The Dark Energy Crisis in the Longer Term

Department Colloquia

Speaker: Chris Stubbs, Harvard
Date & Time: September 19, 2013 16:00 - 17:00
Location: UBC, Hennings 201
Local Contact: Chris Waltham
Intended Audience: Undergraduate

The discovery of the accelerating expansion of the Universe, driven by “Dark Energy”, is an indication that our understanding of fundamental physics is incomplete. In particular, the Dark Energy mystery lies at the intersection of gravity and quantum mechanics where we have trouble knitting together a consistent theoretical picture. In some ways our current situation is similar to the circumstances before the advent of quantum mechanics, with experimental results that don’t fit into our existing theoretical framework. I will present an overview of the Dark Energy crisis we face, review some of the work in progress, and sketch out some scenarios that might lie in our longer term future.