Dr. Peisi Huang will present her colloquium topic, “The First Picosecond and the Dark Secrets of the Universe” in person. Coffee and cookies will be set-up beforehand at 3:30pm.

ABSTRACT: The study of cosmic phase transitions (PTs) is of central interest in modern cosmology. Cosmic PTs could have a variety of essential roles in the evolution of the Universe, from creating matter-antimatter asymmetry to forming dark matter and primordial black holes, and generating a potentially observable background of gravitational radiation. The study of cosmic PTs offers compelling opportunities to advance our understanding of the origin of cosmic structure. The rapidly developing gravitational wave and collider experiments provide exciting possibilities for direct and indirect probes of cosmic PTs. In this talk, I will focus on the possible cosmic PT during the first picosecond after the big bang, and their roles in solving some of the fundamental mysteries of the Universe.