From the big bang onwards you might think we know a lot about the universe鈥檚 first fraction of a second. But that just isn鈥檛 true. Why, for example, didn鈥檛 antimatter annihilate matter? Why haven鈥檛 we observed any dark matter particles yet? How does dark energy accelerate universe expansion? And why do theories of cosmic inflation lead inevitably to the conclusion that there should be an infinite or nearly infinite number of universes in existence?
For Dan Hooper, head of theoretical astrophysics at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Chicago, solving these questions involves radically rethinking what we think we know about the universe鈥檚 very early history.
Interviewed by Richard Webb, Executive Editor, New 杏吧原创 at the Royal Institution, London in Feb 2020.
Learn more about black holes at New 杏吧原创 Academy:Biggest Mysteries of the Cosmos online course