Speaker

Prof. Gary Shiu

Affiliation

University of Wisconsin at Madison

Date

4:00pm on April 16,2015

Venue

ITP New Building 6620

Abstract

String theory and cosmology are made for each other. Fundamental questions about our universe call for an understanding of quantum gravity. On the other hand, observational cosmology provides a promising window to probe high energy physics. In this talk, I will discuss how quantum gravity can impose fundamental constraints on inflationary cosmology and the physics of dark matter and dark energy. I will argue why an inflationary universe -- our current theoretical paradigm of the macroscopic world -- is incomplete on its own and requires a microscopic, high energy completion. I will describe some recent developments in constructing inflationary models from string theory, the observational signatures of these models, and how one may use data to uncover the underlying microphysics.