Florian Beutler (U. Portsmouth) "Exploring Fundamental Physics with Galaxy Redshift Surveys"

Abstract:
In this talk, I will present various ways in which we can use galaxy redshift surveys to constrain fundamental physical models. This year the DESI experiment will launch, collecting a dataset of about 50 million galaxies and Quasars. Using observables like Baryon Acoustic Oscillations and Redshift-space distortions we can use this dataset to measure the sum of the neutrino masses and the number of neutrino species as well as test models of dark energy and modified gravity. Moreover, we can test models of the very early Universe (inflation) through primordial non-Gaussianity and primordial oscillations. The multitude of upcoming survey experiments (LSST, Euclid, WFIRST, DESI) offers exciting prospects to put the standard model of cosmology (LCDM) to the test.