Einstein’s Telescope: The Hunt for Dark Matter and Dark Energy in the Universe
Monday, January 11th, 2010 at
9:16 pm
Buy Einstein's Telescope: The Hunt for Dark Matter and Dark Energy in the Universe at Amazon
From Publishers Weekly
There is far more to the universe than meets the eye: invisible dark matter and dark energy constitute the vast bulk of the cosmos and are responsible for its accelerating expansion. Gates, assistant director of the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, explores the science of these invisible phenomena and the questions they raise about the universe's origins, its present and its future. Gates explains how scientists discovered the existence of dark matter and their theories about the nature of the particles (with names like WIMPs) that form it. Astrophysicists have found tools to measure the invisible mass: the stars themselves. Drawing on Einstein's theory of general relativity, scientists can see dark matter using gravitational lensing—by measuring the deflection of light around a cosmic object, they can measure the object's mass. Presenting complicated topics concisely and clearly, Gates explains what we know about the universe, what scientists wish they knew, and what's at stake—the fate of the universe itself. 8 pages of color and 40 b&w illus. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
Cogent review of this intriguing topic.
(Marcia Bartusiak -Washington Post )
(Marcia Bartusiak -Washington Post )
In this highly informative book, Gates offers clear, accessible explanations of how gravitational lensing can…solve the [universe's] biggest mysteries.
(Amanda Gefter -New Scientist )
Buy Einstein's Telescope: The Hunt for Dark Matter and Dark Energy in the Universe at Amazon
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US $18.99
In 1970 many physicists and cosmologists thought that we would soon know all the basic physical principles governing the universe. The Big Bang was largely confirmed by cosmic background radiation and we knew about expansion. Quantum mechanics ruled the small while the large was the domain of relativity. The two theories weren’t linked yet, but it was merely a matter of a little more time and work. Success would bring an explanation unifying the four fundamental physical forces of the universe: Electromagnetism, the strong force (binding protons and neutrons together in atomic nuclei), the weak force (governing certain kinds of particle decay) and gravity. Surely the “theory of everything” was not far off.
Wrong. Observations in 1970 revealed that gravitational motions of gas clouds in the Andromeda galaxy were occurring at speeds far greater than the entire observed mass of that galaxy could account for. Similar problems detected in the 1930’s involving motions of entire galaxies had long been disregarded. Soon other observations confirmed that so-called “ordinary matter” is insufficient to account for observed gravitational effects in the cosmos. Thus the universe must contain huge amounts of “dark matter,” that we cannot observe and the composition of which we do not know (it is not made of the particles that constitute ordinary matter).
Then in 1998 reports of observations of distant supernovae revealed that the expansion of the universe was not slowing, as would be expected from long-term effects of gravity, but was instead accelerating. Something was overcoming the gravitational power of all of the matter in the universe. The acceleration, moreover, has not been present from the Big Bang on. For billions of years the speed of expansion slowed. Then, about 5 billion years ago, acceleration began. Obviously energy–a lot of it— was required to explain these phenomena. This is “dark energy.” We cannot detect it and currently know almost nothing about it.
Today scientists believe that 5% of the universe consists of “ordinary” [observable] matter, 23% of “dark” matter and 72% of “dark energy.” So in about 40 years we have gone from thinking that we knew almost everything about the essentials of cosmology to actually knowing something about only 5% of the universe, very little about an additional 23% and almost nothing about 72% of it.
But author Gates (herself a theoretical physicist by training) is energized rather than discouraged. In this book she discusses fully the problems noted above (and more), explains their significance and outlines in detail the methods that are being used or planned to attack them. The book’s title comes from one of the major investigational tools: Use of relativistic spacetime itself as an observational device. General relativity teaches that the presence of mass warps spacetime. As light travels through the universe it follows a curved path through these “dimples” in spacetime. Because these warps bend light, it is as if a giant lens has been dropped into space, magnifying and displacing light from more distant sources behind it. When Earth is aligned with such a “lens,” it allows us to detect and analyse vastly more distant light sources otherwise not observable. This is useful in searching for dark matter because it allows “maps” to be made showing where dark matter exists in distant sources. Gates does an outstanding job of describing this and other significant techniques for making these inquiries, noting the strengths and weaknesses of each method in investigating certain types of phenomena. The use of different techniques should permit the capture of disparate forms of data and lead, we hope, to detection and analysis of dark matter and dark energy.
