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Gravitational waves could provide an unprecedented view of the earliest moments of our Universe. Forthcoming interferometers, both terrestrial and space-based, CMB polarisation experiments and pulsar timing arrays will probe a wide range of frequencies and of direct relevance to fundamental theory and cosmology. The next few years could provide an extraordinary opportunity to discover new and exciting physics.
The time seems right to re-examine theoretical expections for primordial gravitational waves in light of these ongoing experiments. Among the aims of this CTC workshop are:
- To explore cosmological scenarios in fundamental physics which can produce observable levels of primordial gravitational waves.
- To investigate the naturalness of large field inflation models which would leave a detectable tensor mode signature in CMB polarisation experiments.
- To refine predictions for the gravitational wave backgrounds and distinct signatures of cosmic superstrings and other violent phenomena in the early universe, such as phase transitions.
- To review the experimental prospects of detection from forthcoming experiments and to guide and motivate future detection proposals.
This workshop will bring together many of the world's leading researchers actively working on gravitational waves in cosmology, together with representatives of the key experiments.
The workshop programme aims to maximise opportunities for interactions between all participants, with relatively short invited contributions leaving plenty of time for questions and further discussion. A preliminary schedule will be available soon on the Programme page. The meeting will begin after lunch on Tuesday 25th August and will end formally on Friday 28th August 2009.
*Registration is now Closed*
Workshop speakers
| Bruce Allen |
Albert-Einstein-Institut Hannover |
| Richard Battye |
Jodrell Bank/Physics, University of Manchester |
| Daniel Baumann |
Physics/Astrophysics, Harvard University |
| Robert Brandenberger |
Physics, McGill University |
| Cliff Burgess |
Perimeter Institute/McMaster University |
| Edmund Copeland |
Physics, Nottingham University |
| Neil Cornish |
Physics, Montana State University |
| Michael Cruise |
Physics, Birmingham University |
| Scott Dodelson |
Fermilab/University of Chicago |
| Ruth Durrer |
Physics, University of Geneva |
| Richard Easther |
Physics, Yale University |
| George Efstathiou |
IoA, University of Cambridge |
| Juan Garcia-Bellido |
Theoretical Physics CSIC-UAM, Madrid |
| Stephen Hawking |
DAMTP, University of Cambridge |
| Craig Hogan |
Physics & Astronomy, University of Washington |
| Andrew Jaffe |
Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College |
| Nemanja Kaloper |
Physics, University of California, Davis |
| Lev Kofman |
CITA, University of Toronto |
| Slava Mukhanov |
Physics, LMU, Munich |
| Andrea Possenti |
INAF,Osservatorio di Cagliari |
| B.S. Sathyaprakash |
Astronomy, Cardiff University |
| Qaiser Shafi |
Physics & Astronomy, Bartol University |
| Xavier Siemens |
Physics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee |
| Eva Silverstein |
SLAC/Physics, Stanford University |
| Alexei Starobinsky |
Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics |
| Paul Steinhardt |
Physics, Princeton University |
| David Wands |
Cosmology Institute, Portsmouth University |
*To be confirmed.
A list of invited participants can be found by following this
link.
 The workshop venue is the Centre for Mathematical Sciences, the award-winning buildings that have housed the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics since 2000. With its excellent facilities and good transport connections to international airports, the CMS has an excellent track record hosting international conferences.
Talks will take place in the main lecture hall (MR2) with lunches served upstairs in the central core (pictured right), a pleasant setting for research interactions.
Workshop participants will be housed nearby in Cambridge colleges. For local maps and further information refer to the Location page, while transport instructions can be found under Travel.
The local organising committee for this meeting consists of
Anthony Challinor
Stephen Hawking
David Mulryne
Fernando Quevedo
Paul Shellard
Daniel Wesley
The meeting is being run under the auspices of the new Cambridge Centre for Theoretical Cosmology (CTC) housed in DAMTP which is generously supported by the Stephen Hawking Endowment for Cosmological Research.
Workshop secretary:
Mrs Sue Gadsby,
CTC Administrator
DAMTP, Centre for Mathematical Sciences,
University of Cambridge,
Wilberforce Road, Cambridge, CB3 0WA, UK
Telephone: +44 1223 764267 / 764984 (fax).
Conference email: PGW09-admin 'at' damtp.cam.ac.uk
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