UK Cosmology Meeting

Session

Morning Session 1

25 Mar 2026, 10:00

Carlo Contaldi

5. New tests of parity violation in the early universe: CMB polarisation experiment and calibration

Claire Rigouzzo (King's College)

25/03/2026, 10:00

Precise polarization measurements of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) provide an opportunity to rigorously test the standard cosmological model. The correlation between E and B modes, indicative of cosmic birefringence, is expected to arise from parity-violating physics in the Universe. However, detecting these EB correlations remains extremely challenging as it demands exceptionally...

10. Phantom Crossing with Quintom Models

Lisa Goh (University of Edinburgh/ Institute for Astronomy)

25/03/2026, 10:20

We develop a two-scalar field quintom model, which utilises both a quintessence-like and a phantom-like scalar field, enabling a smooth and stable transition across the w = −1 phantom divide as hinted by recent measurements of Baryonic Acoustic Oscillations (BAO) by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Data Release 2. We explore a range of initial conditions and potential...

7. Scalar-Induced Gravitational Waves from Alternative Thermal Histories

Aya Ghaleb (Swansea University)

25/03/2026, 10:40

Primordial curvature perturbations enhanced at small scales can generate a stochastic background of gravitational waves at second order. The shape and amplitude of this signal depend not only on the primordial power spectrum but also on the Universe’s thermal history. While many studies assume radiation domination, an early matter-dominated era followed by reheating leaves characteristic...