The biggest mysteries of the universe
How big is the universe? What is it made of? What happened at the Big Bang? What are dark matter and dark energy? What happens near the event horizon of a black hole?
Modern science has opened our horizon to an unexpected cosmos: a universe filled with mysterious forms of matter and energy, and with places and events where the known laws of physics literally break down. We will embark on a journey through space and time, and discover how the biggest mysteries in the universe appear to have something in common: they sink their roots into a microcosm ruled not by gravity, but by quantum physics. We will then see how a new science, which we refer to as "multi-messenger" astronomy, may hold the keys to finally solve these mysteries, and establish a connection between the infinitely large and infinitely small.
This event is an initiative by the Dutch Institute for Emergent Phenomena (DIEP) with the support of NWA Route 2. Science & Cocktails Amsterdam is presented in cooperation with Paradiso Amsterdam.
Event image from the "Illustris Collaboration" / "Illustris Simulation".
Talk by
Gianfranco Bertone
Professor of Theoretical Astroparticle Physics at the Center of Excellence in Gravitation and Astroparticle Physics of the U. of Amsterdam. After an MSc at the University “La Sapienza” of Rome and a PhD at the University of Oxford and the Institute of Astrophysics in Paris, Gianfranco Bertone held teaching and research positions at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, the University of Padova, the Institut d’Astrophysique in Paris and the University of Zurich, before moving permanently to Amsterdam in 2011.
In 2011, together with a group of talented young faculty, Gianfranco contributed to establish in Amsterdam the GRAPPA center of excellence in Gravitation and Astroparticle Physics, for which he acted as Spokesperson until 2019. Since July 2019 Gianfranco is the Founding Director of the European Consortium for Astroparticle Theory, which aims to bring together the European community of theoretical astroparticle physicists and cosmologists. Gianfranco strongly believes in the importance of science outreach. He has written two popular science books, and gave a number of public lectures. Gianfranco has launched in 2018 a new initiative for the communication of science, Premio Cosmos, for which he acts as president.
