My research area is Particle Cosmology. Cosmology is the study of the Universe as a system. Modern Cosmology is based on the Hot Big Bang (HBB) model, which provides an observationally confirmed description of the Universe history as far back as the first second of its existence. The HBB is preceded by a brief period of so-called Cosmic Inflation, when space grew superluminally and was, consequently, enormously enlarged. Cosmic inflation took place when the Universe was only a tiny fraction of a second old,and resulted in large and uniform initial conditions for the HBB. Both Cosmic Inflation and the HBB are the two components of the so-called Concordance Cosmology. Much of the research in Concordance Cosmology concerns the elusive primordial era, when the Universe was so dense and hot that its evolution was determined by Particle Physics. In fact, Particle Cosmology uses what is known or conjectured about the fundamental interactions in the context of Particle Theory for the study of the Early Universe.

Despite its success, the concordance model considers that 95% of the Universe content at present is unknown, namely 26% Dark Matter and 69% Dark Energy. Moreover, current particle physics suggests (and experiments confirm) that the world around us is filled with so-called virtual particles, which come in and out of existence and interact with real particles before disappearing. In cosmology, these virtual particles turn into real ones during Cosmic Inflation and are ultimately responsible for the formation of galaxies, stars, planets and us. But, they start a-causally, as virtual. Another example has to do with the so-called Planck era, preceding Cosmic Inflation, where the Universe lives in spacetime "foam", with loss of information into virtual, nucleating black holes and close timelike loops, where an effect gives rise to its cause. However, the frontier of research in Particle Cosmology is challenging our preconceptions, not only of space and time, or causality, but also of what science really is. An example, is the proposal of the string landscape to "explain" the fine-tuning of the cosmological constant, by postulating the multiverse hypothesis, which is untestable.
Is this speculation science?

This project deals with the imperceptible. Defining the imperceptible and its relation to humans (or non-humans) is part of the project scope. What is difficult of even impossible to detect or understand, is both the challenge and the driving force for science; and what is science other than refined deductive thinking supplemented by observation and experiment. Is seems that the imperceptible is all around us in scientific research in cosmology. It is a concept (or a series of concepts) which cosmologists encounter and wrestle with daily. Yet, this project is a unique opportunity for me to view the imperceptible through the eyes of an anthropologist and a painter. This presents an array of opportunities, to think of the imperceptible in cosmology (and beyond) in different, novel ways. Being asked to discuss and describe the challenges in cosmology, leads me to the realisation that the imperceptible may also lie in places which were previously considered obvious and given. Furthermore, it is revealing to find out what the imperceptible is beyond cosmology and even beyond science, and how it may be both terrifying and liberating. In contrast to other interdisciplinary research, this project deals more with concepts than applications. It pioneers an effort to break away from preconceptions and develop a new understanding of that, which cannot be  understood...