CULT 4 Modelling Cosmic Inflation

We are delighted to announce that the fourth CULT will be given by Maria A. Gutierrez.


Modelling Cosmic Inflation


In this talk, we will explore single field inflation: a period of accelerated expansion at the very early universe (t ~10^{-36}s !).
Firstly, we will learn about FRW Cosmology: the FRW metric, the equations governing the expansion of a universe, some interesting solutions, and cool facts about our Universe.
After that, we will discuss the need for an inflationary period. This can be achieved with an action principle for a field. We will derive the equations of motion for the field from a canonical Lagrangian = “T-V”, and we will see how to generalise them for a non-canonical (“P-of-X”) theory. We will learn about the slow-roll parameters and the slow-roll condition, which drives to an end this inflationary phase.
Time permitting, we will talk about quantum perturbations of the ‘inflaton’ field, for which we will need Quantum Field Theory (QFT). These perturbations have correlations (the topic of my summer project) that present ‘scale invariance’, a property that we thus require in any good model of inflation.


Prerequisites: None! The Euler-Lagrange equations would be useful for the action part, while ladder operators from quantum mechanics would help with QFT. If you enjoyed a course on Cosmology (or GR), you will enjoy this talk, but this is not a prerequisite.

---------



CUPS Undergraduate Led Talks is a talk series hosted by CUPS during the long vacation. Speakers include undergraduate Cambridge students interested in giving a talk to a physics audience. The topics generally fall outside the standard curriculum, as many deal with the speaker's summer projects. Due to COVID-19 they have occured entirely online this year, which allows us to publish them here.
CUPS - Cambridge University Physics Society

We are a student-run university society organising scientific talks and other events for our members and public. CUPS is all about the physics you don't do in your degree.

FIND US ON THE INTERNET:
Website - http://www.camphysoc.co.uk
Facebook -   / camphysoc  
Twitter -   / camphysoc  
talks.cam - http://talks.cam.ac.uk/show/index/6558