Syksy Räsänen

Senior researcher in theoretical physics at the
University of Helsinki, Department of Physics,
Division of Particle Physics and Astrophysics

Adjunct researcher at Helsinki Institute of Physics

Teoreettisen fysiikan dosentti Helsingin yliopistolla,
vanhempi tutkija hiukkasfysiikan ja astrofysiikan osastolla,
adjungoitu tutkija Fysiikan tutkimuslaitoksella

University of Helsinki
Department of Physics
P.O. Box 64 (Gustaf Hällströmin katu 2a)
FIN-00014 University of Helsinki
Finland

+358 (0)2 941 51012

syksy dot rasanen at helsinki dot fi

Teaching
Research interests
  • My main research topics at the moment are the effect of cosmological structure formation on the expansion of the universe and on light propagation, and Higgs inflation. I am interested in the backreaction conjecture, according to which structure formation would lead to the observed larger expansion rate and longer distances without the need for dark energy or modified gravity. Other research topics past and present include the cosmic microwave background, dark energy, magnetogenesis, tests of homogeneity and isotropy, primordial black holes, string gas cosmology and the ekpyrotic scenario. I am a member of the Euclid consortium.

  • Popular articles about backreaction include these from Scientific American, New Scientist, Space.com and New Scientist. For an introduction for physicists, see this review or this review. A CGQ+ Insight piece on the backreaction debate is here.
CV, publications and talks
Popular
  • My popular talks, essays, articles and so on are announced on my Twitter account.

  • I write a popular blog on particle physics and cosmology called Kosmokseen kirjoitettua for the astronomical society URSA. (I used to write the blog Maailmankaikkeutta etsimässä for the Magazine Tiede until quitting at the end of May 2013.) (In Finnish.)

  • From 2014 to 2015, I wrote a monthly science column for the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat. (In Finnish.)

  • Article about why there are so few women in physics in the Helsinki teachers' trade union magazine Rihveli 2/2022. (In Finnish.)

  • Article about black holes in the Helsinki teachers' trade union magazine Rihveli 1/2022. (In Finnish.)

  • Article about quantum mechanics in the Helsinki teachers' trade union magazine Rihveli 2/2021. (In Finnish.)

  • Article about the nature of time in the Helsinki teachers' trade union magazine Rihveli 1/2021. (In Finnish.)

  • Article about dark energy in the Helsinki teachers' trade union magazine Rihveli 2/2020. (In Finnish.)

  • Article about diversity and equality in physics published in the physics and mathematics magazine Arkhimedes 1/2020. (In English.)

  • Article about aspects of beauty in physics in the Helsinki teachers' trade union magazine Rihveli 1/2020. (In Finnish.)

  • Comment on the bishops' statement "Tieteiden lahja" on religion and science in the magazine Areiopagi. (In Finnish.)

  • Article about the problems of physics curriculum in schools in the Helsinki teachers' trade union magazine Rihveli 2/2019. (In Finnish.)

  • Letter by myself and colleagues on the importance of voting for politicians who support science and education. (In Finnish.)

  • Article about grand unified theories and different routes of scientific progress in the Helsinki area teachers' union magazine Rihveli. (In Finnish.)

  • Blog entry about the crisis in scientific journal publishing.(In English.)

  • Article about cosmology and courage was published in the book Kaikenlaista rohkeutta of the 2019 Science Forum in Helsinki. (In Finnish.)

  • Article about about the school physics curriculum in the science teachers' association MAOL's magazine Dimensio 4/2018. (In Finnish.)

  • Article about dark matter as an example of the gradual accumulation of scientific understanding in the Helsinki teachers' trade union magazine Rihveli. (In Finnish.)

  • Article about the school physics curriculum for Yle. (In Finnish.)

  • Article about gravitational waves and beauty in the Helsinki teachers' union magazine Rihveli. (In Finnish.)

  • Article touching on the usefulness of physics in the magazine Eteläsuomalainen, published by Eteläsuomalainen osakunta (pages 14-15). (In Finnish.)

  • Article about facts and action in science and politics in the Helsinki teachers' union magazine Rihveli (pages 6-9). (In Finnish.)

  • Column about cosmology, literature and mythology was published in the University of Helsinki comparative literature students' magazine Teema 1/2017. (In Finnish.)

  • A defense of the theory of everything in the magazine Tieteessä tapahtuu. (In Finnish.)

  • Article about teaching physics and the meaning of physics in the Helsinki area teachers' trade union magazine Rihveli (pages 6-7). (In Finnish.)

  • Republication of my assessment of the University of Helsinki's Visio400 process in a collection of critical writings on the University of Helsinki. (In Finnish.)

  • An overview of 100 years of general relativity in the science teachers' association MAOL's magazine Dimensio (In Finnish.)

  • Article about the responsibility of scientists, "Tiedettä apartheidin aikaan", in the magazine Tiedepolitiikka. (In Finnish.)

  • A critical assessment of the University of Helsinki's Visio400 process and leadership in the magazine Image. (In Finnish.)

  • Review of Nate Silver's book "The Signal and the Noise" in the magazine Tieteessä tapahtuu. (In Finnish.)

  • Press release about our paper on testing cosmic homogeneity and isotropy. (In Finnish.)

  • Article about predictions in science in the magazine Tieteessä tapahtuu. (In Finnish.)

  • Article about dark matter, dark energy and cosmology in the magazine Skeptikko 1/2015. (In Finnish.)

  • Article about predictions in economics and the responsibility of scientists in the magazine Tieteessä tapahtuu. (In Finnish.)

  • Review of an introductory text on special relativity. (In Finnish.)

  • Speech on Hiroshima day in 2014. (In Finnish.)

  • Essay about utopia published in the magazine Hybris. (In Finnish.)

  • Article co-written with Kari Enqvist on the curious phenomenon of relativity denialism in the magazine Tieteessä tapahtuu. (In Finnish.)

  • In 2014, I was awarded the J.V. Snellman prize for communicating science to the public by the University of Helsinki. My acceptance speech is here. (In Finnish.)

  • In 2013, I co-scripted a circus show about the history of the universe.

  • Talk on publishing in particle physics and cosmology at an event about the future of Finnish university research and teaching, organised by the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Academy of Finland. (In Finnish.)

  • A comment on some misconceptions regarding general relativity and quantum physics in the magazine Tieteessä tapahtuu. (In Finnish.)

  • Interview about open access and the boycott of the corporate publisher Elsevier in the May 2012 issue of Yliopistolainen. (In Finnish on page 10, in English on page 24.)

  • Article on Einstein as a dissident of physics and politics in the magazine Tieteessä tapahtuu. (In Finnish.)

  • I often give public talks. One of my favourites was this one on dark energy at Arkadia International Bookshop. (In English.)

    Video recordings of talks include one at Studia Generalia about dark matter, at Vox about doing physics (my piece starts at 42.50) and at Tiedeviikko about my own research. (In Finnish.)

  • Recordings of interviews include a light-hearted half an hour at Radio Rock's Heikelä Korporaatio, touching on matters such as the big bang, free will, roleplaying games and time travel. I was also interviewed on Heikelä Korporaatio about the search for the Higgs particle (starting at 14.57). There's also a later interview about matters such as the Higgs particle and the Schrödinger's cat. (In Finnish.)

  • I was a member of HS-raati, a group of Finns whom the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat asked for opinions on topical matters. My answers on issues such as the "war on terror", the Occupy movement, the legacy of Steve Jobs, the presidency of Tarja Halonen, intervention in Syria, president Niinistö's working group on social exclusion, the Muhammad video and Pekka Himanen's sustainable development report can be found on the HS website. (In Finnish.)