The Very Early Universe

A Brief History of Time

Non-Baryonic Dark Matter: WIMPs

• most dark matter not part of the Standard Model of particle physics
• created in the early universe?
• WIMP direct searches
  • DAMA at Gran Sasso
  • CDMS: detector, results
  • XENON
  • CoGeNT
  • Lux: detector, results

Cosmic Inflation

• Motivation: cosmic puzzles
  flatness, horizon, structure
• Inflation as rapid accelerated expansion
• inflationary solution to flatness