Mapping the cosmos: Dark Energy Survey creates detailed guide to spotting dark matter

Scientists on the Dark Energy Survey have released the first in a series of dark matter maps of the cosmos.

These maps, created with one of the world's most powerful digital cameras, are the largest contiguous maps created at this level of detail and will improve our understanding of dark matter's role in the formation of galaxies. Analysis of the clumpiness of the dark matter in the maps will also allow scientists to probe the nature of the mysterious dark energy, believed to be causing the expansion of the universe to speed up. 

The map is part of a batch of research published this week to coincide with the American Physical Society's April meeting, with UCL authors involved in several of the papers.

• A full account of the work is available in a press release from Fermilab.

UCL and the Dark Energy Survey

• Ofer Lahav is co-chair of the DES Science Committee and the DES:UK consortium.
• Filipe Abdalla is Co-Lead of the DES Spectroscopic Task Force.
• Hiranya Peiris is leading analyses of large scale structure and cosmic microwave background.
• In addition, over a dozen UCL post-doctoral researchers and PhD students are working on the project.
• The UCL Astrophysics Instrumentation group has made a significant contribution to DES through the construction of the optical corrector for the survey camera, led by Peter Doel and David Brooks.

Related links

• Dark Energy Survey
• DES@UCL
• UCL Physics & Astronomy