Supercomputer could throw light on dark energy (Forwarded)
- From: Andrew Yee <ayee@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 01:06:38 GMT
ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY PRESS INFORMATION NOTE
CONTACTS
Professor Carlos Frenk
Director of the Institute for Computational Cosmology, is available for
interview on Thursday, January 10, 1.30pm to 7pm (GMT), and Friday,
January 11, 9am to 5pm (GMT), tel: +44 (0) 191 334 3641
Or
Durham University Media Office
tel: +44 (0) 191 334 6075
EMBARGOED UNTIL 0001 GMT, FRIDAY 11 JANUARY 2008
RAS PN 08/03
SUPERCOMPUTER COULD THROW LIGHT ON DARK ENERGY
Cosmologists at Durham University's world-leading Institute for
Computational Cosmology (ICC) have run a series of huge computer
simulations of the Universe that could help solve one of astronomy's
greatest mysteries. The results tell researchers how to measure dark
energy -- a force that counteracts gravity and could decide the ultimate
fate of the cosmos.
The findings, to be published on Friday, 11 January in the Monthly Notices
of the Royal Astronomical Society, will also provide vital input into the
design of a proposed satellite mission called SPACE -- the SPectroscopic
All-sky Cosmic Explorer -- that could unveil the nature of dark energy.
The discovery of dark energy in 1998 was completely unexpected and
understanding its nature is one of the biggest problems in physics.
Scientists believe that dark energy, which makes up 70 per cent of the
Universe, is driving its accelerating expansion. If this expansion
continues to accelerate experts say it could eventually lead to a Big
Freeze as the Universe is pulled apart and becomes a vast cold expanse of
dying stars and black holes.
The simulations, which took 11 days to run on Durham's unique Cosmology
Machine (COSMA) computer, looked at tiny ripples in the distribution of
matter in the Universe made by sound waves a few hundred thousand years
after the Big Bang. The ripples are delicate and some have been destroyed
over the subsequent 13 billion years of the Universe, but the simulations
showed they survived in certain conditions.
By changing the nature of dark energy in the simulations, the researchers
discovered that the ripples appeared to change in length and could act as
a "standard ruler" in the measurement of dark energy.
ICC Director Professor Carlos Frenk said: "The ripples are a 'gold
standard'. By comparing the size of the measured ripples to the gold
standard we can work out how the Universe has expanded and from this
figure out the properties of the dark energy.
"Astronomers are stuck with the one universe we live in. However, the
simulations allow us to experiment with what might have happened if there
had been more or less dark energy in the universe."
In the next five to 10 years a number of experiments are planned to
explore dark energy. The Durham simulation has demonstrated the
feasibility of the SPACE satellite mission proposed to the European Space
Agency's (ESA) Cosmic Vision programme.
The project has been put forward by an international consortium of
researchers including the Durham team.
SPACE, which is led by Bologna University, in Italy, is through to the
next round of assessment by the ESA and if successful is planned to launch
in 2017.
Co-principal investigator Professor Andrea Cimatti, of Bologna University,
said: "Thanks to the ICC simulations it is possible to predict what SPACE
would observe and to plan how to develop the mission parameters in order
to obtain a three-dimensional map of the Universe and to compare it with
the predictions of the simulations.
"Thanks to this comparison it will be possible to unveil the nature of
dark energy and to understand how the structures in the Universe built up
and evolved with cosmic time."
The Durham research was funded by the Science and Technology Facilities
Council (STFC) and the European Commission.
IMAGES of the simulation results are available from Durham University
Media Office.
Details of paper:
The detectability of baryonic acoustic oscillations in future galaxy
surveys, R.E. Angulo, C.M. Baugh, C.S. Frenk and C.G. Lacey, Monthly
Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 383, pages 755-776 (11
January 2008). Copies are available from the Media Office, tel: +44 (0)
191 334 6075.
About the Institute of Computational Cosmology (ICC):
The ICC, part of the Ogden Centre for Fundamental Physics at Durham
University, is a leading international centre for research into the origin
and evolution of the Universe. For more details visit
http://www.icc.dur.ac.uk/
SPACE -- the Spectroscopic All-sky Cosmic Explorer
http://urania.bo.astro.it/cimatti/space/
The announcement of the European Space Agency's Cosmic Vision shortlist
can be found at
http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/area/index.cfm?fareaid=100
NOTES FOR EDITORS
The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), founded in 1820, encourages and
promotes the study of astronomy, solar-system science, geophysics and
closely related branches of science. The RAS organizes scientific
meetings, publishes international research and review journals, recognizes
outstanding achievements by the award of medals and prizes, maintains an
extensive library, supports education through grants and outreach
activities and represents UK astronomy nationally and internationally. Its
more than 3000 members (Fellows), a third based overseas, include
scientific researchers in universities, observatories and laboratories as
well as historians of astronomy and others.
.
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