In the Cosmic Frontier, we aim to connect fundamental theory to cosmology with the objective to understand the physics of the early universe, its inflationary period and the imprint this has made in the Cosmic Microwave Background and in the Gravitational Wave spectrum. This is tied to astrophysical studies with satellites and earth-based telescopes. Research at the Cosmic Frontier also connects to research at the High-Energy Frontier.
The current cosmological Standard Model (ΛCDM) has been established in the last decades and accurately describes a wide range of cosmological observations and epochs. An important open question, however, relates to the initial conditions of the hot Big Bang. The most likely physical mechanism is referred to as cosmic inflation, which postulates a short period of accelerated expansion in the early universe. VSI houses a dedicated effort towards a proper understanding of this phase, including its theoretical modeling, extraction of its observational predictions and data analysis.
A second research line relates to gravity. Important questions that are left open by General Relativity relate to the cosmological constant, singular space-times and its links to effective field theory. At VSI, we contribute to these with theoretical investigations, including higher-derivative corrections, non-relativistic gravity and the double copy between gravity and gauge theories.
Finally, VSI is involved in investigations of the quantum gravity table-top experimental protocol, proposed in 2017, with the help of massive Schrödinger cat states and witnessing spin entanglement, and in an optomechanical setup to witness the entanglement of light bending solely due to quantum gravitational interaction in a lab (2022).
