UNIVERSE+ Online Seminars (29/29): "Does the Universe Distinguish Between Left and Right? A Tantalizing Hint of Cosmological Parity Violation"

MPP Theory Seminar

Datum: 15.07.2026
Uhrzeit: 16:00 - 17:00
Vortragende(r): Eiichiro Komatsu (MPA)
Eiichiro Komatsu is Director of the Department of Physical Cosmology at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics.
Ort: MPP

UNIVERSE+ Online Seminars (29/29): "Does the Universe Distinguish Between Left and Right? A Tantalizing Hint of Cosmological Parity Violation"

Your registration is valid for the entire UNIVERSE+ Seminar Series, so there is no need to register individually for each session. This activity is part of the ERC Synergy Grant UNIVERSE+ www.positive-geometry.com, funded by the European Union (ERC, UNIVERSE PLUS, 101118787). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Council Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Abstract:

Parity symmetry is violated in the weak interaction. Do the physical laws behind unsolved cosmological problems, such as dark matter and dark energy, also violate parity symmetry? The polarized light of the cosmic microwave background is sensitive to new physics that violates parity symmetry. In this presentation, we present a tantalizing hint of parity violation in the polarization data from two satellite missions: WMAP and Planck. This signal has also been observed in recent data from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope. Taken together, these findings suggest a cosmological parity violation with a statistical significance of 4 sigma. If this signal is confirmed in the future with higher statistical significance, it would have profound implications for the elusive nature of dark matter and dark energy.