TPPC weekly seminar: Clare Burrage - "Cosmological scalar fields: What can non-linearities do for you?"

Wednesday 5 Oct 2022, 12:30 → 14:00 Europe/London

Strand Building, S7.06

Speaker: Clare Burrage, University of Nottingham

Title: Cosmological scalar fields: What can non-linearities do for you?

Abstract:
Light scalars field are of interest to cosmologists as possible dark matter and dark energy candidates.  In this talk I will discuss some phenomenological consequences of allowing the scalar potential to include terms beyond just m^2phi^2.  These will include formation of domain walls that could provide a possible explanation of the planes of satellites around the Milky Way and Andromeda, and the screening of the fifth forces mediated by the scalar field, opening up new parameter space, and opportunities for detection.
I will also discuss my experiences as Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion for Physics at Nottingham and some of our recent initiatives.