graduate

Probing the Primordial Universe with Galaxy Clustering and Shapes

TYPEAstrophysics Seminar
Speaker:Fabian Schmidt
Affiliation:MPA, Garching
Date:15.03.2017
Time:14:30 - 15:30
Location:Lidow 620
Abstract:One of the primary goals of cosmology is to elucidate the origin of
structure in the Universe. The currently most widely accepted paradigm
is the theory of inflation - an epoch of extremely rapid expansion at a
very early phase in the history of the Universe. A significant effort in
cosmology is directed toward testing this hypothesis. I will show how we
can use the clustering of galaxies, as well as statistics of their
observed shapes, to learn about the physics of inflation, as well as
alternative scenarios. This provides a fascinating connection between
the largest observable scales in the cosmos and physics at energies far
beyond the reach of accelerators on Earth.