This is an exciting time for cosmology and physics. The results of these inquiries will, at the least, radically change our view of the cosmos. Depending on results, it may be necessary to modify Einstein’s theory of general relativity to account for the observed actions of gravity in the universe. Gates is also quite good at conveying the excitement now animating these scientific fields. Her writing is clear and readable, if seldom compelling. Overall this book is recommended for anyone interested in today’s leading cosmological puzzles.
Astrophysicist Evalyn Gates brings the world of gravitational lensing and the search for the unknown constituents of the Universe to the reader in her book Einstein’s Telescope. Gates has spent many years in this search, and this book is an excellent introduction and advanced discussion, laying the foundation for the work she (and others) will do over the next decade to unmask some of the great mysteries in cosmology and astrophysics.
Gates introduces a brief history of how scientists came to understand that dark matter and dark energy had to be part of our Universe in order to explain a few basic observations. Once she has offered the reader a framework for why we need to look more deeply at the way our Universe appears, Gates explains just what causes the “Einstein’s Telescope” effect. This fascinating technique involves gravitational lensing of distant objects by massive objects sitting closer to the Earth. Often, the lenses are clusters of galaxies, and through the process of lensing more distant galaxies, we can learn how much mass is acting on the light of the distant sources, giving us insight into where dark matter may reside and exactly how it interacts with ordinary mass.
The book explains various theories of dark matter, primarily MACHOs and WIMPs, offers glimpses at the even more mysterious dark energy, for which there are no shortage of wild theories, and eventually goes deep into the cosmic web that may hold clues to the earliest formation of galaxies.
Later parts of the book, which may well be the strongest in what is a very solid presentation, describe the multiple experiments ongoing and various theories currently being formulated. Gates explains how these new techniques and new opportunities may shed light on our understanding of the Universe, its beginnings, and its evolution. Anyone who wants to understand the amazing findings that have begun to trickle out of this astrophysical work (and which will continue to become available over the next decade or two) will find strong explanations by Gates herein. This section alone makes the entire book worth reading for me.
Gates is an excellent writer who refuses to waste the reader’s time. She has a solid grasp of her subject, and better, is highly successful at making the complex scientific concepts approachable by most any reader. Tons of great cutting-edge science is in store for a reader of this book, and those with a strong knowledge of cosmology and astronomy can still find much to learn and enjoy in Telescope. A handful of excellent images and illustrations are included in the hardback edition which offer the reader tantilizing, beautiful references to Gates’ material, including real photographs of some fantastic shots of gravitation lensing.
For any science reader, and most especially those who enjoy space sciences, this book is highly recommended as a solid effort to update the reader’s understanding of current astrophysical efforts and approaches to this fascinating field. While much of the science is complex, the style makes it easy to digest, without watering down the concepts. Four stars.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have found it to be one of the more readable books in the category of popular astrophysics. Evalyn Gates has succeeded in creating a fascinating literary exploration of the subject of the book – mainly a description of the phenomenon known as gravitational lensing and a detailed account of what how it can be used to gain insight into dark matter and subsequently the construction of the universe. I was peripherally aware of the concept of gravitational lensing, but now I have a much more vivid mental image of how the universe looks from a spacetime distortion stand point. Having read quite a few astrophysics and cosmology books, I especially appreciated the omission of a rehashing of the entire history of physics. The author includes only what is necessary for the understanding of the subjects. Additionally, there is no math, but there is an explanation of Einstein’s equation of how the spacetime curvature relates to the distribution of matter and energy which will actually make you feel smarter. If you are considering buying this book, don’t worry, you’ll like it!
