The Beginning of the Universe

Tonight, Ivan will tell us about the beginning of the universe.

Before planets and stars and galaxies, before molecules and atoms, before the plasma soup of elementary particles, before the fundamental forces were created, at the time when the observable universe was so small it could fit in one’s palm, there was a time of unity and simplicity. It was at that time that the Universe created a time capsule, a tiny container of the universe preserved in its pristine state. No one has ever seen such container, prosaically called a "cosmic string", although many have looked.

Through the talk, we embark on the journey of understanding how physics arises from numbers, how forces of nature are created, and why we believe the Big Bang time capsules must exist.
If stars align and EPFL lends us some equipment, we will make a Small Bang in the room, create a new microcosm, break some fundamental forces, and create a tiny time capsule of our own universe.
Ivan Madan spent his youth as an experimental physicist playing with very short processes in diverse areas of physics spanning from bio- to quantum and nuclear physics. Nowadays, he is interested in awareness of human experience and the emergence of knowledge, emotions, and societal dynamics out of it.
As per usual doors will open at 19:00 and the talk will start at 20:00. Snacks and drinks will be provided but feel free to bring something to share :)
Tentative end date for the talk is 21:00 but most people stay longer so we typically close the space only at 23:00ish.

Luma Link: https://lu.ma/dhkbjp9l