Related papers: Beyond QCD: A Composite Universe
Dark matter, proposed decades ago as a speculative component of the universe, is now known to be the vital ingredient in the cosmos, eight times more abundant than ordinary matter, one quarter of the total energy density and the component…
Combining intervals of ekpyrotic (ultra-slow) contraction with a (non-singular) classical bounce naturally leads to a novel cyclic theory of the universe in which the Hubble parameter, energy density and temperature oscillate periodically,…
Cosmological models can be studied effectively using dynamical systems techniques. Starting from Brown's formulation of the variational principle for relativistic fluids, we introduce new types of couplings involving a perfect fluid, a…
The situation in particle physics after the discovery of the Higgs boson is discussed. Is the Standard Model consistent quantum field theory? Does it describe all experimental data? Are there any indications of physics beyond the SM? Is…
In the first part of the talk, I give a low-resolution overview of the current state of particle physics - the triumph of the Standard Model and its discontents. I review and re-endorse the remarkably direct and (to me) compelling argument…
Dark Matter (DM) being the vital ingredient in the cosmos, still remains a mystery. Standard assumption is that the collisionless cold dark matter (CCDM) particles are represented by some weakly interacting fundamental fields which can not…
With the beginning of the XXIst century, a physical model of our Universe, usually called the Standard Cosmological Model (SCM), is reaching an important level of consolidation, based on accurate astrophysical data and also on theoretical…
We consider a cosmological scenario endowed with an interaction between the universe's dark components $-$ dark matter and dark energy. Specifically, we assume the dark matter component to be a pressure-less fluid, while the dark energy…
For two decades the hot big-bang model as been referred to as the standard cosmology -- and for good reason. For just as long cosmologists have known that there are fundamental questions that are not answered by the standard cosmology and…
Evidence has continued to accumulate over the last few decades as to the existence and nature of dark matter. Depending on the particle candidate, the dark matter can exhibit one of several cosmologically defined models: hot dark matter,…
The strong nuclear interaction between nucleons (protons and neutrons) is the effective force that holds the atomic nucleus together. This force stems from fundamental interactions between quarks and gluons (the constituents of nucleons)…
The dramatic confrontation between new observations and theories of the early and recent universe makes cosmology one of the most rapidly advancing fields in the physical sciences. The universe is a unique laboratory in which to probe…
Dark sectors, consisting of new, light, weakly-coupled particles that do not interact with the known strong, weak, or electromagnetic forces, are a particularly compelling possibility for new physics. Nature may contain numerous dark…
Progress in observational cosmology over the past five years has established that the Universe is dominated dynamically by dark matter and dark energy. Both these new and apparently independent forms of matter-energy have properties that…
A simple way to accommodate dark matter is to postulate the existence of a hidden sector. That is, a set of new particles and forces interacting with the known particles predominantly via gravity. In general this leads to a large set of…
String landscape ideas and the observation of a positive vacuum energy in the current universe suggest that there could be a future transition to an exactly supersymmetric world. Atomic and molecular binding in this susy background probably…
Using the gauge field model with massive gauge bosons, we could construct a new model to describe the strong interaction. In this new quantum chromodynamics(QCD) model, we will introduce two sets of gluon fields, one set is massive and…
The currently accepted mathematical description of the fundamental constituents and interactions of matter is the Standard Model of particle physics. Its last missing particle, the famous Higgs boson, was observed at the Large Hadron…
The standard model of particle physics is an extremely successful theory of fundamental interactions, but it has many known limitations. It is therefore widely believed to be an effective field theory that describes interactions near the…
In these lectures I describe some of the open questions in the standard model relating to the nature and origin of mass, forces and matter and discuss some of the speculative theoretical ideas put forth in this regard. Some of the topics…