Oh yeah, I forgot they changed the name after the last time she talked about it.
Inception "größer" als Dark Knight?
Try some rubbing alcohol…..:)
You might want to find out what kinds of other activities are scheduled for when your scavenger hunt event is going on and take pictures or video one of those.
RT Motto for today: Be positive no matter what life might throw your way if u are a positive minded person nothing can defeat u
D
Chemical potential energy in Gasoline > Heat energy by combustion > kinetic energy to pistons > kinetic energy to wheels > off ur merry way…
"You don’t need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him."
so maybe universal intellegence is beyond the universe..
“Nighttime Birds” is one of my all time favorite albums.
Amazing what he accomplished with an 8″ telescope in his shed:
Once again, a great video!
Neutrinos, by there very nature would be able to convey the energy, oldtrinos on the other hand, couldn’t keep up the pace. Now Wimps will always be in for a hard time, with or without the capacity to handle the energy, by there very nature they would be unwilling to give it a try. To many Wimps in the World, not enough Neutrinos !! – Who’s with me now !? am I out of my depth here ? : =)) haha!
How exciting.. let me know how the job hunt goes.
RT #imthetypeto to watch cartoons no matter how old I get! Chyeahhh
George is close. Dark matter exists in large halos which envelope galaxies. The dark matter halos can have an arbitrary shape, in fact many people have made "maps" of the dark matter by looking at gravitational lenses. The size of the halo can be a few to many tens of times larger than the galaxy which resides in side of the halo. Many very large halos can host several galaxies (though rarely more than a few galaxies per halo).
The mistake George makes is when he says that it's "near the Galactic center". This is very false. The galactic center is *inside* a dark matter halo. In fact, the center of the halo and the galaxy need not be the same, such as in the case of this galaxy cluster:
Also, since the dark halos host galaxies, and earth is in a galaxy, then earth is in a dark halo. Therefore, dark matter *EXISTS* all around us, even here on Earth. There are several major experiments set up to detect dark matter and measure it's properties. You can learn about a famous experiment at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryogenic_Dark_Matter_Search
Santa Clara debates whether to put up $114 million to help the 49ers build a new stadium in town in advance of a June referendum on the matter.
read more
Also… Linda looks like she’s at her graduation LOL
You become a planet or sun.
When finance ministers meet in Nunavut this week, they’ll sit on sealskin chairs and be served seal meat – all part of a campaign to gain acceptance for Canada’s seal hunt, and to avoid a European Union import ban
LONDON (MarketWatch) — Spectra Energy Corp. said Thursday that its fourth-quarter net profit rose 28% to $219 million, or 34 cents a share, from $171 million, or 28 cents a share, a year earlier. Operating revenue for the quarter rose 2.9% to $1.3 billion from $1.26 billion. The group said the results reflect the effects of improving commodity prices, a stronger Canadian dollar and increased gathering and processing revenues. Analysts polled by FactSet had expected earnings of 32 cents a share on revenue of $1.26 billion. The company said it expects 2010 earnings of $1.42 a share.
Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.
the great thing about having brown eyes is any color, bright or natural will look amazing! just look at a mag at some of the women in there. brown eyed women go all out with eyecolor cause they can! just have fun with anycolor just dont make it tooo much
“Perhaps. But love isn’t the creator of the universe or control the destiny of man.”
lmao….this is just great….
That is a disturbing habit of yours.. I'm just out of the shower — Where should we go hunt tonight?
The Apple Store was down this morning. And since this is Apple, one of the high-tech universe’s favorite parlor games began: Announcements on iPad pre-orders or a new Macbook?
Methinks these numbers are quite a bit inflated. These plants are very inefficient and the mass flow rates required through the heat exchangers are huge. It could play its part though if the plants could be built cheaply.
43% of Alex Scoble is made up.
I like your thinking.
Individually living responsibly for ourselves and others and ensuring their survival is one we have been doing for thousands of years.
On the scientific front with the technology and man's intelligence we may be able to over come that eventuality. But it all starts with people like you to even begin to ponder about it.
