HEP Theory Journal Club

Emergent Cosmology from Matrix Theory

Samuel Laliberté

McGill

Matrix theory is a proposed non-perturbative definition of superstring theory in which space is emergent. In this talk, I will discuss how matrix theory can lead to an emergent non-singular cosmology which, at late times, can be described by an expanding phase of Standard Big Bang cosmology. In the emergent phase, thermal fluctuations source an approximately scale-invariant spectrum of cosmological perturbations and a scale-invariant spectrum of gravitational waves. Hence, it appears that matrix theory can lead to a successful scenario for the origin of perturbations responsible for the currently observed structure in the universe while providing a consistent UV-complete description.