Nuclear, Particle, Astroparticle and Cosmology (NUPAC) Seminars
Observational tests of the Copernican principle and cosmological applications of inhomogeneous cosmologies
Presented by David Camarena, UNM
The standard paradigm of modern cosmology relies on a set of fundamental assumptions that simplify and make possible the modeling of the Universe. Among these critical hypotheses, there is the presumption that we do not occupy a special place in the Universe, the so-called Copernican principle. The assumption of this principle constrains the degrees of freedom allowed by the theory, and, in particular, within the framework of the General Theory of Relativity, leads to a spatially homogeneous and isotropic space-time. In this talk, I will present a program to test the Copernican principle using current and future observations. I will also discuss the cosmological implications of dropping the Copernican principle, mainly focusing on investigating if a local void could explain away the 5σ discrepancy between the early and late times determinations of the Hubble constant. I will enclose the talk by arguing the necessity of extending the boundary of the standard paradigm of modern cosmology, and, in particular, of developing a suitable framework for cosmology beyond the Copernican principle.
2:00 pm, Tuesday, September 13, 2022
PAIS-3205, PAIS
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