Alternative Explanations for Cosmic Acceleration in the Dark Universe

Project Description:

Understanding the accelerating expansion of the Universe remains one of the most significant challenges in cosmology and theoretical physics. While commonly attributed to Dark Energy, its nature is unknown. Competing explanations include the cosmological constant, new types of fields, modifications to General Relativity on large scales or apparent eﬀects due to cosmic inhomogeneity. My proposed MSc research will explore one or more of these possibilities by developing theoretical and computational tools to analyse alternative cosmological models and test their consistency with observational data. This research is motivated by the need to interpret data from future surveys such as the Square Kilometre Array, the Dark Energy Survey, and EUCLID. These observations require theoretical frameworks for testing current assumptions in cosmology. Depending on the direction that emerges during the course of the research, I may focus on modified gravity models that adjust Einstein’s equations, explore model-independent frameworks that reconstruct expansion without relying on specific theories or study the influence of cosmic inhomogeneity on our interpretation of large scale data. The research will combine mathematical modelling with computational methods to derive and simulate predictions from various theoretical approaches. The aim is to produce observational predictions that can be tested using cosmological datasets, including large scale structures, supernovae and lensing surveys. The work will contribute to a deeper understanding of cosmic acceleration and to the broader development of theoretical and computational approaches in cosmology.

Research Area:

Astrophysics

Project Level:

Masters

This Project Is Offered At The Following Node(s):

(UCT)

Special Requirements:

Ability to code in python and some familiarity with symbolic computing is essential.