ARC3

Besides the bifurcation points for individual astrophysical objects, there are a few special turning points that forever change the scenery of the whole Universe. At the very beginning of time, a rapid “stretch” of the infant Universe (cosmic inflation) puts in place the seeds from which all cosmic structures later emerged. A few hundred million years later, the foggy Universe, shrouded in darkness, is illuminated by the onset of star and galaxy formation (cosmic reionisation). 

Finally, after billions of years, and around the time when our solar system forms, the gravitational pull of dark and visible matter that decelerates cosmic expansion is usurped by a mysterious force governed by enigmatic dark energy (matter – dark energy transition). A detailed physical understanding of these turning points is still elusive and ARC3 will combine the full suite of astrophysical probes to characterise them beyond their current descriptions. The turning points in ARC3 set the framework for the dynamic evolution studied in ARC1, while new probes will probably arise from the research conducted in ARC2.