Mapping the dark matter using weak lensing

Abstract

Weak gravitational lensing of distant galaxies by foreground structures has proven to be a powerful tool to study the mass distribution in the universe. The advent of panoramic cameras on 4m class telescope has led to a first generation of surveys that already compete with large redshift surveys in terms of the accuracy with which cosmological parameters can be determined. The next surveys, which already have started taking data, will provide another major step forward. At the current level, systematics appear under control, and it is expected that weak lensing will develop into a key tool in the era of precision cosmology, provided we improve our knowledge of the non-linear matter power spectrum and the source redshift distribution. In this review we will briefly describe the principles of weak lensing and discuss the results of recent cosmic shear surveys. We show how the combination of weak lensing and cosmic microwave background measurements can provide tight constraints on cosmological parameters. We also demonstrate the usefulness of weak lensing in studies of the relation between the galaxy distribution and the underlying dark matter distribution (``galaxy biasing''), which can provide important constraints on models of galaxy formation. Finally, we discuss new and upcoming large cosmic shear surveys.

Review presented at the IAU Symposium 216, "Maps of the Cosmos", ASP Conference Series, eds. M. Colless & L. Staveley-Smith, Sydney, July 2003

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