NewRecords | New crisis and old mysteries: Resolving cosmic tensions to reveal the dark sector

Summary
It has recently been established that the current expansion rate of the universe (i.e, the Hubble constant) as measured by local probes is discrepant at 5σ with that predicted in the standard Λ cold dark matter (ΛCDM) model calibrated onto cosmic microwave background (CMB) data. Additionally, analyses of the latest galaxy weak lensing surveys find an amplitude of density fluctuations on large scales (the S8 parameter) that is about 2−3σ lower than what is predicted in ΛCDM. This growing “crisis” is potentially the first indication of a departure from the ΛCDM model, giving hopes to access the fundamental properties of the mysterious dark matter and dark energy that pervade the universe. On the one hand, I have shown with my colleagues that the “Hubble tension” could indicate the presence of new physics in the era pre-recombination, potentially connected to new dark energy properties at early time. On the other hand, the “S8 tension” can be connected to new dark matter properties, and in particular could indicate that dark matter is not stable on cosmological timescales, or interacts with some new light species. Yet, none of the suggested models have been robustly detected nor are they able to explain simultaneously the Hubble and S8 tensions. With the support of the ERC, I will build a group that will develop public tools to firmly identify the new physics mechanism required to explain these cosmic tensions, assess the observational consequences for a wide variety of observables, and the implications for the nature of dark matter and dark energy.
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More information & hyperlinks
Web resources: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101076865
Start date: 01-01-2023
End date: 31-12-2027
Total budget - Public funding: 1 500 000,00 Euro - 1 500 000,00 Euro
Cordis data

Original description

It has recently been established that the current expansion rate of the universe (i.e, the Hubble constant) as measured by local probes is discrepant at 5σ with that predicted in the standard Λ cold dark matter (ΛCDM) model calibrated onto cosmic microwave background (CMB) data. Additionally, analyses of the latest galaxy weak lensing surveys find an amplitude of density fluctuations on large scales (the S8 parameter) that is about 2−3σ lower than what is predicted in ΛCDM. This growing “crisis” is potentially the first indication of a departure from the ΛCDM model, giving hopes to access the fundamental properties of the mysterious dark matter and dark energy that pervade the universe. On the one hand, I have shown with my colleagues that the “Hubble tension” could indicate the presence of new physics in the era pre-recombination, potentially connected to new dark energy properties at early time. On the other hand, the “S8 tension” can be connected to new dark matter properties, and in particular could indicate that dark matter is not stable on cosmological timescales, or interacts with some new light species. Yet, none of the suggested models have been robustly detected nor are they able to explain simultaneously the Hubble and S8 tensions. With the support of the ERC, I will build a group that will develop public tools to firmly identify the new physics mechanism required to explain these cosmic tensions, assess the observational consequences for a wide variety of observables, and the implications for the nature of dark matter and dark energy.

Status

SIGNED

Call topic

ERC-2022-STG

Update Date

09-02-2023
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Horizon Europe
HORIZON.1 Excellent Science
HORIZON.1.1 European Research Council (ERC)
HORIZON.1.1.0 Cross-cutting call topics
ERC-2022-STG ERC STARTING GRANTS
HORIZON.1.1.1 Frontier science
ERC-2022-STG ERC STARTING GRANTS