Mapping the Cosmological Expansion

Abstract

The ability to map the cosmological expansion has developed enormously, spurred by the turning point one decade ago of the discovery of cosmic acceleration. The standard model of cosmology has shifted from a matter dominated, standard gravity, decelerating expansion to the present search for the origin of acceleration in the cosmic expansion. We present a wide ranging review of the tools, challenges, and physical interpretations. The tools include direct measures of cosmic scales through Type Ia supernova luminosity distances, and angular distance scales of baryon acoustic oscillation and cosmic microwave background density perturbations, as well as indirect probes such as the effect of cosmic expansion on the growth of matter density fluctuations. Accurate mapping of the expansion requires understanding of systematic uncertainties in both the measurements and the theoretical framework, but the result will give important clues to the nature of the physics behind accelerating expansion and to the fate of the universe.

49 pages, 29 figures; Review invited for Reports on Progress in Physics; v2 minor changes to match accepted version

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Cited by in corpus (8)

• Approaches to Understanding Cosmic Acceleration
• A generalized equation of state for dark energy
• CMB Lensing Constraints on Neutrinos and Dark Energy
• The spherical collapse model and cluster formation beyond the $\Lambda$ cosmology: Indications for a clustered dark energy?
• Cosmological Models and Latest Observational Data
• Constraints on dark energy from baryon acoustic peak and galaxy cluster gas mass measurements
• Like vs. Like: Strategy and Improvements in Supernova Cosmology Systematics
• A primer on problems and prospects of dark energy