Abstract
The opening lecture focused on one of the greatest challenges facing theoretical physics today, that of unifying our understanding of the infinitely large (the entire Universe) and the infinitely small (the physics of elementary particles).
Einstein's theory of general relativity is our preferred tool for describing gravitation and the evolution of the Universe, while the "Standard Model" provides a highly detailed description of elementary particles and their interactions according to the laws of quantum mechanics and special relativity.
Unfortunately, the principles of general relativity and those of quantum mechanics are not compatible, which prevents us from tackling several cosmological enigmas, particularly those concerning the primordial Universe.
Yet, since the 1960s, we have known of a good candidate for unifying these two pillars of physics of the last century: string theory. Its often surprising properties give us great hope of solving, in the medium term, the fundamental problems that exist in particle physics, quantum gravitation and, above all, cosmology.
