Theoretical Cosmology Meetings
To actively encourage the field of Theoretical Cosmology in the Netherlands and to set an informal stage for the exchange of ideas, the small but growing Dutch Theoretical Cosmology community organizes Friday afternoon meetings approximately 6 times a year --- always on the first Friday of the month. The meetings start in the afternoon with a main speaker, followed by a short break to continue with a journal club discussion on some topic of current interest. We end the afternoon with drinks. The supporting institutes, Leiden, Amsterdam and Utrecht, each take turns in hosting the event.
For more details (personalia) about the landscape of Dutch Theoretical Cosmology, click the THC landscape button on the left menu. For a list of accomplishments and the latest THC news click here.
Schedule 2008-2009
Special occasion: UVA FNWI "Speerpunten" Symposium, from 13h-17h in the "Rode Hoed", Keizersgracht 102, Amsterdam
Speakers: Max Tegmark, John Carr and Gia Dvali
For more details and to register please visit the symposiums webpage
1400h: Seminar in room REC I.201
Speaker: Diego Chialva (ITP, Uppsala University)
Title: Inflation through multiple tunnelings and observational consequences
Abstract:
We present and discuss in depth a model for inflation based on multiple tunnelings. We study the dynamics of the background, as well as the mechanism of generation of the perturbations. We analyze in detail signatures and observational differences with more standard model of inflation concerning the spectrum of cosmological perturbations and the spectral index. We also discuss the imprint of fundamental scales in the model on the CMBR. The talk is technical, but the level is kept accessible to a composite audience.
1530h: Journal club discussion in ITP lounge
Speaker: Jan de Boer (ITP Amsterdam)
Jan will discuss the recent papers arXiv:0810.0713 [hep-ph] "A Theory of Dark Matter" by N. Arkani-Hamed, D. Finkbeiner, T. Slatyer and N. Weiner and arXiv:0810.0714 [hep-ph] "LHC Signals for a SuperUnified Theory of Dark Matter" by N. Arkani-Hamed and N. Weiner.
1400h: Seminar in the ILTP seminar room
Speaker: Dominik Schwarz (University of Bielefeld)
Title: Cosmic acceleration --- evidence and loopholes
Abstract:
Supernovae of type Ia are commonly used to study the phenomenon of dark energy. I present a model- and calibration-independent approach to test the cosmic expansion. Under the assumptions that SN 1a are standard candles and that the Universe is isotropic and homogeneous one can now show at high statistical significance that there was an epoch of cosmic acceleration. However, we know that the local Universe is inhomogeneous and thus the assumptions of the test fail to hold at small redshift. Finally, I will comment on alternative explanations (no dark energy) of supernova Hubble diagrams and possible ways to test them.
1530h: Journal club discussion in the ILTP seminar room
Speaker: Jinn-Ouk Gong (ILTP)
Jinn-Ouk will discuss the recent papers arXiv:0808.0009 [astro-ph] "Non-Gaussianity from Isocurvature Perturbations" by M. Kawasaki, K. Nakayama, T. Sekiguchi, T. Suyama and F. Takahashi and arXiv:0810.0208 [astro-ph] "A General Analysis of Non-Gaussianity from Isocurvature Perturbations" by M. Kawasaki, K. Nakayama, T. Sekiguchi, T. Suyama and F. Takahashi.