
Full-Kinematics Cosmological Collider at Higher Masses and Higher Loop
Qianshu Lu, of the Institute for Advanced Study, presents on the cosmological collider, a framework for using patterns imprinted in the early universe's density fluctuations to detect heavy particles that existed during inflation. Delivered at the MPG-IAS-NTU Center kick-off conference in Wolfensohn Hall, the talk extends collider signatures beyond the simplest cases, working through the full kinematics needed to capture signals from particles with higher masses and computing the loop corrections that become relevant at that level of precision. Lu lays out the technical machinery, walking through how non-Gaussianity in the cosmic microwave background and large-scale structure encodes information about particle masses and spins, and where current calculations break down as one pushes to heavier states and higher loop order. The talk assumes familiarity with quantum field theory and inflationary cosmology and is aimed at researchers working on primordial non-Gaussianity and collider-style cosmological signatures.