February 09, 2010
Discovered over a decade ago, dark energy remains a profound mystery to this day. Many believe that its explanation will have as profound an impact on our understanding of physics as was caused by the introduction of relativity and quantum theory. NASA Astrophysics missions, such as the Hubble Space Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Observatory, have played a crucial role in the discovery of dark energy and in constraining its equation of state. Potential future space missions, including the Joint Dark Energy Mission, the International X-ray Observatory and the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, can probe this mystery more deeply. Does the behavior of dark energy differ from that dictated by Einstein’s cosmological constant? Is “dark energy” an artifact caused by the failure of general relativity in a cosmological context? This talk describes the how NASA missions have and will address these fundamental questions.
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Colloquia are held Tuesdays in Room 1410 at 4:00 pm (preceded by light refreshments at 3:30). If you have additional questions, please call 301-405-5946.
