Fundamental Physics in Cosmology

String theory and supergravity are integral to our understanding the structure of the
physical universe. In this project, the student will explore cosmological consequences of
models that descend from these ideas. In particular, the double field theory formalism
allows one to describe the fundamental string in a way that is manifestly symmetric under
T duality. The cosmological consequences of the resulting low energy vacua have not yet
been fully explored. The quest to understand how de Sitter space can energy from both
supergravity and string theory are also of crucial importance. This research requires high
levels of mathematical expertise and physical intuition, and has the potential to
contribute to a world class research programme.