Professor, Canada Research Chair (Tier 1)

我的研究计划的总体主题是用新的宇宙学观测来检验基础物理学。观测和实验宇宙学在过去几年进入了一个“黄金时代”。实验已经产生了宇宙微波背景（CMB）的高精度温度分布图。高质量的CMB极化图将在未来五年内可用。新型光学望远镜观测到的有关大尺度宇宙结构的数据正在迅速积累。21厘米红移巡天将为探测该结构提供一个新的窗口。加拿大在这些观测工作中发挥着重要作用（例如麦吉尔大学的马特·多布斯教授）。我计划研究如何利用这些令人兴奋的新数据来探索高能物理的各个方面。我计划追求的一个研究途径是在新的观测窗口中寻找拓扑缺陷（如宇宙弦）的信号。在标准模型之外的许多粒子物理模型中都预测到了拓扑缺陷，在这种情况下，拓扑缺陷不可避免地出现在早期的宇宙中，并持续到现在。在宇宙观测中寻找这些缺陷的信号是探索粒子物理学的一种方式，是对加速器研究的补充。我们将在不同的观测窗口中计算出串的具体信号，并开发统计工具，当这些信号嵌入背景噪声时，可以看到它们。

The overall theme of my research proposal is to test fundamental physics with new cosmological observations. Observational and experimental cosmology have over the past years entered a ``golden age''. Experiments have produced high precision maps of the temperature distribution of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). High quality CMB polarization maps will become available over the next five years. Data concerning the structure of the universe on large scales as seen from new optical telescopes is accumulating at a rapid rate. 21cm redshift surveys will provide a new window to probe this structure. Canada is playing an important role in these observational efforts (e.g. Prof. Matt Dobbs at McGill). I plan to study ways to use this exciting new data to probe aspects of high energy physics. One avenue of research which I plan to pursue is to search for signals of topological defects such as cosmic strings in new observational windows. Topological defects are predicted in many particle physics models beyond the Standard Model, and in this case inevitably arise in the early universe and persist to the present time. Looking for signals of such defects in cosmological observations is a way to probe particle physics which is complementary to accelerator studies. We will work out the specific signals of strings in various observational windows and develop statistical tools with which the signals can be seen when they are embedded in background noise.