Dr. Alvaro de la Cruz Dombriz from ACGC UCT Cosmology group will present a seminar entitled "Explaining dark energy and dark matter. The Cosmology at the beginning of 21st century".  

Some of the most important open questions in both Cosmology, Gravitation and Astrophysics, concern the lack of explanations for the presence, nature and key features of the Dark Energy and the Dark Matter components.  In order to do so, my research at the UCT Cosmology group aims to explore viable extended theories of gravity able to pass astrophysical and theoretical tests, fit the latest data from satellites, telescopes and particle accelerators. Eventually, constraints for the parameters of the suggested theories and models might be found, leading to unveil the underlying gravitational theory, the dimensionality of the space-time and the origin and late fate of the Universe. I will provide an overview of the state of the art different techniques under study at the UCT Cosmology group and explain several possibilities of pursuing a career in Cosmology.