Public Lecture - Echoes from the Beginning: How Galaxies Encode the Early Universe

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About the Lecture

The first trillionths of a second after the Big Bang are amongst the most mysterious periods in the Universe’s history, yet the physics governing this era remains largely unknown. Our current best model for describing the cosmic expansion during this tiny fraction of a second is “inflation” — a brief, violent period that caused the fabric of space itself to stretch faster than the speed of light. In this talk, Prof. Philcox will discuss the evidence for inflation and show how it can turn tiny quantum fluctuations in the early Universe into the large-scale structure we see around us today. Currently, most of our knowledge about inflation comes from observations of light from the early Universe (the Cosmic Microwave Background). With the advent of modern telescope collaborations that produce three-dimensional maps of millions of galaxies across the Universe, this situation is starting to change. Prof. Philcox will demonstrate how we can synthesize theory, data, and computation to analyze these maps, allowing us to place unprecedented constraints on the early Universe and potentially uncover the physics of inflation.

Live stream URL can be found at the bottom of the EventBrite registration confirmation email.

Register for the lecture

About the Speaker

Oliver is a first-year Assistant Professor at Stanford who uses data from large community experiments to shed light on the big questions of the Universe. His research combines theory, computation, and data analysis to measure the physical properties of the Universe, including its expansion, composition, and initial state. Originally from the UK, Oliver has migrated slowly westward, completing his PhD at Princeton University and postdoctoral research at Columbia University. He loves solving maths problems — this is what originally drew him to astronomy and remains his key motivation today. When he’s not thinking about physics, Oliver can usually be found exploring San Francisco or trying out new restaurants.

Directions and Parking

This event will take place in the Sapp Center for Science Teaching and Learning (376 Lomita Dr.), Room 111. Upon arrival, please follow the directional signs and check in at the foyer.

The closest visitor parking is available on Roth Way, Lomita Dr., in the Roth Way Garage, and along the Stanford Oval. All parking is free in spaces marked Visitor, A, or C after 4pm unless indicated otherwise. Accessible parking is also available in the locations listed above.

If you plan to take public transportation, some lines of the Marguerite Shuttle connect the Palo Alto Transit Center and Caltrain stations to campus. You can get to the Science Teaching & Learning Center by taking Line P (drops off at the Stanford Oval) or Line X (drops off at the Grant Building). A complete list of shuttle schedules and route maps can be found here.