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Precision Astrophysics & Cosmology Enabled by a Tunable Laser in Space Dark Energy QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. Precision Cosmology Justin Albert QuickT ime ™an d a TIFF ( Uncomp res sed) deco mpre ssor ar e need ed to see this pictur e. CCAPP Univ. of Victoria Atmospheric Physics Jan. 12, 2007 Qu i ck Ti m e ™ an d a TI F F ( Un co m pr e ss ed ) d ec om p r es so r ar e n ee de d t o s ee t h is pi ct u re . Supernovae are one of the powerful probes for understanding the eventual fate of the Universe Distances to ~6% from brightness Redshifts from features in spectra 600 million light-years away (Hubble Space Telescope, NASA) QuickTime™ and a Microsoft Video 1 decompressor are needed to see this picture. QuickT ime ™an d a TIFF ( Uncomp res sed) deco mpre ssor ar e need ed to see this pictur e. Cosmic Arithmetic General Relativity, isotropy, and homogeneity require that (in the relevant units) Wgeometry + Wmatter&radiation + WL = 1 If the underlying geometry is flat (Wgeom = 0), & if Wm&r <1 then WL (“cosmological constant term”) must be non-zero. Cosmic microwave background (CMB) measurements demonstrate the geometry is flat, Wgeometry = 0. Mass inventories fall short of Wmatter&radiation =1 (Wmatter ≈ 0.3, and the radiation contribution is tiny) CCAPP Seminar 1/12/2007 : Tunable Laser for Precision Cosmology Qu i ck Ti m e ™ an d a TI F F ( Un co m pr e ss ed ) d ec om p r es so r ar e n ee de d t o s ee t h is pi ct u re . J. Albert 4 QuickT ime ™an d a TIFF ( Uncomp res sed) deco mpre ssor ar e need ed to see this pictur e. Insufficient mass to halt the expansion… “Best Fit” at Wmass ~ 0.3 WL Universe is ACCELERATING QuickTime™ and a decompressor are needed to see this picture. WL ~ 0.7 Rate of expansion is increasing… WM CCAPP Seminar 1/12/2007 : Tunable Laser for Precision Cosmology Qu i ck Ti m e ™ an d a TI F F ( Un co m pr e ss ed ) d ec om p r es so r ar e n ee de d t o s ee t h is pi ct u re . J. Albert 5 QuickT ime ™an d a TIFF ( Uncomp res sed) deco mpre ssor ar e need ed to see this pictur e. The Perplexing Result Expansion of Universe is accelerating! Implies something new: “Dark Energy” Regions of empty space repel each other! ? “Cosmological constant”… Einstein’s greatest blunder? ? What’s going on in the vacuum? QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see thi s picture. CCAPP Seminar 1/12/2007 QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. : Tunable Laser for Precision Cosmology Qu i ck Ti m e ™ an d a TI F F ( Un co m pr e ss ed ) d ec om p r es so r ar e n ee de d t o s ee t h is pi ct u re . J. Albert 6 QuickT ime ™an d a TIFF ( Uncomp res sed) deco mpre ssor ar e need ed to see this pictur e. Vacuum Energy and the Casimir Effect Vacuum energy is real -- we can see it: QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. Predicted in 1948 by H.B.G. Casimir QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. Since measured to better than 5% precision So -- since vacuum fluctuations are real, why isn’t dark energy enormous (10120 times larger)??? CCAPP Seminar 1/12/2007 : Tunable Laser for Precision Cosmology Qu i ck Ti m e ™ an d a TI F F ( Un co m pr e ss ed ) d ec om p r es so r ar e n ee de d t o s ee t h is pi ct u re . J. Albert 7 QuickT ime ™an d a TIFF ( Uncomp res sed) deco mpre ssor ar e need ed to see this pictur e. Limitations on our Knowledge of Dark Energy Calibration of, and corrections to, brightness and color measurements