Mapping the Dark Energy Equation of State
Abstract
Description
The acceleration of the expansion of the universe has deep implications for structure formation, the composition of the universe, and its fate. Roughly 70% of the energy density is in a dark energy, whose nature remains unknown. Mapping the expansion history through supernovae, mapping the geometry of the universe and formation of structure through redshift surveys, and mapping the distance to recombination through the cosmic microwave background provide complementary, precise probes of the equation of state of the dark energy. Together these next generation maps of the cosmos can reveal not only the value today, but the redshift variation, of the equation of state, providing a critical clue to the underlying physics.
8 pages; to appear in Maps of the Cosmos, ASP conference series, IAU Symposium 216, eds. M. Colless and L. Staveley-Smith
8 pages; to appear in Maps of the Cosmos, ASP conference series, IAU Symposium 216, eds. M. Colless and L. Staveley-Smith