In the second part of their discussion, Pedro Ferreira and Jerome Martin consider ways to build the naturalness of an inflationary model into our expectations for observing it. They debate the feasibility of measuring the degree to which an inflationary model is inspired by considerations from other parts of physics, and describe the applicability of Bayesian methods when we have background knowledge. This discussion was conducted at the University of Oxford on March 15, 2017.

In the first part of their discussion, Pedro Ferreira and Jerome Martin talk about the variety of inflationary models. They discuss methods for distinguishing between them based on evidence and describe the application of Bayesian statistics to inflation. This discussion was conducted at the University of Oxford on March 15, 2017.

What should we expect to learn in the future? In the fourth part of their chat, Dave Sloan and Robert Brandenberger talk about how we expect inflationary theory to develop, and how observations may lead to new physics in this area.

In the third part of their discussion, Dave Sloan and Robert Brandenberger explain the relationship between string theory and inflationary models. Can inflation arise from particle physics, or do we need to look for alternative models? This discussion was conducted at the University of Oxford on March 14, 2017.

In the second part of their discussion, Dave Sloan and Robert Brandenberger tell us what inflation predicts and whether inflation itself seems fine-tuned. This discussion was conducted at the University of Oxford on March 14, 2017.

In the first part of their discussion, Dave Sloan and Robert Brandenberger go over our evidence for inflationary theories and discuss how inflationary models improve on the hot big bang. This discussion was conducted at the University of Oxford on March 14, 2017.

Professor Joe Silk talks with Professor Robert Brandenberger, Professor Jerome Martin, and Dr. Dave Sloan about the current state of research and controversies surrounding inflation. They discuss the possibility of connecting inflation to string theory and the likelihood of the initial conditions required by inflationary models. This lecture was conducted at the Dennis Sciama Theatre at the Denys Wilkinson Building, Oxford, on March 14, 2016.

Professor Robert Brandenberger (McGill) argues that inflationary models still face considerable challenges. He discusses the relationship between inflationary models and particle physics, including string theory and examines alternatives to standard inflationary models. This lecture was conducted at the Dennis Sciama Theatre at the Denys Wilkinson Building, Oxford, on March 14, 2016.

Dr David Sloan (Oxford) discusses the for inflation to occur given typical initial conditions. He argues that, on the right understanding of the background dynamics of the universe, inflationary conditions dominate. This lecture was conducted at the Dennis Sciama Theatre at the Denys Wilkinson Building, Oxford, on March 14, 2016.

Professor Jerome Martin (Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris) explains the current state of evidence for inflationary models. He describes the variety of inflationary models, and discusses how Bayesian statistical methods apply to this space of theories. This lecture was conducted at the Dennis Sciama Theatre at the Denys Wilkinson Building, Oxford, on March 14, 2016.