Probing the early universe: primordial non-Gaussianity and gravitational waves

Amit Yadav
(IAS, Princeton)



Abstract:

In first part of my talk I will discuss what we can expect to learn about the dynamics of the universe at the very earliest moments. I will discuss theoretical predictions from inflationary models and their observational consequences. I will focus on two observational signatures which provide complementary information about the physics of the beginning: primordial non-Gaussianity and gravitational waves (CMB B-modes). In second part of my talk I will discuss the current state of CMB polarization information and how various CMB polarization based correlators can be used to extract interesting physics such as patchy reionization, parity violating physics, and primordial magnetism.