Bonn 2001 – scientific programme

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SYCO: Kosmologie

SYCO II: HV II

SYCO II.1: Invited Talk

Wednesday, March 28, 2001, 10:40–11:20, Aula

The Cosmic Microwave Background: A window to the physics at very high energies — •Ruth Durrer — Genf

The anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) which have recently been measured with unprecedented accuracy (see talk of P. de Bernardis) are being used extensively to determine cosmological parameters. In my talk I first describe the main physical mechanisms which influence the anisotropies in the CMB and their dependence on cosmological parameters. I then explain how CMB anisotropies also depend on the ’initial conditions’ which are generated very early in the Universe and which therefore are governed by the physics at very high energies. I present examples of different sets of cosmological parameters which reproduce the observed CMB anisotropies starting from different initial conditions. I therefore advocate that we use CMB anisotropies to learn about the physics at energies far higher than those available in terrestrial laboratories.