are a significant source of uncertainty in measured cosmological parameters. QuickTime™ and a decompressor are needed to see this picture. Unless we improve calibration standards (for flux as a function of color) to < 1%, this will be a limiting systematic uncertainty for upcoming projects … 7.7 billion light-years away CCAPP Seminar 1/12/2007 : Tunable Laser for Precision Cosmology Qu i ck Ti m e ™ an d a TI F F ( Un co m pr e ss ed ) d ec om p r es so r ar e n ee de d t o s ee t h is pi ct u re . J. Albert 8 QuickT ime ™an d a TIFF ( Uncomp res sed) deco mpre ssor ar e need ed to see this pictur e. Understanding the Acceleration of the Universe QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. Launch date ~2015 First data ~2013 First science data this year ! … and others CCAPP Seminar 1/12/2007 : Tunable Laser for Precision Cosmology Qu i ck Ti m e ™ an d a TI F F ( Un co m pr e ss ed ) d ec om p r es so r ar e n ee de d t o s ee t h is pi ct u re . J. Albert 9 SNAP Concept Aperture Field of View Resolution Bandpass 1.8 meter 1.37 square deg < 0.06 arcsec FWHM blur 0.35-1.7 m SNAP Concept All instruments/detectors on single focal plane. Passively cooled to 140K 0.7 square degrees instrumented FOV 9 fixed filters from 350nm to 1700nm 36 CCDs. 36 HgCdTe detectors QuickT ime ™an d a TIFF ( Uncomp res sed) deco mpre ssor ar e need ed to see this pictur e. The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. CCAPP Seminar 1/12/2007 8.4 m aperture Survey: 20,000 sq. degrees 9.6 sq. degree field-of-view 6 filters from 320nm to 1060nm Site: Cerro Pachon, Chile QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. : Tunable Laser for Precision Cosmology Qu i ck Ti m e ™ an d a TI F F ( Un co m pr e ss ed ) d ec om p r es so r ar e n ee de d t o s ee t h is pi ct u re . J. Albert 12 QuickT ime ™an d a TIFF ( Uncomp res sed) deco mpre ssor ar e need ed to see this pictur e. The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. CCAPP Seminar 1/12/2007 QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. : Tunable Laser for Precision Cosmology Qu i ck Ti m e ™ an d a TI F F ( Un co m pr e ss ed ) d ec om p r es so r ar e n ee de d t o s ee t h is pi ct u re . J. Albert 13 QuickT ime ™an d a TIFF ( Uncomp res sed) deco mpre ssor ar e need ed to see this pictur e. Complementarity of SNAP and LSST The power spectrum of matter in the Universe (analogous, e.g., to the power spectrum of the CMB) QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. Ground can survey whole sky, space can probe deeper in selected areas. Space data with lower systematics and higher redshift accuracy can calibrate ground surveys. CCAPP Seminar 1/12/2007 : Tunable Laser for Precision Cosmology Qu i ck Ti m e ™ an d a TI F F ( Un co m pr e ss ed ) d ec om p r es so r ar e n ee de d t o s ee t h is pi ct u re . J. Albert 14 QuickT ime ™an d a TIFF ( Uncomp res sed) deco mpre ssor ar e need ed to see this pictur e. Pan-STARRS Four 1.8 m primary mirrors (start with 1) Survey: 20000 sq. degrees 9 sq. degree field-of-view 6 filters from 320nm to 1060nm Novel CCD technology to mimimize atmospheric distortion (OTCCDs) Site: Mauna Kea (prototype on Haleakala) QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. CCAPP Seminar 1/12/2007 QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. : Tunable Laser for Precision Cosmology Qu i ck Ti m e ™ an d a TI F F ( Un co m pr e ss ed ) d ec om p r es so r ar e n ee de d t o s ee t h is pi ct u re . J. Albert 15 Systematic Uncertainties