Modern cosmological models suppose that the very early universe undergoes a period of accelerated expansion, known as inflation. This phase sets the initial conditions for the subsequent evolution of the universe and many of its key predictions have been confirmed since the idea was introduced in the early 1980s.

In particular, inflation would explain how the universe comes to be uniform on large scales while also providing the “seeds” that prompt the formation of galaxies and the hot and cold spots observed in the microwave background.

In most scenarios inflation occurs within 10^-30 seconds of the big bang and at energies a trillion times higher than those accessible at the Large Hadron Collider, and thus far beyond the reach of  our current understanding of particle physics.

Consequently the distributions of galaxies and space and the specific properties of the hot and cold spots in the microwave background can provide insight into the detailed dyanmics of inflation. We make use of this connection to understand both a key epoch in the evoltuion of the universe and to gain insight into ultra high energy particle physics in regimes far beyond the reach of any conceivable terrestrial experiments.

In addition, inflation can be followed by a period in which the universe can be dominated by collapsed, nonlinear structures and understanding this era is a separate focus area for the Auckland group.

[Research content below. For an introduction to inflation and early universe cosmology see e.g. Baumann or Kinney‘s TASI lectures.]