Project Grant 2609396

The National Science Foundation Division of Physics awarded The Leland Stanford Junior University $140,000 for research on probing high-energy physics with the galaxy bispectrum under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences program (CFDA 47.049) on August 15, 2026.

Professor Oliver Philcox will lead research to develop and apply new tools for searching for novel signatures from the early universe, specifically "folded non-Gaussianity," which can be imprinted by energy losses in the first fractions of a second after the Big Bang. The research combines theoretical modeling with numerical analysis using high-performance computing and observational data. Professor Philcox will perform searches for folded non-Gaussianity in the galaxy bispectrum across broad classes of models including energy dissipation during inflation, deriving analytic models for the galaxy bispectrum that incorporate early universe signatures. The research leverages recent advances in high-energy theory, including the open effective field theory of inflation, combined with state-of-the-art modeling of galaxy clustering using the effective field theory of large-scale structure. Over the next decade, astronomical observatories will measure the positions of tens of millions of galaxies, building three-dimensional maps of the universe at unprecedented resolution, enabling physicists to learn about the origins of the cosmos and physics at energy scales far above those accessible in the laboratory.

Graduate students and postdoctoral researchers will receive training in this field. Professor Philcox will present research results in academic and public settings.

Work is performed in Palo Alto, California, with a period of performance from August 15, 2026 through July 31, 2028.