A systematic, carefully authored review of our current observational and theoretical knowledge of dark energy. Providing a brief and concise overview, the book covers theory and experiment in equal detail, directly linking the two. A final section also looks at future developments.
Indispensable for researchers entering this rapidly evolving field.1 The dark energy problem
2 Observational method I: Type Ia supernovae as dark energy probe
3 Observational method II: Galaxy redshift survey as dark energy
probe
4 Observational method III: Weak lensing as dark energy probe
5 Observational method IV: Clusters as dark energy probe
6 Other observational methods for probing dark energy
7 Framework for interpreting data
8 Basic Instrumentation for Dark Energy Experiments
9 Future Prospects for Probing Dark Energy
Bibliography"For those needing a useful introduction to this exciting area of research, these two textbooks, taken together, provide just that." (Physics Today, 1 June 2011)Yun Wang is a leading expert in dark energy research, with over thirty refereed publications on this subject. She has worked on advancing the methods for interpreting dark energy data, and developing optimal observational strategies for probing the nature of dark energy. She is an associate professor at the University of Oklahoma. Before that, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Fermilab Astrophysics Center and the Department of Astrophysical Sciences at Princeton University.Dark energy research aims to illuminate the mystery of the observed cosmic acceleration, one of the fundamental problems in physics and astronomy today. This book presents a systematic and detailed review of the current state of dark energy research, with the focus on the examination of the major observational techniques for probing dark energy. It can be used as a textbook to train students and others who wish to enter this extremely active field in cosmology.