Already in man's experiences death does not appear to be the end of man's physical being. How do we tap into that?
Later.
That’s a point. Though I wouldn’t follow god anyway. I don’t like the idea. I have already abandoned god when still taking his existence as possibility. All he has to offer is really boring. I just don’t want to live in such a universe. He’s already evil for making the Earth spherical.
Superfluid mixtures of atoms can boil and freeze at ultra-low temperatures – about a billion times lower than room temperature. This freezing can result in the formation of supersolids of atoms that can flow alongside each other without friction, but are still set in a fixed structure, says Dutch researcher Koos Gubbels. His research results are contributing to the understanding of superconductors – materials that might help to resolve the energy problem.
what if
Dark Matter never sleeps anyway. No point in saying good night to it.
ayrıca bilimadamlarının solucan deliğine sığamayacak kadar büyük olmaları da cabası..
there's a girl who's getting spray tan for formal and she's greek, meaning she already has dark skin.
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RT New breakfast spot, Einstein's on Hammond. – always a solid crowd at that Einstein's. Enjoy!
his last work on TOE shouldn’t be considerd as failure. it was a milestone that change the courese of our direction of moving forward. every journey of thousands miles begin with one step, and in this case Einstein took that very first step that no one ever dare before. he is the great of all time.
We need more net-zero energy public schools like this
Almanya’da Serbest hatları ve heykelsi biçimi ile çok önemli bir yapı olan bu gözlemevi ve astrofizik laboratuarının tasarımı, 1920′lerdeki dönemi anlatan, yeni biçimler ve işlevler arasında…
doesn't even matter nobody looks at grade 10 cert u need to pass 11 and 12
Dear sparklychef,
Please, read the article that I've posted in the source below. It has some nice pictures which explan the difference between a refractor, reflector, and a catadioptric telescope.
I own a catadoptirc telescope in the form of a Schmidt-Cassegrain. It's a great scope own and to use.
wow all this complicated scientific stuff makes me feel smart! hehe
Yes, and the answer is 42.
Newton described gravity with laws. Einstein explained gravity with a theory.
The simplest example: instantaneous propagation of information. Special and general relativity postulates that information cannot propagate faster than the speed of light. Mathematically, this says that all field equations must be strictly hyperbolic. However, the Schroedinger equations that governs quantum mechanics is not hyperbolic: mathematically it allows the "probability amplitude" (if you accept the Copenhagen interpretation) of finding a particle at two extremely different parts of space to be related. To illustrate better: consider the photon diffraction experiment. Quantum theory says that the photon can be considered both as a particle and a wave. Now, let's send the photon through a narrow slit. It's wave nature means that it will be diffracted, which can be thought of as the wave becoming a spherical wave propagating from the slit (not unlike the water wave that forms after you toss a pebble into a placid lake). So the radiation can, by the wave nature, reach basically any point on a screen set up on the other side of the slit. On the other hand, the particle nature means that the photon can only shine on a single point of the screen at a time. But the instant you observe the photon hitting a particular point on the screen, you immediately know that the photon cannot have hit any other point on the screen: this indicates an instantaneous transfer of information.
Another common example used for this illustration is the quantum entanglement. By quantum theory, it is possible to send out two particles such that their quantum states are not known before hand, but are guaranteed to be the same: the act of observing one of them serves to tell the state of the other. If you send two such particles in opposite directions a wait a long while, they will be reallly far away from each other. But since observing one changes the state of the other immediately, you have faster than light information transfer.
Much of the above are fixed somewhat in quantum field theory, which reconciles quantum mechanics with special relativity.
With general relativity, however, there is still a problem. A good illustration is the nature of the particle. The particle, an electron for example, are often considered as point masses in quantum theory. But a point mass has no spatial extent, and thus has infinite density, which means that they should create singularities in space-time (mini blackholes) according to general relativity, a notion that is rather absurd as considered by many.
A lady in a clown costume is sitting beside me. She's telling me children's stories. A few loose strews but she's hilarious w/ great energy.