Dark Matter, Dark Energy and Inflation: The Big Mysteries of Cosmology

Dr. Michael S. Turner, Professor, Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, University of Chicago. Our current cosmological model describes the evolution of the universe from a very early burst of accelerated expansion (known as inflation) a tiny fraction of a second after the beginning, through the assembly of galaxies and large-scale structure shaped by dark matter, to our present epoch where dark energy controls the ultimate fate of the universe. As successful as it is, this model rests upon three mysterious pillars: inflation, dark energy and particle dark matter. All three point to exciting and important new physics that have yet to be revealed and understood - or possibly, to a fatal flaw in the paradigm.

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Dark Matter and Dark Energy