INDARK

Inflation, Dark Matter, Large-Scale Structure of the Universe

The goal of this research project is to investigate the interconnection between particle physics and crucial aspects of the standard Big-Bang cosmological model. In particular, we plan to investigate aspects of inflation in the Early Universe, the nature of dark matter and the nature of dark energy or possible scenarios of modified gravity. Particular emphasis is given to the present-day and future observations of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation, the study of the Large-Scale Structure (LSS) of the Universe through present and future surveys, and the indirect signatures of DM candidates coming from present and future experiments.

This plot shows different measurements of the Hubble constant, i.e. the expansion rate of the local universe. Observations of the cosmic microwave background (red) suggest a slower expansion, while measurements from nearby galaxies (cyan) indicate a faster one. The blue curve represents a determination based on a combined analysis of cosmic chronometers, type Ia supernovae (Pantheon), and baryon acoustic oscillation data. Ref. Favale et al. 2023.

The main research activity of the group in Tor Vergata concerns the analysis of available cosmological data with the goal to constrain inflationary scenarios, dark energy models, extensions to the standard model of cosmology, and to perform novel tests of fundamental physics. In this context, a particular focus is given to exploring the synergy between different observables, such as CMB, galaxy distribution, galaxy clusters, and distance indicators. This research program builds on the diverse expertise present in the group. Several members of the team have been involved in the analysis and interpretation of data from the Planck mission and are now active in planning future CMB experiments (e.g. JAXA-LiteBIRD, LSPE, Simons Observatory) targeting the large-scale polarization signature of primordial gravitational waves, the so-called B-modes.

Limits on the existence of primordial gravitational waves. This plot shows the results from various experiments searching for a specific pattern in the cosmic microwave background, known as B-modes. The combined analysis of BICEP/Keck Array 2018, Planck PR4, and LIGO-Virgo data indicates that, if such waves exist, their signal must be very weak (with an upper limit set at r<0.028). Ref. Galloni et al. 2023.

Members of the group are also actively involved in the Euclid mission, developing estimators of the cross-correlation of CMB and large-scale structure observables to investigate the nature of cosmic acceleration and put constraints on dark energy and modified gravity models.

References

Staff Members: Hervé Bourdin, Domenico Marinucci, Pasquale Mazzotta, Marina Migliaccio, Giuseppe Puglisi, Nicola Vittorio

Postdoc fellows, PhD students: Giampaolo Benevento, Viviana Cuozzo, Arianna Favale, Guglielmo Frittoli, Federico De Luca, Claudio Mastromarino, Avinash Anand