Science Circle Lecture: Why is the universe not empty?
Looking at the Cosmos, we see ourselves surrounded by structures on all scales, ranging from the Solar System over the Milky Way galaxy to the filamentary distribution of distant galaxies and other cosmic objects. Where did these structures originate from, and how did they develop?
In three steps, the talk aims to explain why it would appear far more likely for the Universe to have turned out completely empty. In the first step, we will encounter the necessity of dark matter. In the second, we will see that it is surprising that any ordinary matter would exist. And in the third, we will look back at the beginning of the Universe and see that the origin of the largest cosmic structures is likely to be found in the physics of the microscopic world.
Event Information
February 22, 2021, 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Online
Organizer(s): DWIH New Delhi, Heidelberg University
Video Recording
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Speaker
Matthias Bartelmann
Matthias Bartelmann has been professor of theoretical astrophysics at Heidelberg University since 2003. His main research interests concern the formation and evolution of cosmic structures, which he studies with theoretical methods. He has been dean and vice-dean of the department of physics and astronomy, a board member of the German Physical Society, and the chairman of the Committee for Research and Strategy of Heidelberg University.