Summer Program
Mechanisms, Simulations, and Data: New Physics in Precision Cosmology
May 30–June 20, 2027
Organizers:
Kim V. Berghaus, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Marc Kamionkowski, Johns Hopkins University
Soubhik Kumar, Tufts University
Rashmish K. Mishra , Harvard University
The coming decade will deliver an unprecedented influx of precision cosmological data from the cosmic microwave background, large-scale structure, 21-cm line-intensity mapping, and gravitational waves, creating an urgent need to connect theoretical mechanisms with observational signatures. This workshop plans to bring together experts in quantum field theory (QFT), lattice simulations, and cosmological data analysis to address a critical gap: the limited cross-talk between theory- and data-driven communities working on early Universe physics. Participants will focus on three interconnected challenges — obtaining precision predictions from first-principles QFT mechanisms across perturbative and non-perturbative regimes, applying these to resolve cosmological tensions, and developing statistical techniques, including ML/AI tools, to uncover subtle new physics signatures. By fostering dialogue across these communities, the workshop aims to build the foundations for a coherent theoretical and observational program as we enter the era of precision cosmology.
Summer Workshops
The summer program, running for 16 weeks from late-May to mid-September, emphasizes exciting open problems at the cutting edge. Two or three concurrent workshops, each with a specific focus selected for timeliness and the potential for breakthroughs and of two to five weeks in length, establish the main themes of each week, with twelve or thirteen different workshops each summer, balanced across fields including particle physics, string theory, astrophysics and hard and soft condensed matter physics, as well as emerging areas including biological physics, ultra-cold atom physics, quantum information, and physical mathematics. Additional researchers participate in small working groups or as individual researchers. This framework is designed to maximize informal interactions and free discussion within each area and to promote cross-fertilization between different areas via the common language of theoretical physics. Participation in the summer program of the Aspen Center for Physics is by application and subsequent invitation only. View past workshops.
