Illuminating the Cosmos: Dark matter, primordial black holes, and cosmic dawn
The $Λ$-CDM model of cosmology has done much to clarify our picture of the early universe. However, there are still some questions that $Λ$-CDM does not necessarily answer; questions such as what is the fundamental nature of dark matter? What is its origin? And what causes the intriguing measurements that we are seeing from cosmic dawn? In this thesis, I will describe three directions in which I have pushed forward our understanding of how fundamental physics manifests in cosmology. First, I …