MG13 - Talk detail

Back to previous page

 Participant

Institution

Session

Accepted

Order

Time

Talk

Title

Abstract

The Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) produced the first full sky maps of cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature and polarization fluctuations extending from full sky to sub-horizon scales. The measurements significantly constrain the physics of the very early universe and directly support the inflation prediction that primordial fluctuations were primarily adiabatic and nearly scale-invariant. The measurements also constitute core support for the standard model of cosmology, with accurate and precise cosmological parameters. WMAP data have reduced the cosmological parameter uncertainty volume by a factor of more than 30,000 compared with pre-WMAP CMB results. The standard model specifies the age of the universe and the curvature of the universe to high accuracy. It also specifies the composition of the universe, including the overall matter density, the baryon density, and the cold dark matter density. When combined with other astronomical measurements, the WMAP measurements constrain the properties of the dark energy and the mass of the neutrino. Future CMB observations (from Planck, balloon-borne, and ground-based experiments) and a host of other cosmological observations should be able to further test, constrain, and extend the standard cosmological model.

Back to previous page