Computer Science – Learning
Scientific paper
Jan 2012
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2012aas...21930001k&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #219, #300.01
Computer Science
Learning
Scientific paper
Supernovae are exceptionally interesting astronomical objects: they punctuate the end of stellar evolution, create the heavy elements, and blast the interstellar gas with energetic shock waves. By studying supernovae, we can learn how these important aspects of cosmic evolution take place. Over the decades, we have learned that some supernovae are produced by gravitational collapse, and others by thermonuclear explosions.
By understanding what supernovae are, or at least learning how they behave, supernovae explosions have been harnessed for the problem of measuring cosmic distances with some astonishing results. Carefully calibrated supernovae provide the best extragalactic distance indicators to probe the distances to galaxies and to measure the Hubble constant.
Even more interesting is the evidence from supernovae that cosmic expansion has been speeding up over the last 5 billion years. We attribute this acceleration to a mysterious dark energy whose effects are clear, but whose nature is obscure. Combining the cosmic expansion history traced by supernovae with clues from galaxy clustering and cosmic geometry from the microwave background has produced today's standard, but peculiar, picture of a universe that is mostly dark energy, braked (with diminishing effect) by dark matter, and illuminated by a pinch of luminous baryons.
In this talk, I will show how the attempt to understand supernovae, facilitated by ever-improving instruments, has led to the ability to measure the properties of dark energy.
Looking ahead, the properties of supernovae as measured at infrared wavelengths seem to hold the best promise for more precise and accurate distances to help us understand the puzzle of dark energy. My own contribution to this work has been carried out in joyful collaboration with many excellent students, postdocs, and colleagues and with generous support from the places I have worked, the National Science Foundation, and from NASA.
No associations
LandOfFree
Exploding Stars and the Accelerating Universe does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Exploding Stars and the Accelerating Universe, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Exploding Stars and the Accelerating Universe will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1579771