP 5 year data. (6) Explore the potential of 21 cm observations to constrain fundamental physics and improve our modeling of the astrophysical processes that influence this observable. The broader impacts of the proposal are both scientific and involve educational outreach. The PI is co-author of CMBFAST, a publicly available code that has become a standard code used to make theoretical predictions to compare with CMB data. He has supervised students at the graduate and undergraduate levels. He has developed a new Cosmology course for sophomores. The PI also routinely gives public lectures including ones for elementary school students.