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Thanks to cutting edge technology, scientists can peer deeper into space than ever before. The audio tracks in this album feature Dr Robert Lambourne and Dr Stephen Serjeant of The Open University's Department of Physics and Astronomy. They introduce the origin of relativistic cosmology and share the latest ideas about the structure and evolution of the universe. Einstein’s general theory of relativity predicts the existence of black holes and gravitational waves, and the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation allows cosmologists to picture the universe as it looked over 13 billion years ago. The next generation of infrared telescopes and land-based arrays heralds a new era of precision cosmology, and might shed light on one of the greatest mysteries of modern science - the dark sector. Just what is dark matter and why do we think that dark energy must exist? This album is an introduction to The Open University course S383 The relativistic Universe.
Track 7: The “dark sector”
Examining the concepts of dark matter and dark energy. Ideas about dark energy have led to a theory of the end of the universe called the Big Rip
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Tracks in this podcast:
| Track | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Relativistic Universe | An introduction to this album Play now The Relativistic Universe |
| 2 | Telescopes and the universe's evolution | The latest technology can look almost all the way back to the Big Bang, and may soon identify the first stars and galaxies Play now Telescopes and the universe's evolution |
| 3 | Cosmic Microwave Background radiation | The Planck Surveyor is designed to analyse microwave radiation in the universe in more detail than ever before Play now Cosmic Microwave Background radiation |
| 4 | Why cosmology matters | The discovery of the Cosmic Microwave Background began an era of precision cosmology. But the theory of inflation remains one of the great questions in cosmology today Play now Why cosmology matters |
| 5 | History of general relativity | How Einstein's theories created the basis of modern cosmology. We can use general relativity to model how different phenomena affect space-time Play now History of general relativity |
| 6 | General relativity predictions | The evidence for gravitational waves and black holes. Gravitational wave astronomy could drive the cutting edge research of future Play now General relativity predictions |
| 7 | The “dark sector” | Examining the concepts of dark matter and dark energy. Ideas about dark energy have led to a theory of the end of the universe called the Big Rip Play now The “dark sector” |
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