New Cosmologies
April
13-15, 2000
Though speculations about our place in the cosmos
are as old as thought itself, such speculations have remained largely
theoretical in the past. But technical advances over the course of the
last century have transformed cosmology from speculation to serious
science, vastly expanding our horizons in space and time. A number of
recent developments in our understanding of the universe have accounted
for what some are calling a "golden age" in cosmology. It is clear that
the time is right to explore the innovations that promise new cosmologies
in the 21st century.
The confluence of powerful ideas and a flood
of data made possible by new instruments and observatories (such as
the Hubble Space Telescope and Keck telescopes, the Sloan Digital Sky
Survey, and Tevatron at ChicagoÕs own Fermilab) are leading to great
advances in our understanding of the origin and evolution of the universe.
Scientists are now able to calculate with increasing accuracy the history
of the Universe from the "quark soup" that existed a fraction of a second
after the beginning to the highly stuctured universe we see 14 billion
years laterÑwith galaxies, clusters of galaxies, and even great walls
of galaxies.
Several developments in particular are promising
to revolutionize cosmological research in the coming decades. Theoretical
work on the phenomenon of inflation is dramatically reshaping our conception
of how the big bang and ultimately all matter and energy originated.
New measurements have begun to support predictions from the theory of
inflation, including the indication that the universe is flat. Thanks
to satellite, balloon-borne, and South Pole based instruments, we are
able to produce more detailed maps of the cosmic microwave background,
the observable radiation left over from the big bang, and we are beginning
to understand the nature of the elementary particles (called Cold Dark
Matter) that hold the universe together.
There are some puzzles that remain to be worked
out. Foremost among them is why the universe is speeding up and not
slowing down! This discovery made two years ago was greeted with much
excitementÑthe mysterious dark energy which is causing the Universe
to speed up both the total amount of matter and energy known in the
universe to that required to make it flat, as indicated by measurements
of the microwave background. However, at the moment, we donÕt have a
clue as to what this dark energy is. There is also the mystery of the
highest energy cosmic ray particlesÑwhere did they come from and how
did they achieve such high energies?
Calling on expert voices in physics and astronomy,
our seminar will explore in detail the hot big-bang model and its implications.
In addition to offering an overview of recent changes in the cosmological
picture, we will discuss the state of contemporary research on such
topics as the cosmic microwave background, the intergalactic medium,
the dark side of the universe, the large-scale structure of the universe,
and other exciting developments in cosmology.
Speakers will include John Carlstrom (Astronomy
and Astrophysics & Director, Center for Astrophysical Research in Antartica),
Sean Carroll (Physics), Joshua Frieman (Astronomy and Astrophysics),
RenŽ Ong (Physics), Michael Turner (Astronomy and Astrophysics & Physics),
and Don York (Astronomy and Astrophysics).
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University of Chicago