From the discovery of the Higgs Boson to the map of the early universe, today's physicists have pushed the boundaries of our knowledge further than we thought possible. But from the elusive energy that drives the universe to the strangely low mass of the Higgs boson, new challenges await. In this course professor David Tong explores the edges of our understanding and the answers that we hope to have in the next few years.

By the end of the course, you will have learned:

how dark energy and dark matter stand up to scrutiny

why dark energy is so unsettling for physicists

the nature of the building blocks of matter

what the Higgs does and why it remains mysterious

the reasons why inflation is unavoidable

the full story behind the gravitational waves headlines of 2014.

As part of the course there are in-video quiz questions to consolidate your learning, suggested further readings to stimulate a deeper exploration of the topic, discussion boards to have your say and an end-of-course assessment set by Professor Tong.

IAI Academy courses are designed to be challenging but accessible to the interested student. No specialist knowledge is required.