Related papers: Physics of the Very Early Universe
Most current cosmological models of the very early universe are based on local point particle effective field theories coupled to gravity. I will discuss some conceptual limitations of this approach and argue that an improved description of…
This is the report of the {\em Working Group on Early Universe Cosmology and Tests of Fundamental Physics}, group P4.8 of the of the Snowmass 2001 conference. Here we summarize the impressive array of advances that have taken place in this…
These lectures summarize our basic understanding of the emergence of cosmic structures, the epoch of first light, the survival of early substructure in present-day galaxy halos.
The standard theory of cosmic structure formation posits that the present-day rich structure of the Universe developed through gravitational amplification of tiny matter density fluctuations generated in its very early history. Recent…
Assuming that superstring theory is the fundamental theory which unifies all forces of Nature at the quantum level, I argue that there are key limitations on the applicability of effective field theory techniques in describing early…
I present some new perspectives on Dark Matter, Dark Energy and the origin of structure in the Universe. First, I argue that in order to understand the two latter issues, one needs to go beyond a standard point particle effective field…
Despite much recent theoretical and observational progress in our knowledge of the early universe, many fundamental questions remain only partially answered. Here, we review the latest achievements and persisting problems in the…
The topic of cosmic strings provides a bridge between the physics of the very small and the very large. They are predicted by some unified theories of particle interactions. If they exist, they may help to explain some of the largest-scale…
An introduction to modern theories for the origin of structure in the Universe is given. After a brief review of the growth of cosmological perturbations in an expanding Universe and a summary of some important observational results, the…
A very brief overview is presented on some of the current most active areas of research in formal aspects of High Energy Physics and Cosmology. Including the recent breakthrough on the black hole information paradox, developments on…
This is a summary of lectures in superstring cosmology given by the author at the CORFU 2009 School and Workshops "Theory - Cosmology - Phenomenology", Corfu Institute, Greece, Sept 6-13, 2009. These lectures are based on some recent…
Recent developments in string theory have important implications for cosmology. Topics discussed here are inflation, the cosmological constant, smoothing of cosmological singularities, and dark matter from parallel universes. Talk presented…
In these lectures I focus on early universe models which can explain the currently observed structure on large scales. I begin with a survey of inflationary cosmology, the current paradigm for understanding the origin of the universe as we…
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…
How is the universe organized on large scales? How did this structure evolve from the unknown initial conditions to the present time? The answers to these questions will shed light on the cosmology we live in, the amount, composition and…
Modern cosmology has created a tight link between particle physics / field theory and a wealth of new observational data on the structure of the Universe. These lecture notes focus on some of the most important aspects concerning the…
While purely philosophical in the early times, and still very speculative at the beginning of the twentieth century, Cosmology has gradually entered into the realm of experimental science over the past eighty years. It has raised some…
Session B.3, on physics of the early Universe, of GR15 is briefly summarized.
We study the dynamics of the early universe in massive conformal gravity. In particular, we show that the theory is consistent with the observed values of the primordial abundances of light elements if we consider the existence of…
In this talk I will describe the role of supersymmetric flat directions in the early Universe cosmology. Particularly I will discuss how supergravity effects lift the flat direction potential and leads to interesting cosmological…