These lectures will introduce the central ideas of cosmological inflation and explore what lies beyond the standard model of cosmology. We will start with a short overview of the key cosmological concepts, before turning to the horizon and flatness problems that motivate the need for a rapid early expansion of the universe. Using a simple single-field inflationary model, we will then highlight the key features of inflation and the calculations required to connect theory with observations. Finally, we will briefly explore further implications of inflation, including the possible formation of primordial black holes and cosmological particle production.
This event is part of the master lecture series organized by the Section for Theoretical Physics.