Cosmological inflation: gravitational physics, quantum physics and observations, all at once.
| When |
Sep 23, 2024
from 11:00 to 12:00 |
|---|---|
| Where | Salle des thèses |
| Contact Name | Henning Samtleben |
| Attendees |
Sébastien Renaux-Petel |
| Add event to calendar |
vCal
iCal
|
The earliest moments in our Universe's history, more than 13 billion years ago, provide a unique laboratory in which the interplay between gravity and quantum theory can be tested by observations. In particular, precise measurements of the Cosmic Microwave Background point towards a rapid expansion of spacetime that produced density fluctuations from the vacuum. In this talk, I will review the theoretical and observational status of this inflationary paradigm. I will describe how inflation plays the role of a cosmological collider, with the formidable prospect of using galaxy surveys to detect particles billion times more massive than what can be produced with terrestrial colliders. Eventually, I will describe the new perspective on inflation brought by gravitational-wave astronomy.