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Research Van Swinderen Institute

FOM projectruimte "A scale model for the early Universe" awarded to prof.dr. D. Roest

When:Fr 20-03-2015 17:00 - 18:00
Where:VSI

The Dutch funding agency FOM has awarded a 225 kEuro projectruimte grant to prof.dr. D. Roest from the Van Swinderen Institute for Particle Physics and Gravity for his proposal "A scale model for the early Universe":

Recent measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) by the Planck satellite have mapped out the early Universe in unprecedented detail. This has yielded crucial information on the properties of inflation, the proposed phase of accelerated expansion after the Big Bang during which the Universe became completely smooth up to quantum fluctuations. The properties of these quantum fluctuations can still be measured today as temperature fluctuations and polarization patterns in the CMB.

The Planck results suggest a remarkably simple characterization of this inflationary Universe, which can be phrased as an effective scale model. In this project, we aim to investigate the observational predictions and the theoretical basis of this scale model. The latter includes e.g. the relation to cosmological attractors and spontaneous symmetry breaking. This will enhance our understanding of the inflationary phase, which has set the initial conditions for the entire Universe.