From Zero to Infinity, and Beyond!
The universe revealed by observations is spectacularly simple: spatially flat, with nearly scale-invariant fluctuations. Nevertheless, there are major puzzles: what happened at the singularity? what are the dark energy and dark matter? where is the universe heading? Until LHC tells us otherwise, these conundra are the most important clues to new physics beyond the standard model.
Inflationary cosmology is the most popular theory of the very early universe, but fails in important respects. The idea of a "Creation from Nothing" also seems problematic. A cyclical universe involving repeated big crunch/big bang transitions may be more attractive: I will explain recent progress in developing this scenario.
Neil Geoffrey Turok is a South African physicist, and the Director of Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. His work has been in the area of mathematical physics and early universe physics, including the cosmological constant and a cyclic model for the universe.
| From Zero to Infinity, and Beyond! |
| Related Links |
| The Astonishing Simplicity of Everything Dr. Neil Turok gives a talk about the remarkably simplicity that underlies nature. Turok discussed how this simplicity at the largest and tiniest scales of the universe is pointing toward new avenues of physics research and could lead to revolutionary advances in technology. |
| Spacetime Atoms and the Unity of Physics Professor Fay Dowker describes black hole thermodynamics and argue that it is telling us that spacetime itself is granular or "atomic" at very tiny scales. |
| Particle Physics: Standard Model In this series Professor Susskind continues his particle physics theme, focusing on the foundations of the Standard Model, which describes the interactions and properties of the observed particles. |
| Frontiers and Controversies in Astrophysics This course focuses on three particularly interesting areas of astronomy that are advancing very rapidly: Extra-Solar Planets, Black Holes, and Dark Energy. |
| Cosmology During this course, you'll have the opportunity to study the cosmos from the modern perspective - what we know and what we're not sure about. |