are the Key From Kim, Linder, Miquel, & Mostek (MNRAS, 2004): QuickT ime ™an d a TIFF ( Uncomp res sed) deco mpre ssor ar e need ed to see this pictur e. Minimizing uncertainties on these cosmological parameters is largely a matter of keeping systematic uncertainties at a minimum (especially flux as a function of redshift). CCAPP Seminar 1/12/2007 : Tunable Laser for Precision Cosmology Qu i ck Ti m e ™ an d a TI F F ( Un co m pr e ss ed ) d ec om p r es so r ar e n ee de d t o s ee t h is pi ct u re . J. Albert 16 The Same Applies to Weak Gravitational Lensing From Bernstein & Jain (ApJ, 2004): QuickT ime ™an d a TIFF ( Uncomp res sed) deco mpre ssor ar e need ed to see this pictur e. The 3 main techniques for measuring the cosmological parameters: using type Ia supernovae (“standard candles”: measure luminosity and redshift), weak gravitational lensing (shapes of galaxies “lensed” by foreground matter, as a function of their redshift), and “baryon oscillations” (ripples are present in the distribution of galaxies, as a function of redshift). All require superb redshift measurement. CCAPP Seminar 1/12/2007 : Tunable Laser for Precision Cosmology Qu i ck Ti m e ™ an d a TI F F ( Un co m pr e ss ed ) d ec om p r es so r ar e n ee de d t o s ee t h is pi ct u re . J. Albert 17 QuickT ime ™an d a TIFF ( Uncomp res sed) deco mpre ssor ar e need ed to see this pictur e. And Other Astronomy & Astrophysics Constraints on changes in fundamental constants over the lifetime of the Universe (fine structure constant, speed of light) are obtained via absorption spectra of the light from quasars. From Levshakov et al. (proceedings of "Precision Spectroscopy in Astrophysics", Portugal, Sept. 2006): The uncertainties are presently dominated by the precision of the wavelength calibration of the spectra. CCAPP Seminar 1/12/2007 : Tunable Laser for Precision Cosmology Qu i ck Ti m e ™ an d a TI F F ( Un co m pr e ss ed ) d ec om p r es so r ar e n ee de d t o s ee t h is pi ct u re . J. Albert 18 And Atmospheric Science Applications QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. The CALIPSO satellite (launched on Apr. 23 of this year) uses an Nd:YAG LIDAR laser at 1064 and 532 nm to measure the properties of clouds and the atmosphere. A tunable laser (and LIDAR receiver) could provide information in a far greater range of wavelengths. QuickT ime ™an d a TIFF ( Uncomp res sed) deco mpre ssor ar e need ed to see this pictur e. CCAPP Seminar 1/12/2007 : Tunable Laser for Precision Cosmology Qu i ck Ti m e ™ an d a TI F F ( Un co m pr e ss ed ) d ec om p r es so r ar e n ee de d t o s ee t h is pi ct u re . J. Albert 19 QuickT ime ™an d a TIFF ( Uncomp res sed) deco mpre ssor ar e need ed to see this pictur e. Improving Fundamental Calibration Idea: Rockets (ACCESS) Not Easy Need to get above the ATMOSPHERE Another possibility: Balloons QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. But even after you very carefully calibrate them, stars are VARIABLE (majority on the > 1% scale). Wouldn’t it be nice to just have a (man-made) source up there … ? CCAPP Seminar 1/12/2007 : Tunable Laser for Precision Cosmology Qu i ck Ti m e ™ an d a TI F F ( Un co m pr e ss ed ) d ec om p r es so r ar e n ee de d t o s ee t h is pi ct u re . J. Albert 20 QuickT ime ™an d a TIFF ( Uncomp res sed) deco mpre ssor ar e need ed to see this pictur e. Using a Tunable Laser on the Ground Use tunable laser to calibrate telescope optical throughput (Stubbs & Tonry): CCAPP Seminar 1/12/2007 : Tunable Laser for Precision Cosmology Qu i ck Ti m e ™ an d a TI F F ( Un co m pr e ss ed ) d ec om p r es so r ar e n ee de d t o s ee t h is pi ct u re . J. Albert 21 QuickT ime ™an d a TIFF ( Uncomp res sed) deco mpre ssor ar e need ed to see this pictur e. A Tunable Laser in Space 1) Would allow atmospheric calibration for all major groundbased observatories (without any worries of stellar variability). 