Written in the Stars: The Story of the Universe

Is the Universe we live in the result of a simulation? Assuming the Universe we observe is real, can we better understand it by simulating a 'fake' Universe? Our discussion will highlight how crucial numerical simulations are in today's astrophysics and cosmology research and what challenges must be overcome to produce universes that are as realistic as possible using the most advanced supercomputers. Tune in and join our journey through the evolution of galaxies, the cosmic web, cutting-edge supercomputers and, more generally, how we can digitally create a universe in a box.

One of the most captivating stories is how everything has formed from nothing into something. In cosmology this is the story of structure formation; how the complex structures we see today formed from the very simple universe right after the Big Bang. With time, tiny differences have grown into a vast cosmic web determining where structures grow. Measuring the Cosmic Microwave Background has improved our understanding, but a significant gap remains. In the dark ages before stars, clouds of neutral hydrogen formed and glowed dimly, allowing us to access this hidden information of our universe.

Modern cosmology seems to be in the midst of a minor crisis. It seems that our view of the Universe is different depending on what we look at and how we measure it. Can we distinguish between whether our understanding of the Universe is incomplete, whether our understanding of our telescopes is incomplete? Does human psychology and unconscious bias even have a part to play? Like scientists, we’ll grab a pint of something and talk the problem through, discuss how we may solve it, and see how the next generation of galaxy surveys might help us, or maybe make the problem worse.