Cosmological Clues

Carolyn Devereux is a lecturer in astrophysics at the Centre for Astrophysics Research at the University of Hertfordshire. Her particular research interest is in developing our understanding of the role of dark matter in the evolution of the Large Scale Structure of the Universe, also called the ‘Cosmic Web’. After completing her degree in Physics from the University of Birmingham, she gained a PhD from University College London while working at the Hirst Research Centre in London researching ferroelectric liquid crystals. After working in industry, she had a career break, but continued her scientific journey by studying astronomy resulting in a career change into cosmology research. She likes to share her wonder at what we know about the Universe through lectures and events for the general public.

1. The Evolution. 1.1. Cosmology - Is the Universe Evolving? 1.2. The Standard Model of Cosmology. 1.3. Scientific Thinking. 1.4. Key Historical Cosmological Clues. 1.5. Where are we in the Universe? 2. The Reasoning. 2.1. What Is the Scientific Process? 2.3. How to make Theories and Revolutions. 3. The Clues. 3.1 What is a Cosmological Clue? 3.2. Clue 1: The Expanding Universe. 3.3. Clue 2: The Existence of Dark Matter. 3.4. Clue 3: The Cosmic Microwave Background. 3.5. Clue 4: The Origin of The Elements. 3.6. Clue 5: The Cosmic Web. 3.7. Clue 6: The Existence of Dark Energy. 4. The Theories. 4.1. What Is A Theory? 4.2. The Standard Model of Cosmology. 4.3. The Steady State Universe. 4.4. Cosmic Inflation. 4.5. Modified Gravity Theories. 4.6. Multiverses and Other Universes. 5. The Problems. 5.1. What is a Cosmological Problem? 5.2. Problem 1: The Big Bang Problem. 5.3. Problem 2: The Dark Matter Problem. 5.4. Problem 3: The Dark Energy Problem. 5.5. Problem 4: The Cosmic Web Problem. 5.6. Problem 5: The Missing Baryon Problem. 5.7. Problem 6: The Horizon Problem. 5.8. Problem 7: The Flatness Problem. 5.9. Problem 8: The Antimatter Problem. 6. The Testing. 6.1. Where will New Clues Come from? 6.2. What Clues are we looking for? 6.3. Finding Dark Matter. 6.4. Evidence for Inflation. 6.5. How Fast Is the Universe Expanding? 6.6. Understanding Dark Energy. 6.7. How Do Galaxies Affect Cosmology? 6.8. Improving the Cosmological Parameters. 7. The Future. 7.1. What Is the Future of The Universe? 7.2. How Will Earth and Life End? 7.3. Is the Scientific Process the Key To Our Future? Appendix A. Timeline of Clues.