Simon Fraser University
SFU Cosmology Seminars

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Friday, 20 February 2009, 14:30 in AQ3182

Prof. Mark Trodden (Syracuse University)

Gravitational approaches to cosmic acceleration (physics colloquium)

Among the possible explanations for the observed acceleration of the universe, perhaps the boldest is the idea that new gravitational physics might be the culprit. In this colloquium I will discuss some of the challenges of constructing a sensible phenomenological extension of General Relativity, give examples of some candidate models of modified gravity and survey existing observational constraints on this approach. I will conclude by discussing how we might hope to distinguish between modifications of General Relativity and dark energy as competing hypotheses to explain cosmic acceleration.

Seminars in 2008:

2008-09-25 14:00 in IRMACS - Dmitri Korotkin (Concordia University): Canonical quantization of Einstein-Rosen gravitational waves with two polarizations
2008-10-02 14:00 in IRMACS - Andrei Frolov (SFU): A singularity problem with f(R) dark energy
2008-11-14 14:30 in AQ3181 - Robert Brandenberger (McGill University): String theory and the very early universe (physics colloquium)
2009-01-23 14:30 in P8445B - Fotini Markopoulou (Perimeter): Two ways to derive a spacetime in quantum gravity
2009-01-27 14:00 in P8445A - Edward Chapin (UBC): Detecting massive star-forming galaxies at z>1 using BLAST and SCUBA-2 submillimetre wavelength surveys
2009-02-03 14:00 in P8445A - Subinoy Das (UBC): Late forming dark matter
2009-02-20 14:30 in AQ3182 - Mark Trodden (Syracuse University): Gravitational approaches to cosmic acceleration (physics colloquium)
2009-02-24 14:00 in P8445A - Adam Ritz (University of Victoria): Probing pseudoscalar perturbations with CMB polarization
2009-03-03 14:00 in P8445A - John Ward (University of Victoria): Gravitational wave constraints on multi-brane inflation
2009-03-10 14:00 in P8445A - Phil Gregory (UBC): Mining for extra-solar planets with a Bayesian MCMC Kepler periodogram
2009-03-27 14:30 in AQ3182 - Suzanne Staggs (Princeton University): The impact of the last 13 billion years and of the first 10-35 seconds on the CMB (physics colloquium)
2009-05-05 14:00 in P8445B - Justin Khoury (University of Pennsylvania): Cascading gravity
2009-07-21 14:00 in P8445B - Daniele Steer (APC, Paris): Multi-field DBI inflation: primordial perturbations and non-Gaussianities

[ See complete seminar archives | iCal feed ]


Modified by Andrei Frolov <frolov@sfu.ca> on 2023-11-01