Large scale structure simulations are a fundamental tool to interpret data from large volume galaxy surveys. In fact, modelling the observables and their covariance is affected by the non-linear regime of gravitational collapse, a phenomenon that is best captured through simulations. In this talk I will present some applications of simulations that are relevant to present and upcoming galaxy...
I will describe how the baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) scale observed in the distribution of galaxies can be treated as a standard ruler that enables distance measurements as a function of redshift. These measurement allow precise tests on the nature of Dark Energy. I will describe the current status of BAO measurements and the constraints they afford, focusing on recent measurements from...
We discuss a cosmological phase transition within the Standard Model which incorporates spontaneously broken scale invariance as a low-energy theory. In addition to the Standard Model fields, the minimal model involves a light dilaton, which acquires a large vacuum expectation value (VEV) through the mechanism of dimensional transmutation. Under the assumption of the cancellation of the vacuum...