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Dark Energy Survey reveals most accurate measurement of dark matter structure in the universe

By August 29, 2017IFAE

Researchers from IFAE (Institute for High Energy Physics) are among those who have contributed to finding a new result that rivals the precision of cosmic microwave background measurements and supports the view that dark matter and dark energy make up most of the cosmos.

Dark Energy Survey (DES) scientists have unveiled the most accurate measurement ever made of the present large-scale structure of the universe. These measurements of the amount and “clumpiness” (or distribution) of dark matter in the present-day cosmos were made with a precision that, for the first time, rivals that of inferences from the early universe by the European Space Agency’s orbiting Planck observatory. The new DES result is close to “forecasts” made from the Planck measurements of the distant past, allowing scientists to understand more about the ways the universe has evolved over 14 billion years.

Most notably, this result supports the theory that 26 percent of the universe is in the form of mysterious dark matter and that space is filled with an also-unseen dark energy, which is causing the accelerating expansion of the universe and makes up 70 percent.

Researchers from IFAE (Institute for High Energy Physics), CIEMAT (Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas), IEEC-CSIC (Institut de Ciències de l’Espai), and UAM-CSIC (Instituto de Física Teórica) have all contributed to finding this result.

More information on the IFAE website.