“Gravitational lensing: Studying dark matter”

In this lecture, Konrad Kuijken, Professor of Astronomy at Leiden University (Netherlands), explains how gravitational lensing — predicted by the theory of relativity — allows scientists to reveal the distribution of dark matter in the universe by bending the light rays that travel through space. He outlines the underlying physical principles and describes actual observations that use galaxy clusters as “cosmic lenses”. Kuijken also discusses how these techniques provide key insights for investigating dark energy and understanding the accelerating expansion of the cosmos.

This lecture, delivered in December 2011, is part of the astrophysics series ‘The Science of the Cosmos, the Science in the Cosmos’. This lecture series tackles the fundamental questions in contemporary astrophysics.Why, at some point some 13 billion years ago, did a tiny, hot universe begin expanding in a Big Bang?

In this lecture, Konrad Kuijken, Professor of Astronomy at Leiden University (Netherlands), explains how gravitational lensing — predicted by the theory of relativity — allows scientists to reveal the distribution of dark matter in the universe by bending the light rays that travel through space. He outlines the underlying physical principles and describes actual observations that use galaxy clusters as “cosmic lenses”. Kuijken also discusses how these techniques provide key insights for investigating dark energy and understanding the accelerating expansion of the cosmos.

This lecture, delivered in December 2011, is part of the astrophysics series ‘The Science of the Cosmos, the Science in the Cosmos’. This lecture series tackles the fundamental questions in contemporary astrophysics.Why, at some point some 13 billion years ago, did a tiny, hot universe begin expanding in a Big Bang? The birth of the universe, as well as the formation of stars and planets, are explored in the first edition.