Early Cosmology and Fundamental Physics

Hector de Vega (1)

1 LPTHE - Laboratoire de Physique Théorique et Hautes Energies

This is a pedagogical introduction to early cosmology and the host of fundamental physics involved in it (particle physics, grand unification andgeneral relativity). Inflation and the inflaton field are the centraltheme of this review. The quantum field treatment of the inflaton ispresented including its out of equilibrium evolution and the use ofnonperturbative methods. The observational predictions for the CMBanisotropies are briefly discussed. Finally, open problems and futureperspectives in connection with dark energy and string theory are overviewed.

Domaines: Cosmologie et astrophysique extra-galactique [astro-ph.CO]; Physique des Hautes Energies - Phénoménologie [hep-ph]; Relativité Générale et Cosmologie Quantique [gr-qc]

Hector de Vega. Early Cosmology and Fundamental Physics. Chalonge School in Astrofundamental Physics, September 2002, NATO ASI., 2003, Palermo, Italy. pp.1-19. ⟨hal-00000531⟩