Probing Fundamental Physics on Cosmological Scales

探索宇宙尺度的基础物理

• 批准号: 0855425
• 负责人: Matias Zaldarriaga
• 金额: $ 45万
• 依托单位: Institute For Advanced Study
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-08-15 至 2013-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0855425&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Probing; Fundamental; Physics; Cosmological; Scales

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). The proposed work entails several goals: (1) to improve our theoretical understanding of the early Universe and the different cosmological tools that can be used to probe it, (2) improve our theoretical understanding of the astrophysical processes that underlie our cosmological probes and (3) develop techniques to make full use of existing and upcoming cosmological data sets that can probe fundamental physics. In particular the PI intends to (1) study how interactions modify the characterization of the phase transition to eternal inflation in slow-roll models . (2) Strive to provide an intrinsically quantum mechanical definition of eternal inflation. (3)Calculate the power spectrum of primordial fluctuations in single field inflation models to one-loop. (4) Calculate the three-point function of CMB anisotropies at recombination expected in the absence of primordial non-Gaussianities. Also calculate the three point function of the matter density field including GR effects. (5) Apply newly developed analysis techniques to constrain non-Gaussianities using WMAP 5 year data. (6) Explore the potential of 21 cm observations to constrain fundamental physics and improve our modeling of the astrophysical processes that influence this observable. The broader impacts of the proposal are both scientific and involve educational outreach. The PI is co-author of CMBFAST, a publicly available code that has become a standard code used to make theoretical predictions to compare with CMB data. He has supervised students at the graduate and undergraduate levels. He has developed a new Cosmology course for sophomores. The PI also routinely gives public lectures including ones for elementary school students.

该奖项根据 2009 年《美国复苏和再投资法案》（公法 111-5）提供资金。拟议的工作需要实现几个目标：（1）提高我们对早期宇宙和可用于探测它的不同宇宙学工具的理论理解，（2）提高我们对宇宙学探测器背后的天体物理过程的理论理解，以及（ 3）开发技术，充分利用现有和即将到来的宇宙学数据集来探测基础物理。特别是，PI 打算 (1) 研究相互作用如何改变慢滚模型中相变到永恒膨胀的特征。 (2) 努力提供永恒膨胀的本质量子力学定义。 (3)将单场暴胀模型中的原初涨落功率谱计算为一环。 (4) 计算在不存在原初非高斯性的情况下预期的重组时 CMB 各向异性的三点函数。还计算物质密度场的三点函数，包括 GR 效应。 (5) 应用新开发的分析技术，使用 WMAP 5 年数据来约束非高斯性。 (6) 探索 21 厘米观测限制基础物理的潜力，并改进我们对影响该观测的天体物理过程的建模。该提案更广泛的影响既是科学的，又涉及教育推广。该 PI 是 CMBFAST 的合著者，CMBFAST 是一种公开可用的代码，已成为用于进行理论预测以与 CMB 数据进行比较的标准代码。他指导过研究生和本科生。他为大二学生开发了一门新的宇宙学课程。 PI 还定期举办公开讲座，包括为小学生举办的讲座。