J.Pniewski & L.Infeld Colloquium
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2026-04-27 (Monday)
room 0.06, Pasteura 5 at 11:00 
dr Stanisław Bajtlik (Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw)6 DIFFICULT PIECES, or the Greatest Unsolved Problems in Physics
Astrophysics is probably the most rapidly developing branch of science, which also attracts a widespread public attention. I shall briefly present a few fundamental and profound astrophysics problems that seem to be solvable in the near future. They have generated much confusion, are interesting and beautiful; exploring and understanding them can bring much joy and satisfaction. Above all, I want to explain "how we know that we know".
The problems are:
1. What is the Universe made of: dark matter and dark energy;
2. Paradoxes of the classical Big Bang theory – flatness of space-time, causality, magnetic monopoles; does the theory of cosmic inflation solve these problems?
3. Finite or infinite Universe. Geometry vs. topology;
4. Life in the Universe;
5. Cosmic singularities – the Big Bang, black holes, what remains after black hole evaporation?
6. Eternal life of the Universe? What will be left behind (and within) it?
The problems are:
1. What is the Universe made of: dark matter and dark energy;
2. Paradoxes of the classical Big Bang theory – flatness of space-time, causality, magnetic monopoles; does the theory of cosmic inflation solve these problems?
3. Finite or infinite Universe. Geometry vs. topology;
4. Life in the Universe;
5. Cosmic singularities – the Big Bang, black holes, what remains after black hole evaporation?
6. Eternal life of the Universe? What will be left behind (and within) it?