ABSTRACT:
Cosmology is in its most exciting period of discovery yet.
Over the past five years we have determined the basic features
of the Universe -- spatially flat; accelerating; composed
of 1/3rd a new form of matter, 2/3rds a new form of energy,
with some ordinary matter and neutrinos; and apparently born
from a burst of rapid expansion during which quantum noise
was stretched to astrophysical size seeding cosmic structure.
Now we have to make sense of this: What is the dark matter
particle? What is the nature of the dark energy? Why this
mixture? How did the matter -- antimatter asymmetry arise?
What is the underlying cause of inflation (if it
occurred)? If we succeed in making sense of our Universe,
this will truly be remembered as a Golden Age.
|
Colloquium Friday, February 1, 2002 4:00 PM Physics Building, Room 204 Note special time. Note special room. |
To add a speaker, send an email to phys-speakers@Virginia.EDU. Please include the seminar type (e.g. Colloquia), date, name of the speaker, title of talk, and an abstract (if available).