Cosmology News & Events

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From the dark ages to dark energy: Cosmology with the next generation of radio telescopesSlides

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Speaker
Mário Santos (Instituto Superior Técnico - CENTRA)
Event date
Venue
GAP room
Event type

Abstract: A new generation of radio telescopes with unprecedented capabilities for astronomy and fundamental physics will be in operation over the next few years. I will address some of the possibilities for Cosmology offered by this new generation of telescopes, such as ASKAP, MeerKAT, LOFAR and the future SKA.

QFT on Quantum Bianchi I Space-time

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Speaker
Yaser Tavakoli (Univ. da Beira Interior)
Event date
Venue
GAP room
Event type

Abstract: In this talk we discuss the quantum theory of a scalar field on LQC Bianchi I geometry. By focusing on single modes of the scalar field, we show that, evolution of the quantum field on the background quantum space-time leads to a classical effective geometry emerging whose components depend on the quantum geometrical operators.

Warm inflation in beyond the Standard Model scenarios

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Speaker
Joao Rosa (U. Edinburgh)
Event date
Venue
GAP room
Event type

Abstract: Warm inflation provides an attractive solution to the so-called eta-problem that generically plagues supergravity and string theory models, with additional dissipation damping the inflaton's motion and simultaneously producing radiation during inflation.

n-DBI gravity

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Speaker
Yuki Sato (Nagoya and Niels Bohr Institute)
Event date
Venue
GAP room
Event type

Abstract: n-DBI gravity is a gravitational theory introduced in arXiv:1109.1468[hep-th], motivated by Dirac-Born-Infeld type conformal scalar theory and designed to yield non-eternal inflation spontaneously. I explain that any solution of Einstein gravity with a particular curvature property is a solution of n-DBI gravity.

General Relativity, Cosmology and Black Holes course

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Speaker
Carlos Herdeiro
Event date
Venue
GAP room
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Event type
An extra curricular course on "General Relativity, Cosmology and Black Holes" will run throughout the second semester 2011/12. Only basic knowledge of special relativity and Newtonian gravity will be assumed. By default, sessions will take place every friday at 14H00 in the GAP room. Some lecture notes will be handed out and exercises will be set in every session and solved in the following one.

The Nobel Cosmos

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Speaker
Pedro Avelino (FCUP, CAUP)
Event date
Venue
GAP room
Event type
How do we know that the Universe is expanding faster and faster ? What are the fundamental constituents of the Universe ? Why are dark matter and dark energy relevant to the dynamics of the Universe? What is the information imprinted on the cosmic microwave background ? What is the origin of the large scale structure of the Universe?

Evidence for the Fifth Element: Astrophysical status of Dark Energy

Speaker
Alain Blanchard (University Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France)
Event date
Venue
GAP room
Event type
Abstract: Evidence for an accelerated expansion of the universe has been provided ten years ago by the Hubble diagram of distant type Ia supernovae. This represents one of the major modern revolutions for fundamental physics and cosmology. It is yet unclear whether the explanation of the fact that gravity becomes repulsive on large scales should be found within general relativity or within a new theory of gravitation. Existing evidences for this acceleration all come from astrophysical observations. In this seminar I will critically examine the present situation of the astrophysical observations and the possible limitation in their interpretation. The main various observational probes will be presented and discussed. I will show that, even when scrutinized with skeptical eyes, the evidence for an accelerating universe is rather robust. Investigation of its very origin appears as the most fascinating challenge of modern physics.

Dark Energy and Dark Matter or Gravity

Speaker
Orfeu Bertolami, Departamento de Física e Astronomia da Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto
Event date
Venue
Physics Amphitheatre
Event type

Abstract: The knowledge of the Universe is essentially based on the theory of general relativity (GR). If from one hand, solar system data is in excellent agreement to the theory, available cosmological evidence on the other, is consistent with GR provided one assumes the existence of dark energy and dark matter.