Rethinking Cosmology - Day 2, Session 3

Explore cutting-edge cosmological research through three comprehensive conference presentations examining the high-redshift universe and its implications for our understanding of cosmic evolution. Delve into Tirthankar Roy Choudhury's analysis of the high-redshift universe as a cosmological laboratory, investigating tensions revealed by JWST observations and anticipating developments in the SKA era. Examine Girish Kulkarni's investigation of cosmic reionization, from the final neutral hydrogen islands to dark sector physics, demonstrating how reionization serves as a powerful tool for constraining cosmological models. Investigate Saurabh Singh's presentation on 21-cm radio constraints that provide unique insights into the high-redshift universe and early cosmic structure formation. Learn about current challenges to the standard ΛCDM cosmological model, including the Hubble tension exceeding 5σ statistical significance and potential violations of cosmological isotropy and homogeneity. Understand how upcoming observatories like the Vera Rubin Observatory, DESI, Euclid, SPHEREx, JWST, and SKA will revolutionize cosmological observations with unprecedented statistical precision. Discover the role of cosmic microwave background polarization data, large-scale structure surveys, and radio astronomy in testing fundamental cosmological frameworks. Gain insights into India's growing participation in major international cosmological efforts, including CMB-Bhārat mission proposals and full membership in the SKA Observatory, positioning the Indian cosmology community at the forefront of testing standard cosmological models.