Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

The proposed research aims to provide a deeper understanding of fundamental physics by designing new ways to observe the Universe on the largest scales and new ways to simulate the conditions in the very early Universe on the smallest scales. These investigations will contribute to answering big questions related to how the Universe started, the nature of dark energy and dark matter, and the properties of phase transitions in the early Universe. Along one axis of research, my group will develop new ways to combine information from vast galaxy surveys and precise new measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB), light from the early Universe, to access new sources of cosmological information. The proposed techniques will more than double the constraining power of planned cosmological surveys without any additional measurements. These algorithms will pave the way for a new approach to CMB science that will yield drastic improvements with future observations. This emerging field of research will allow us to detect new signatures from the early Universe that could tell us how it began and detect new particles that could be the dark matter. Along the other axis of research, my group will co-lead efforts by an international collaboration to theoretically model controllable quantum simulators composed of cold atoms that will be used to simulate fundamental quantum processes in the early Universe. Results from these quantum simulators will provide the first detailed dynamical description of early Universe phase transitions, highlighting new ways we might look for their traces in the cosmos. This research will show that quantum simulation is a tool to answer a broad set of questions in particle physics and cosmology by demonstrating quantum supremacy - the ability of a quantum simulation to answer questions that a classical computer simulation cannot. The proposed research will strengthen Canadian participation in major international collaborations including Simons Observatory (USA) and Quantum Simulators for Fundamental Physics (UK). Both areas of investigation in this proposal were originated in the Principal Investigator's research group, and their further development will contribute to Canadian leadership in two growing fields of research. The proposed research aligns closely with Canada's National Quantum Strategy, through the development of new types of quantum computers - cold atom systems which can be used to simulate fundamental physics. The training program will produce highly qualified personnel with skills in quantitative analysis, quantum physics, and statistics that will contribute to Canada's knowledge economy in data science, artificial intelligence, and quantum technology. For the public, the proposed research can spark interest in science and demonstrate that progress can be made in answering the oldest and most fundamental questions.