10 May 2007

Speaker: Robert Kirshner (CfA)

Title:Fundamentals of Supernova Cosmology

Abstract: Supernova observations form the foundation of evidence for an accelerating universe. Diligent work on supernova spectroscopy and supernova photometry in the nearby Universe allows for tests of the assumptions that make supernovae so powerful at high redshift. The current state of the CfA program at low-z, the ESSENCE program at intermediate redshift, and the Higher-Z program with the HST at redshifts near 1 will be discussed, and the best inferences for the properties of dark energy presented. A flat universe with a cosmological constant for the dark energy is consistent with all the current constraints. Alternate hypotheses for DGP gravity and for the Chapylgin gas, inspired by brane physics, are not supported by the current data. Plans for Pan-STARRS, the DESTINY probe as the Joint Dark Energy Mission and the Giant Magellan Telescope as a tool for supernova cosmology will be sketched.

Video of the Presentation (Talks can be viewed with RealPlayer. Free download is available from www.real.com )