Probing dark matter and the expansion history of the Universe with Lyman-alpha absorption in the spectra of distant quasars

Prof. Martin Haehnelt
(Institute of Astronomy und Kavli Institute for Cosmology der University of Cambridge)
Donnerstag/Thursday, 2013-05-30 17:00 c.t., EW 202
Eugene-Paul-Wigner Gebäude, Hardenbergstr. 36, 10623 Berlin

Sonderkolloquium im Physikalischen Kolloquium

Zusammenfassung/Abstract:
The Lyman-alpha forest in the spectra of distant quasars is a sensitive probe of the overall matter distribution in the Universe as well as the physical state of the Intergalactic Medium. I will present constraints on the mass of (warm) dark matter particles and discuss the ionization state of the Intergalactic Medium. I will further discuss prospects of measuring the redshift drift due to the expansion of the Universe and improving constraints on the variability of fundamental constants with the ultra-stable high-resolution spectrograph proposed for the next generation 40m diameter optical telescope of the European Southern Observatory.