A physicist and cosmologist from the University of Geneva, who seeks to explain one of the biggest mysteries of the universe: dark energy. We do not know what it is, but we detect its influence in the universe. It is the opposite of gravitational interaction – it makes matter in the universe attract and concentrate. Thanks to gravity, various elements were created shortly after the Big Bang, and then the first stars ignited and planets were formed. Thanks to the dark energy pulled down by gravitational forces, the universe will not collapse into itself, as galaxies, instead of moving closer together, move away from each other, repelled by an invisible force – the mysterious dark energy. Understanding what dark energy is may require the creation of new physics.
Prof. Durrer was also involved in studying the map of the so-called microwave background radiation, which is a kind of photograph of the Big Bang. Physicists believe that by studying this map, we can not only understand the history of the universe, but also the most fundamental laws that govern it.