 Cosmology is the study of
the Universe as a whole and its history
since the beginning. Our understanding of this history is undergoing a
revolution with fields as diverse as high energy physics and astronomy
converging in both theory and experiment. Further, cosmological
discoveries over the past two decades have and a profound impact on
both astronomy and Physics.
We have found that the inflation of the universe is being accelerated
by a mysterious "dark energy" and that much of the matter of the
universe is also "dark". Scientists in the Institute and elsewhere are
working hard on both theories and experiments which will shed light on
what particles make up the "dark matter".
The origin of Structure in the Universe - such as galaxies and
clusters is believed to have happened through sub-atomic quantum
fluctuations, whose ripples we see as tiny fluctuations in the
temperature of the cosmic microwave background across the sky.
These and other discoveries show that physics at the smallest scale
- interactions of Quarks and Leptons - is intimately connected with
the largest scale - the constitution and birth of the cosmos itself.
The Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics at the University of
Chicago is at the forefront of research that exploits these
connections. There are four Major Research Components (MRCs) that form
the core of our Institute's research program:
Frequent and useful cross-interactions occur among the
different areas, including particularly strong collaborations between
theorists and observers. Each MRC has multiple projects.
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