PHYSICS SEMINAR
EARLY UNIVERSE INFLATION WITH NON-MINIMAL COUPLING
Dr. Valerio Faraoni
Physics Department
Bishop's University
Friday, November 6, 2009
1:45 - 2:45 pm
Nicolls 1
Classical and quantum physics tell us that scalar fields must couple non-minimally to gravity and that the coupling constant is not a free parameter. Prescriptions for the value of this coupling constant in specific theories will be reviewed and applied to the early universe, in which a scalar field is believed to have caused a brief, nearly exponential, acceleration of the cosmic expansion during which the seeds for the formation of galaxies and galaxy clusters were generated.
