Testing Inflation with Large Scale Structure: Connecting Hopes with Reality
The workshop will take place at the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (CITA) on October 23-24, 2014. The workshop will have no research talks, but will instead consist of a number of organized discussions. These discussions will cover both interesting theoretical targets in the post-Planck era but also the practical and technical challenges of reaching these targets. Our goal is to clarify the roadmap for making LSS a useful testing ground for inflation.
The meeting will include 15-20 external participants in addition to locals from the greater Toronto area. The precise topics and organization of the workshop will ultimately be determined by the participants.
The organizers, Daniel Green and Olivier Doré
Participants
Marcelo Alvarez (CITA)
Valentin Assassi (Cambridge)
Tobias Baldauf (IAS)
Jonathan Braden (CITA)
Dick Bond (CITA)
Neal Dalal (Illinois)
Roland De Putter (JPL/Caltech)
Amir Hajian (CITA)
Chris Hirata (Ohio State)
Dragan Huterer (Michigan)
Donghui Jeong (Penn State)
Takeshi Kobayashi (CITA)
Marilena Loverde (U Chicago)
Elisabeth Krause (Stanford)
Dan Meerburg (CITA)
Joel Meyers (CITA)
Uros Seljak (Berkeley)
Leonardo Senatore (Stanford)
Sarah Shandera (Penn State)
Eva Silverstein (Stanford)
Anze Slosar (Brookhaven)
Kendrick Smith (Perimeter)
Alex van Engelen (CITA)
Matthias Zaldarriaga (IAS)
Agenda (updated 09/24/14, scope or discussion outlined below)
11:30-12:30: Status of the Bispectrum (Discussion VI), leaders Baldauf & Krause (1318)
12:30-02:00: Lunch (local restaurants)
02:00-03:00: Other probes (e.g. mass function, cross correlations, etc) (Discussion VII), leaders Bond, Shandera, Smith (1318)
03:00-03:30: Coffee (Physics lounge)
03:30-05:00: What does an ideal experiment look like? (Discussion VIII), leaders Hirata & de Putter (1318)
Discussion scope
Discussion I: Scale dependent bias status
What are re the best current limits on non-gaussanity from scale dependent bias?
What do we know from simulations and what are the current limitations?
....
Discussion II: Theoretical Targets for bias in galaxy power spectra
What would we learn from improved bounds on local non-gaussianity or other targets with non-trivial squeezed limit (e.g. quasi-single field inflation), features (oscillations) in the power spectrum, and re-measuring power at low-\ell?
...
Discussion III: GR effects and astrophysics systematics
What are the challenges for scale dependent bias such as contaminants of the signal, status of GR effects and dangerous systematics?
...
Discussion IV: What are LSS/Euclid/DESI/SPHEREx capable of?
What are the forecasts for inflationary observables?
What are the main issues for dealing future surveys (systematics, modeling bias or RSD, foregrounds, etc.) and prospects/utility of measuring fNL without cosmic variance?
...
Discussion V: Ideal theory targets
What are the most exciting theoretical targets for inflation:
What level of sensitivity is needed to be interesting and what level would be ideal?
...
Discussion VI: Status of the Bispectrum
What is the status of bispectrum measurement and prospect for future experiments?
...
Discussion VII:Other probes (e.g. mass function, cross correlations, etc)
What advantages / disadvantages do other probes have?
How are they complimentary to correlation functions?
...
Discussion VIII: What does an ideal experiment look like?
What issues discussed in the meeting be addressed with survey design and what would be the ideal survey?
What problems need to be addressed through analysis, modeling or simulations (independent of design)?