Matthew Kleban, New York University

Topic: "Watching Worlds Collide: Testing the Multiverse with Observational Cosmology"  (Video)

Abstract: String theory predicts that our entire observable universe is a tiny part of an enormous cosmic landscape populated by bubbles containing highly exotic physics.. This picture, if correct, revolutionizes our understanding of the universe on both the largest and most microscopic length scales. Some have criticized the multiverse as untestable or non-scientific. In this talk, I will present a number of avenues by which the multiverse can be falsified or confirmed using current and near-future data from observational cosmology.