29 July 2019 to 2 August 2019
Northeastern University
US/Eastern timezone

Inflatinary Cosmology as a Precision Test of Quantum Mechanics

30 Jul 2019, 14:36
18m
West Village G 106 (Northeastern University)

West Village G 106

Northeastern University

Oral Presentation Cosmology & Dark Energy Cosmology & Dark Energy

Speaker

Dr Carl Rosenzweig (Syracuse University)

Description

Inflation predicts that quantum fluctuations determine the large scale structure of the Universe. This raises the striking possibility that quantum mechanics, developed to describe nature at short distances, can be tested by studying nature at its most immense -- cosmology. By fully accepting the inflationary paradigm we realize this possibility. A nonlinear generalization of quantum mechanics modifies predictions for the cosmological power spectrum. Observational cosmology is sufficiently precise to place a stringent limit, $b\leq 3\times 10^{-34}$ eV, on the size of the nonlinear term.

Primary authors

Dr Carl Rosenzweig (Syracuse University) Dr Julian Georg (Syracuse University)

Presentation materials