2) A monochromatic source that covers the entire wavelength range (250 to 2500 nm) -- avoids worries about differences between stars and galaxies. 3) Would provide an always-available fundamental spectrophotometric standard source for space-based observatories (e.g. SNAP). 4) Minimizes calibration transfers; precision is limited essentially only by radiometer uncertainty (only 0.01% !!) 5) Cost could be reduced by placing on a satellite needed anyway (e.g. GPS-III [upgrade to GPS, …). 6) Defense uses of a tunable laser in space …. CCAPP Seminar 1/12/2007 : Tunable Laser for Precision Cosmology Qu i ck Ti m e ™ an d a TI F F ( Un co m pr e ss ed ) d ec om p r es so r ar e n ee de d t o s ee t h is pi ct u re . J. Albert 22 QuickT ime ™an d a TIFF ( Uncomp res sed) deco mpre ssor ar e need ed to see this pictur e. Defense Applications … Variable wavelength (more difficult to detect, or to develop contermeasures) Target illumination, also space communication. CCAPP Seminar 1/12/2007 : Tunable Laser for Precision Cosmology Qu i ck Ti m e ™ an d a TI F F ( Un co m pr e ss ed ) d ec om p r es so r ar e n ee de d t o s ee t h is pi ct u re . J. Albert 23 QuickT ime ™an d a TIFF ( Uncomp res sed) deco mpre ssor ar e need ed to see this pictur e. Tunable laser Opotek Vibrant LD 355 II QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. QuickTime™ and a TIFF (LZW) decompressor are needed to see this picture. CCAPP Seminar 1/12/2007 Recently purchased QuickTime™ and a TIFF (LZW) decompressor are needed to see this picture. : Tunable Laser for Precision Cosmology Qu i ck Ti m e ™ an d a TI F F ( Un co m pr e ss ed ) d ec om p r es so r ar e n ee de d t o s ee t h is pi ct u re . J. Albert 24 QuickT ime ™an d a TIFF ( Uncomp res sed) deco mpre ssor ar e need ed to see this pictur e. Tunable Laser Setup Safety barrier CCAPP Seminar 1/12/2007 : Tunable Laser for Precision Cosmology Qu i ck Ti m e ™ an d a TI F F ( Un co m pr e ss ed ) d ec om p r es so r ar e n ee de d t o s ee t h is pi ct u re . J. Albert 25 QuickT ime ™an d a TIFF ( Uncomp res sed) deco mpre ssor ar e need ed to see this pictur e. Tunable Laser Setup Radiometer Opotek Vibrant LD 355 II Radiometer Beam Sampler Beam Sampler CCD Imager Radiometer CCD Imager QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. CCAPP Seminar 1/12/2007 : Tunable Laser for Precision Cosmology Qu i ck Ti m e ™ an d a TI F F ( Un co m pr e ss ed ) d ec om p r es so r ar e n ee de d t o s ee t h is pi ct u re . J. Albert 26 532 nm CALIPSO satellite laser spot in space, as observed from Earth during satellite overpass near Granby, Quebec, 07:08:30 Nov. 23, 2006 UTC Before During After QuickT ime ™an d a TIFF ( Uncomp res sed) deco mpre ssor ar e need ed to see this pictur e. Setup for Calibrated CALIPSO Observation James Battat Chris Stubbs Yorke Brown J.A. 2:03 am Eastern time Dec. 17, 2006 30 m Master Switch 30 m 83.5 m 83.5 m 83.5 m 30 m = calibrated photodiode (with 532 nm notch filter) QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. = Panasonic FZ50 digital camera CCAPP Seminar 1/12/2007 : Tunable Laser for Precision