Preface to ‘The future of mathematical cosmology'

This is the first part of the theme issue ‘The Future of Mathematical Cosmology’ which is published in two separate volumes by the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A. Overall, the two volumes contain a number of research, review and opinion articles, covering multiform aspects of mathematical and theoretical cosmology. The subject of mathematical cosmology plays a fundamental role in theoretical physics today and has deep applications in contemporary astronomy and astrophysics. Motivating important new ties and connections with general relativity and correlating with diverse features of string theory and quantum gravity, theoretical cosmology is in fact the most obvious ‘testing agent’ for many of the most advanced, pioneering or speculative ideas in these fields. Mathematical cosmology has acquired a unique status, potential and independence as a scientific field. It reveals its own problems, methods and techniques, often with the stimulus of general relativity, quantum field theory and above all differential geometry, but it also serves as the inevitable tank of ideas and models for use of the more data-driven, ‘actual’ physical cosmology. In fact, mathematical theoretical cosmology provides the driving force behind modern attempts to explain the— now manifold—observational cosmology data. We believe that this theme issue will be useful as a lasting guide and reference for interested people entering the field, as well as for experienced researchers who seek to expand their field of vision in this most majestic of scientific enterprises.