Title: The Future of Cosmology

Date & Time: Friday, March 5th, 2021, 17:00-18:00

Location: Online

( ZOOM: https://yonsei.zoom.us/j/85623759780 )

Speaker: Joseph Silk (IAP, JHU, Oxford)

Abstract:

One of the greatest challenges in cosmology  is understanding   the origin of the structure of the universe. The fossil radiation from the beginning of the universe, the cosmic microwave background, has provided a  unique window for probing inflation and the initial conditions from which structure evolved. Large surveys of galaxies have provided complementary information that has enabled us to reach the era of precision cosmology, with parameter determination approaching  percent level accuracy.  But where do we go next? Future experiments are planned with the next generation of observatories that will increase this precision by at most an order of magnitude. However  we need  to do far better if there is to be a guaranteed science return that will definitively probe our cosmic origins. I shall argue that the ultimate goal for our future strategy must be astronomy from lunar-based telescopes, and I will provide several  examples of what could be accomplished within the next two decades