Szczecińska Grupa Kosmologiczna / Szczecin Cosmology Group

The Szczecin Cosmology Group was established at the beginning of the 1990s. It is formed mainly of the scientific staff of the Institute of Physics and the former Faculty of Mathematics and Physics (since 1.10.2019 Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences) of the University of Szczecin.

The main research interests of the group are concentrated on the topics listed below:

• Fundamental cosmology based on unified theories of all the fundamental interactions (nuclear strong, nuclear weak, electromagnetic, and gravitational).
• Alternative gravites (higher-order gravity, Galileon gravity, Lorentz violating theories, etc.).
• Quantum gravity phenomenology (Generalized and Extended Uncertainty Principles, black hole thermodynamics, etc.).
• Varying physical constants cosmologies. Observational and experimental consequences of the variability of physical constants.
• Superstring and M-theory cosmology. Brane cosmology. Pre-Big-Bang cosmology scenario and superinflation. Ekpyrotic/cyclic cosmology. Horava-Witten cosmology. The notions of the Multiverse and the superstring landscape.
• Inflation and large-scale structure of the universe. Large extra dimensions. Gravitational waves.
• Observational verification of the cosmological models (supernovae, baryon acoustic oscillations, cosmic microwave background, redshift drift).
• Phantom cosmology and phantom duality. Exotic singularity cosmologies (big-rip, sudden future singularities, finite scale factor singularities, big separation, w-singularities). Chaotic cosmology.
• Dark energy and dark matter.
• Quantum cosmology and loop quantum cosmology.
• The structure of space-time singularities. Inhomogeneous cosmology. Scalar-tensor cosmology. Conformally invariant cosmology.

In the years 2013-18 the group was running the project MAESTRO-3 “New consequences of the variability of fundamental constants in physics and cosmology” (No DEC-2012/06/A/ST2/00395). It contains the problems related to the theoretical and observational consequences of timely and spatial variability of the speed of light c, gravitational constant G, fine structure constant α, proton to electron mass ratio and other physical constants. The scenarios of the evolution of the Universe with varying fundamental constants in the context of superstring theory (superstring landscape) and the Multiverse concept are also considered.

• On the 24th of April 2020 an article entitled "Four direct measuremets of the fine-structure constant 13 billion years ago" was published in a prestigous research journal "Science Advances". The paper which was devoted to the measurement of the fine structure constant (alpha) using the signal from a distant quasar J1120+0641. Co-authors are M.P. Dąbrowski, K. Leszczyńska, and K. Marosek from our Cosmology Group. The research was also commented in the Polish Service "Nauka w Polsce" and "The First News". The popular science service phys.org interviews the leader of the project prof. John Webb of the University of New South Wales Sydney, Australia. See also University of Szczecin webpage and the TVP Polonia broadcast about the discovery. See also "WP-Projekt" and "Filozofia Przyrody" (both in Polish).
• Prof. Mariusz P. Dąbrowski together with Dr. Ana Alonso-Serrano and prof. Thomas Naumann edited a special volume devoted to physical and philosophical problems of the fundamental constants and fundamental physical laws entitled "The Multiverse".
• Recognizing the results of the MAESTRO-3 grant the Forum of Smart Development awarded Polish Prize of Smart Development in the category "Scientist of the Future" to its Principal Investigator prof. Mariusz P. Dąbrowski. Certificate of the prize was handed in on the 10th of June 2019 during the gala at Kopernik Science Centre in Warsaw and the prize was awarded during the Forum of Smart Development at Uniejów Spa Park on 28-29 November 2019.
• Gravity Research Foundation has awarded an Honorable Mention in Awards for Essays for 2018 to Ana Alonso-Serrano, Mariusz P. Dąbrowski, and Hussain Gohar for an essay "Minimal length and the flow of entropy from black holes".
• "New Scientist" about our paper on black hole information and Hawking radiation by A. Alonso-Serrano, M.P. Dąbrowski, H. Gohar, Phys. Rev. D97, 044029 (2018)
• V. Salzano inteviewed about his work on fundamental constants variability as alternative gravity theories for the CANTATA European Cost Action in which we also participate.
• Annalen der Physik about inhomogeneities due to spatial variations of the speed of light by M.P. Dąbrowski, V. Salzano, and A. Balcerzak
  Ann. Phys. 529 (2017), 1600409.
• Phys.org about our method of cosmological measurement of the speed of light with cosmic rulers and clocks (chronometers) by V. Salzano, M.P. Dąbrowski, and R. Lazkoz Phys. Rev. Lett. 114 (2015), 101304.