The Cosmic Microwave Background and Dark Energy - Lecture 23

Explore the fascinating realm of astrophysics in this 47-minute lecture from Yale University's "Frontiers/Controversies in Astrophysics" course. Delve into the reasons behind the universe's expansion, with a focus on dark energy's acceleration. Discover the three key pieces of evidence supporting dark energy: supernovae, the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), and Large-Scale Clustering. Learn about the CMB's significance in supporting the Big Bang theory and the projects designed to measure it, such as COBE and WMAP. Examine how astronomers use Large-Scale Clustering to further understand dark energy and dark matter, and view computer simulations depicting the universe's evolution. The lecture covers implications of supernovae research, detailed explanations of the CMB, measurement techniques, the growth of universe structure, and potential fates of the universe based on clustering degrees.