Archives 2009

The ARCADE-2 observations show that the extragalactic radio background radiation is several times brighter than was expected - this puzzle has recently been investigated by KIPAC researchers Jack Singal (an ARCADE-2 member), Lukasz Stawarz, Vahe Petrosian and long-term visitor Andrew Lawrence. As with so many other astronomical survey detections, the physical explanations of the observed phenomenon have far-reaching consequences.

The Fermi LAT has discovered a number of nearby, energetic yet radio-quiet pulsars: whether they are seen as laboratories for fundamental physics, or as potential contaminants of the dark matter search, the information provided by Fermi is invaluable.

The Fermi LAT team at KIPAC have begun looking for dark matter annhilation and decay where the signal-to-background is highest - no detections yet, but they are already ruling out some interesting models...

In the time when all experimental probes of dark energy are limited by systematic errors, diversification will be vital. The cosmology community is agreed on the necessity of approaching the problem from multiple directions, and an international team of researchers including Roger Blandford and Phil Marshall at KIPAC have been exploring a new one: strong gravitational lenses.

KIPAC researchers are playing leading roles in probing the physics of the early universe by making measurements of the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation (CMB).

Mantz, Allen, Rapetti et al use the X-ray luminosity function of clusters of galaxies to confirm the effects of Dark Energy on the growth of cosmic structure, and to help provide some of the tightest constraints on the equation of state parameter to date.