Cosmology — the science of studying the Universe as a dynamical object — turns the universe into the ultimate high-energy laboratory, allowing us to study fundamental physics on a vast range of scales. The very early universe — the first moments in the universe’s life — is of particular interest, as it allows us to probe these energy scales that are otherwise impossible to create in a terrestrial environment. The relatively recent introduction of cosmic inflation — a period of rapid expansion of the early universe — suggests how we might understand a possible first piece of the puzzle. In the inflationary paradigm, this period of rapid expansion must be closely followed by a period of thermalization, in which particles are created and the universe becomes hot.
How the inflationary epoch gave way to this hot-big bang is still unknown. In this talk, I will discuss two possible models through which the thermalization of the universe may have been sparked: gauge preheating and axion kination. In studying these models, we hope to continue writing the universe’s story and continue to expand on our understanding of high-energy particle physics.
Join us on Friday, Sept. 19, for the second of this year's honors talks presented by Christine Kessens, a physics student pursuing honors this year. Lunch will be available in Hayes 216 from 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., and the presentation will begin in Hayes 211/213 at 12:10 p.m. Come and support your fellow physics classmates. We hope to see you there!