Cosmology Qu i ck Ti m e ™ an d a TI F F ( Un co m pr e ss ed ) d ec om p r es so r ar e n ee de d t o s ee t h is pi ct u re . J. Albert 28 QuickT ime ™an d a TIFF ( Uncomp res sed) deco mpre ssor ar e need ed to see this pictur e. Toward a Space-Qualified Tunable Laser … The CALIPSO satellite uses an Nd:YAG from Fibertek Inc. that clearly is qualified. Such a laser could potentially be used a pump laser for an OPO (which then itself need to be space- laser spaceQuickTime™ and a TIF F (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. as would qualified). Eli Margalith (president, Opotek Inc., Carlsbad, CA) has started to work on requirements for a space-qualified OPO. Together we’ll be developing a space-qualified diode-pumped OPO for laboratory tests (stability, durability, radiation hardness) over the next years. CCAPP Seminar 1/12/2007 : Tunable Laser for Precision Cosmology Qu i ck Ti m e ™ an d a TI F F ( Un co m pr e ss ed ) d ec om p r es so r ar e n ee de d t o s ee t h is pi ct u re . J. Albert 29 QuickT ime ™an d a TIFF ( Uncomp res sed) deco mpre ssor ar e need ed to see this pictur e. Diode-Pumped OPO system 300 Hz, 1.8Watt • Click to edit Master text styles – Second level • Third level – Fourth level » Fifth level OPOTEK Inc. CCAPP Seminar 1/12/2007 Pumped by Brightlite by JMAR : Tunable Laser for Precision Cosmology Qu i ck Ti m e ™ an d a TI F F ( Un co m pr e ss ed ) d ec om p r es so r ar e n ee de d t o s ee t h is pi ct u re . J. Albert 30 QuickT ime ™an d a TIFF ( Uncomp res sed) deco mpre ssor ar e need ed to see this pictur e. Measuring the Flux (Radiometry) LASP (Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, at UC Boulder) has produced and flown space-qualified radiometers (for solar irradiance measurement) that achieve better than 200 ppm in (laser) flux measurement (and better than 10 ppm/yr stability) : Use as a laser radiometer. CCAPP Seminar 1/12/2007 : Tunable Laser for Precision Cosmology Qu i ck Ti m e ™ an d a TI F F ( Un co m pr e ss ed ) d ec om p r es so r ar e n ee de d t o s ee t h is pi ct u re . J. Albert 31 Telescopes must measure flux & color of galaxies and supernovae precisely (despite the atmosphere), so we can understand exactly how our universe is expanding. (It is actually accelerating! Why?? Nobody knows… [Acceleration in fact implies a mysterious new form of energy throughout the universe!]) Mirror mover Tunable laser QuickTime™ and a TIF F (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. EARTH GPS jamming QuickT ime ™an d a TIFF ( Uncomp res sed) deco mpre ssor ar e need ed to see this pictur e. Orbit 20000 km MEO orbit (e.g. GPS satellites, etc.) is optimal. Above that, laser divergence becomes a major issue. Below that, slew rate is too fast for ground-based telescopes to track, and Earthshine contamination becomes significant for spacebased telescope images. CCAPP Seminar 1/12/2007 : Tunable Laser for Precision Cosmology Qu i ck Ti m e ™ an d a TI F F ( Un co m pr e ss ed ) d ec om p r es so r ar e n ee de d t o s ee t h is pi ct u re . J. Albert 33 QuickT ime ™an d a TIFF ( Uncomp res sed) deco mpre ssor ar e need ed to see this pictur e. Several Relatively Convenenient Platforms on 2012-2016 Timescale QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. CCAPP Seminar 1/12/2007 : Tunable Laser for Precision Cosmology Qu i ck Ti m e ™ an d a TI F F ( Un co m pr e ss ed ) d ec om p r es so r ar e n ee de d t o s ee t h is pi ct u re . J. Albert 34 QuickT ime ™an d a TIFF ( Uncomp res sed) deco