Cosmology provides an exciting bridge between the physics of the very large and that of the very small. This striking connection is an opportunity both to use cosmological observations to probe fundamental physics and to apply the tools of quantum field theory to study the deep questions that cosmology presents us with: what is the nature of dark energy/dark matter? How did the Universe evolve in its earliest moments? I will discuss recent theoretical progress in both directions, highlighting the power of effective field theory and symmetry arguments as guiding principles. I will also describe how theoretical consistency constraints and modern developments in quantum field theory can help us calculate and constrain signatures of new physics in the gravitational sector.
Host: Jack Harris
jack.harris@yale.edu