Fundamental Physics and Observational Cosmology
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Cambridge
Department Name: Applied Maths and Theoretical Physics
Abstract
This programme will develop deeper connections between fundamental cosmological scenarios and new observational data about our Universe, especially STFC-supported missions such as the Planck satellite, the Advanced LIGO interferometer and the LISA mission. We will make detailed predictions about the statistical properties of inflationary fluctuations; for competing inflation scenarios we will calculate their bispectrum and trispectrum (three- and four-point correlators). We will search for these characteristic signatures in the cosmic microwave background (CMB), notably in Planck data, using new modal estimation techniques we have developed. We will also seek out the distinct non-Gaussian signatures of cosmic (super-)strings. We will investigate the gravitational waves that can be generated by violent processes in the early universe, such as at the end of inflation, from phase transitions and from cosmic strings. We will forecast the characteristic amplitude and spectrum of these signals for LIGO and LISA. We will use data from the late universe to develop probes of the cosmological constant/dark energy and the variation of the fundamental constants of nature. We will use astronomical and laboratory data to test for the existence of chameleonic scalar fields and we will constrain models for dark energy and modified gravity using N-body simulations and exact analysis. In addition, we will initiate a new project in gravitational theory, studying the existence, formation and consequences of black holes. We investigate the properties of rotating black holes and the effect of magnetic fields. We will study primordial black-hole formation and its accompanying observational signatures.
Publications
Amin M
(2013)
A scattering theory of ultrarelativistic solitons
in Physical Review D
Amin M
(2013)
Clash of Kinks: Phase Shifts in Colliding Nonintegrable Solitons
in Physical Review Letters
Barrow J
(2013)
Geodesics at sudden singularities
in Physical Review D
Barrow J
(2011)
Cosmological magnetic field survival Cosmological magnetic field survival
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Barrow J
(2013)
Intermediate inflation from rainbow gravity
in Physical Review D
Barrow J
(2013)
Cosmologies in Horndeski's second-order vector-tensor theory
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Barrow J
(2013)
General dynamics of varying-alpha universes
in Physical Review D
Barrow J
(2013)
Bouncing anisotropic universes with varying constants
in Physical Review D
Berengut JC
(2013)
Limits on the dependence of the fine-structure constant on gravitational potential from white-dwarf spectra.
in Physical review letters
Berti E
(2013)
Numerical simulations of single and binary black holes in scalar-tensor theories: Circumventing the no-hair theorem
in Physical Review D
Description | PRISM |
Organisation | European Space Agency |
Country | France |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | The European collaboration that had previously proposed the B-Pol and COrE satellites developed a proposal for a new Large-class mission (named PRISM). This was ultimately not selected, but was very well received by the panel and wider community. Two whitepapers were prepared in support of the mission, and one of these is to be published in JCAP. We have been encouraged to propose a Medium-class mission for the upcoming M-4 call, and the collaboration are now working towards this goal. |
Collaborator Contribution | See above. |
Impact | See above. |
Start Year | 2013 |
Description | Astronomy lecture (Cork) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Keynote/Invited Speaker |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Biennial McCrea Astronomy Lecture, Royal Irish Academy, Cork University, 2013 N/A |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
Description | Beyond Autism |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Type Of Presentation | Keynote/Invited Speaker |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Public lecture in support of the Beyond Autism charity at the Royal Institution of Great Britain See details of recognised scheme above |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
Description | Breathe On |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Type Of Presentation | Keynote/Invited Speaker |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | A speech given at a House of Commons fundraiser for the charity Breathe On. See details of recognised scheme above |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
Description | COSMO 2013 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Keynote/Invited Speaker |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | 500 people attended the public symposium, which was given during the 2013 International Conference on Particle Physics and Cosmology The audience included visitors from overseas. The symposium is available to view over the internet. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
URL | http://www.ctc.cam.ac.uk/activities/cosmo2013/ |
Description | Caltech lecture 2013 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Keynote/Invited Speaker |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Free public lecture on the origins of the universe to 500 people. Lecture widely reported in the press and on the internet. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
Description | Chris Hadfield |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Interview with astronaut Chris Hadfield at the Canadian High Commission in London, including discussion of colonisation of space N/A |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
Description | Collider |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Opened the Science Museum Large Hadron Collider exhibit Exhibit runs for seven months |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
URL | http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/Plan_your_visit/exhibitions/collider.aspx |
Description | IOP Lancashire |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Keynote/Invited Speaker |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
Results and Impact | Talk given to the Lancashire branch of the Institute of Physics N/A |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
Description | Orsai |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Interview with Spanish-language magazine Orsai, a popular publication in Latin America N/A |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
Description | Public lecture (Dublin) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Keynote/Invited Speaker |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Public lecture on images in science at University College Dublin N/A |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
Description | Santa Barbara |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
Results and Impact | Remote lecture to a symposium in Santa Barbara on black holes Led to a preprint in arxiv on the same subject - submitted in 2014 |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
Description | Science Festival 2013 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Substantial effort was made during the Cambridge Science Festival to publicise the role of the supercomputer COSMOS at the Centre for Mathematical Sciences, where hundreds of members of the general public visited on Saturday 23 March 2013. Group tours were offered every half hour which proved a particular highlight for the Open Day. The role of COSMOS for key science exploitation of the Planck satellite (announced on 21st March with considerable media coverage) was also emphasised. Considerable interest shown by members of the public. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
Description | Science Weekly podcast |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Appeared on the Guardian's Science Weekly podcast to discuss the Planck satellite, the release of its results and what they tell us about the universe. N/A |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
Description | Shortlist |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Interview with Shortlist, a free weekly magazine published in the UK with the biggest circulation of any men's lifestyle magazine in Britain N/A |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
Description | Stem cell lab visit |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Keynote/Invited Speaker |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Visit to a stem cell laboratory followed by a speech to 450 people, including scientists, patients and their families. The speech drew parallels between the stem cell centre's work in discovering the mechanisms of disease and physicists' quest to understand the fundamental rules of the universe. The event highlighted the importance of stem cell research. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |