TASI Lectures on Cosmic Signals of Fundamental Physics

Abstract

The history of the Universe and the forces that shaped it are encoded in maps of the cosmos. From understanding these maps, we gain insights into nature that are inaccessible by other means. Unfortunately, the connection between fundamental physics and cosmic observables is often left to experts (and/or computers), making the general lessons from data obscure to many particle theorists. Fortunately, the same basic principles that govern the interactions of particles, like locality and causality, also control the evolution of the Universe as a whole and the manifestation of new physics in data. By focusing on these principles, we can understand more intuitively how the next generation of cosmic surveys will inform our understanding of fundamental physics. In these lectures, we will explore this relationship between theory and data through three examples: light relics ($N_{\rm eff}$) and the cosmic microwave background (CMB), neutrino mass and gravitational lensing of the CMB, and primordial non-Gaussianity and the distribution of galaxies. We will discuss both the theoretical underpinnings of these signals and the real-world obstacles to making the measurements.