mpre ssor ar e need ed to see this pictur e. Pointing Accuracy & Telemetry QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. HST gyro From a 20000 km orbit, 20 m on Earth’s surface = 1 rad ≈ 0.2 arcsecond stability. Not technically challenging -e.g. HST obtains (obtained) 0.005 arcsecond stability, 40x better than this requirement. Must track Earth’s rotation, however Earth-observing satellites (e.g. ALOS) typically achieve at least 5x better stability than this requirement. Data rate is low (radiometer readout data, station keeping), QuickTime™ and a telemetry simple. Laser on/off/ TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor could be used as downlink… are needed to see this picture. CCAPP Seminar 1/12/2007 : Tunable Laser for Precision Cosmology Qu i ck Ti m e ™ an d a TI F F ( Un co m pr e ss ed ) d ec om p r es so r ar e n ee de d t o s ee t h is pi ct u re . J. Albert 35 QuickT ime ™an d a TIFF ( Uncomp res sed) deco mpre ssor ar e need ed to see this pictur e. Calibrated Lamp QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. As a broadband calibration crosscheck for a tunable laser, it would be very useful to also have a simple calibrated incandescent lamp onboard. A 150W “lightbulb” (radiating into 4) would appear as a 23 magnitude “star” when at 20000 km. QTH (Quartz-Tungsten-Halogen) lamps are the NIST “gold standard” for calibrated lamps. QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. 200W QTH standard sources are widely available. (Could be on only ~5% of the time to avoid power consumption.) A low-power QTH lamp is onboard the HST: basic space-qualification is done. CCAPP Seminar 1/12/2007 : Tunable Laser for Precision Cosmology Qu i ck Ti m e ™ an d a TI F F ( Un co m pr e ss ed ) d ec om p r es so r ar e n ee de d t o s ee t h is pi ct u re . J. Albert 36 QuickT ime ™an d a TIFF ( Uncomp res sed) deco mpre ssor ar e need ed to see this pictur e. A lot to do! … for example: 1) Radiation Tests: Survivability/Degradation at 20000 km. (TRIUMF [Canada] irradiation facility.) 2) Characterize beam divergence. Beam expander optics. 3) Explore options for eliminating moving parts (or momentum-balance when absolutely necessary), reducing cooling power. 4) Electronics / power source requirements. 5) Calibrated lamp / calibrated power source radiation hardness, … CCAPP Seminar 1/12/2007 : Tunable Laser for Precision Cosmology Qu i ck Ti m e ™ an d a TI F F ( Un co m pr e ss ed ) d ec om p r es so r ar e n ee de d t o s ee t h is pi ct u re . J. Albert 37 QuickT ime ™an d a TIFF ( Uncomp res sed) deco mpre ssor ar e need ed to see this pictur e. Collaboration Started and Growing http://www.starcal.org CCAPP Seminar 1/12/2007 : Tunable Laser for Precision Cosmology Qu i ck Ti m e ™ an d a TI F F ( Un co m pr e ss ed ) d ec om p r es so r ar e n ee de d t o s ee t h is pi ct u re . J. Albert 38 QuickT ime ™an d a TIFF ( Uncomp res sed) deco mpre ssor ar e need ed to see this pictur e. Understanding Dark Energy The dark energy problem is one of the ultimate problems in modern physics. QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. What is over 2/3 of the Universe?? The answer might contain a clue on how quantum mechanics relates to gravity… Superb wavelength calibration is one of the frontier experimental requirements of this goal. CCAPP Seminar 1/12/2007 : Tunable Laser for Precision Cosmology Qu i ck Ti m e ™ an d a TI F F ( Un co m pr e ss ed ) d ec om p r es so r ar e n ee de d t o s ee t h is pi ct u re . J. Albert 39