DR. PAVAN KUMAR ALURI

The cosmological principle states that the universe is homogeneous and isotropic on very large scales. It was initially made as a simplifying assumption to begin describing the universe quantitatively, and partly as a generalization of Copernican principle. With the advent of precision data in cosmology this assumption which is the basis of our current standard model of cosmology can be vigorously tested. The highly isotropic cosmic microwave background itself established this principle much firmly. However, there are some deviations observed in various astronomical data which suggest a violation of isotropy. In this talk, such instances of isotropy breakdown as seen in the cosmic microwave background called "anomalies" will be discussed. Further such a violation, also seen in the supernova data will be presented, and concluded with a brief outline of the current work being pursued.