Poster: http://www.physics.uwo.ca/colloquia/Colloquia%20Notices/2012_2013/SCOTT%20Colloquium.pdf
Western University
DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY
PHYSICS & ASTRONOMY COLLOQUIUM
Date: Thursday, 15th November 2012
Time: 1:30 p.m.
Location: Physics & Astronomy Seminar Room 100
Dr. Douglas Scott
Department of Physics and Astronomy
University of British Columbia
“The Standard Cosmological Model”
ABSTRACT
All empirical evidence relating to our Universe is currently well explained by a basic model which contains only a few key ingredients: the background is described by homogeneous and isotropic solutions within General Relativity, in which there is domination by vacuum energy and cold dark matter in a roughly flat expanding geometry; the density fluctuations appear to be nearly scale-invariant, adiabatic and Gaussian; and all of today’s structure grew through gravitational instability. Within this picture the Universe is described by about 10 numbers, and they are now mostly known to about the first digit. So what is left to do? How many digits do we need? Where did these values come from? Are there more numbers that we haven’t thought of yet? Is this model anything like the Standard Model of Particle Physics?
Coffee & snacks will be available.