Open AccessSounding the dark cosmos
Author(s) -
Bassett Bruce A,
Nichol Bob,
Eisenstein Daniel J
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
astronomy & geophysics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.168
H-Index - 22
eISSN - 1468-4004
pISSN - 1366-8781
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-4004.2005.46526.x
Subject(s) - physics , dark energy , astronomy , redshift , astrophysics , galaxy , dark matter , redshift survey , universe , cosmic cancer database , acceleration , cosmology , classical mechanics
Vast sound waves traveling through the relativistic plasma during the firstmillion years of the universe imprint a preferred scale in the density ofmatter. We now have the ability to detect this characteristic fingerprint inthe clustering of galaxies at various redshifts and use it to measure theacceleration of the expansion of the Universe. The Wide-Field Multi-ObjectSpectrograph (WFMOS) would use this test to shed significant light on the truenature of dark energy, the mysterious source of this cosmic acceleration. WFMOSwould also revolutionise studies of the kinematics of the Milky Way and providedeep insights into the clustering of galaxies at redshifts up to z~4. In thisarticle we discuss the recent progress in large galaxy redshift surveys anddetail how WFMOS will help unravel the mystery of dark energy.Comment: 6 pages, pure pdf. An introduction to WFMOS and Baryon Acoustic Oscillations for a general audienc