Dark energy · Frontiers of knowledge

SIMULATING DARK ENERGY

▸ Loading Type Ia supernova data (1998, Nobel 2011)…

▸ Building the expanding spacetime grid

▸ Calibrating the scale factor a(t) — positive acceleration

▸ Loading CMB + large-scale structure → budget ~68 / 27 / 5%

▸ Installing the ΛCDM model (cosmological constant Λ, w≈−1)…

▸ ⚠ Note: we DON'T know what DARK ENERGY is — only inferred from expansion

▸ Ready — Online. ✅

Budget & fate

🥧 ~68 / 27 / 5%

Dark energy—

Dark matter—

Ordinary matter—

Scale factor a—

Expansion rate—

Parameter w—

Predicted fate—

Viewing—

The honest boundary

We know for sure the universe is expanding acceleratingly (Type Ia supernovae, Nobel 2011). We call the pushing agent dark energy and describe it with the cosmological constant Λ. But its nature is wholly open — one of the biggest mysteries in physics.

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Pick a "Scenario" (current / supernovae / budget / Big Rip / no-dark-energy / fate) · drag Dark-energy amount to change expansion rate & fate · tap a concept to see "known / unknown"

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Scale factor a(t) — real vs matter-only real a(t) (with dark E)matter only (decelerating)