Axel Brandenburg. Illustration by Alessia Ferraro.
Nordita researcher is exploring the earliest moments of the cosmos
Axel Brandenburg, professor at Nordita, has been awarded both a prestigious ERC Synergy Grant and a Swedish Research Council (VR) grant to advance his research on the very first microseconds of the universe. The ERC-funded project, COSMOMAG, brings together an international team of leading scientists to probe the origins of the cosmos using magnetic fields.
“We hope to find out whether significant magnetic fields were generated by the end of the very early exponential expansion of the universe, when the electromagnetic and weak forces decoupled, or when quarks became confined. By combining expertise in theory and simulations with that in various modern observations, we can use magnetic fields to probe the conditions of the universe when important beyond-standard-model processes occurred,” says Axel Brandenburg.
The COSMOMAG project will combine observations across multiple observational channels such as gamma rays, radio waves, cosmic rays, the cosmic microwave background, and gravitational waves, with advanced simulations. By studying the magnetic fields of the universe, the team wants to reconstruct the physical processes that took place in its earliest moments. Understanding these first microseconds of the universe also reveals some of the most fundamental physical processes such as how the Universe became hot and uniform after its very early exponential expansion, how the forces of nature split apart, and how matter, antimatter, and dark matter first appeared.
Brandenburg leads the project together with Andrii Neronov (Université Paris Cité and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne), Franco Vazza (University of Bologna), and Chiara Caprini (CERN and University of Geneva). Axel notes that “Nordita facilitates interaction with researchers from different disciplines, an important asset in this type of basic research.”
In addition to the ERC grant, Axel Brandenburg has also received a Swedish Research Council (VR) grant to further support his research. This project will investigate the evolution of primordial magnetic fields and their imprint on gravitational waves, helping to refine models of the early universe.
“The VR grant gives additional boost and freedom in developing my research and expanding it in new directions” says Axel.
We look forward to following the progress of this exciting research and sharing new results as they emerge from the COSMOMAG and VR projects.
From left to right: Chiara Caprini, Franco Vazza, Andrii Neronov, Axel Brandenburg.
