Observational Cosmology  

In General > s.a. acceleration; cosmological constant; expansion; geometry; modern cosmology.
* Observational missions: 1989, COBE (Cosmic Background Explorer), launched; 1992, First anisotropy reported by COBE; 2001, WMAP (Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe), launched; ESA's Planck, to be launched in 2008.
@ Rotation: Kogut et al PRD(97)ap [from COBE maps]; Kühne MPLA(97)ap [and galaxy rotation axes]; Godlowski et al GRG(03)ap/04 [L of celestial bodies].
@ Equation of state: Visser CQG(04)gq/03 [and jerk]; Takahashi & Nakamura PTP(05)ap/04 [from gravitational waves].

Age of the Universe
* History: The first estimates were based on the Sun's lifetime, but the oldest globular clusters are 13.5 2 Gyr old.
* Methods: Cosmochronology of long-lived radioactive nuclei; Stellar modelling and population synthesis of the oldest stellar populations; Precision cosmology with mapping of the acoustic peaks in the cmb.
* 2000: t0 13 Gyr.
* 2003: t0 = 13.2 (+3.6–2.0) Gyr (1-), or 14.0 0.5 Gyr [cmb].
* 2003: 11.2 < t0< 20 Gyr, t0 = 14.1+1.0–0.9 Gyr from WMAP+SDSS+SNIa.
* 2006: Accepted value 13.7 Gyr; Results based on measurement of Triangulum galaxy distance indicate a value 15% higher.
@ References: Hendry & Tayler CP(96); Jiménez ap/97-ln, ap/98-in [and ]; Chaboyer PRP(98)ap; Lineweaver Sci(99)ap; Gribbin 00; Ferreras et al MNRAS(01)ap; Tonry et al ap/01-in; Lahav ap/01-in [cmb and 2dF]; Knox et al ApJ(01)ap [from cmb]; Krauss & Chaboyer Sci(03)jan [from globular clusters]; Lima a0708 [expression ito average deceleration].

Cosmological Parameters > s.a. cmb; cosmology [theory]; relativistic cosmology [averaging]; matter content [including distribution].
* Idea: The main tools to obtain estimates are measurements of the microwave background, supernovae, and galaxy clusters (distribution, lensing, X-rays, Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect).
@ General references: Freedman ap/97-in; Carlberg ap/98-in; Tegmark et al ap/98/ApJL; Noyes gq/99; Roos & Harun-or-Rashid ap/99-in; Turner ap/99-in; Freedman ap/99-in, ap/99-in; Primack ap/99-in, ap/00-in; Novosyadlyj et al ap/99/A&A, ap/00-in; Fukugita ap/00-in; Durrer & Novosyadlyj MNRAS(01)ap/00; Peebles ap/00-in; Krauss ap/01-in; Leach et al PRD(02)ap [and inflation]; Freedman IJMPA(02)ap-in; Deustua et al ap/02-in; Roos & Harun-or-Rashid ap/02; Shemi-Zadeh gq/02 [??]; Krauss ap/03-in; Blanchard ap/03-in; Bridle et al Nat(03)ap [open issues]; Douspis CRP(03)ap/04 [method]; Lahav & Liddle ap/04-in [rev]; Roos ap/05 [consensus]; Wilczek hp/05-in [reasoning]; Lahav & Liddle JPG(06)ap; Balbi ap/06-in; Sánchez et al ap/06-in [rev]; Apunevych et al a0802 [WMAP2006].
@ Models and parameter sets: Liddle MNRAS(04)ap; Godlowski & Szydlowski PLB(05) [with dark energy]; Hajian PRD(07) [Hamiltonian Monte Carlo technique].
@ And cmb: Jungman et al PRD(96); Hancock et al ap/97/MNRAS; Bartlett et al ap/98-in; Efstathiou ap/00; Tegmark & Zaldarriaga ApJ(00)ap; de Bernardis et al Nat(00)ap; Lange et al PRD(01)ap/00 [Boomerang]; Christensen et al CQG(01) [Bayesian]; Cornish PRD(01) [acoustic peak]; Douspis et al A&A(01)ap; Sakellariadou ap/01-in; Melchiorri ap/02-in; Kosowsky et al PRD(02)ap; Wang et al PRD(02)ap [consistency]; Rubiño-Martin et al MNRAS(03)ap/02 [from VSA]; Percival et al MNRAS(02)ap [+2dF]; Contaldi & CBI ap/02-in; Melchiorri & Ödman PRD(03)ap [pre-WMAP]; Contaldi et al PRL(03)ap [and lensing]; Lineweaver ap/03-ln [and inflation]; Bouchet ap/04-in; Rebolo et al ap/04 [VSA data]; Komatsu et al a0803, Dunkley et al a0803 [WMAP 5-year results].
@ And cmb, including polarization: Jiménez et al PRD(04).
@ And cmb, WMAP: Lewis ap/03-in [questioning models for WMAP]; Hansen et al ap/04/MNRAS.
@ And cmb, theory: Perotto et al JCAP(06)ap/06 [Monte Carlo simulations].
@ And 21-cm background: Mao et al a0802-PRD
@ From galaxy surveys: Tegmark PRL(97); Peel & Knox ap/02-in [peculiar v's]; Tegmark et al PRD(04)ap/03 [SDSS]; Pope et al ApJ(04)ap [SDSS]; Del Popolo & Ercan ap/04-in [theory]; Gaztañaga et al MNRAS(06)ap/04 [and cmb]; Seljak et al PRD(05)ap/04 [and SN, WMAP, Ly-]; Reboul & Cordoni ap/06 [interacting galaxies]; Tozzi ap/06-in; Xanthopoulos et al ap/06-in [VLA]; Blake et al ap/06/MNRAS [SDSS]; Sánchez & Cole a0708-MNRAS [power spectrum difference between 2dFGRS and SDSS].
@ From supernovas: Nesseris & Perivolaropoulos PRD(04)ap [models]; Odman et al IJMPD(04)ap; Wang & Dai MNRAS(06)ap/05 [and GRBs]; Neill et al a0704-ApJL, Gordon et al PRL(07) [using sn peculiar velocities]; Kowalski et al a0804-ApJ.
@ From other: Bagla et al CA(96)ap/95 [matter]; Komatsu & Seljak MNRAS(02)ap [Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect].
@ And smoothing: Buchert & Carfora CQG(02)gq, PRL(03)gq/02 [dressed parameters].
@ Chemistry: Cen & Ostriker ApJL(99)ap [evolution]; > s.a. early universe [nucleosynthesis].

Other Concepts and Effects > s.a. black hole types [primordial]; early universe; light; monopole; topological defects; variation of constants.
@ Birefringence: Nodland & Ralston PRL(97)ap + PRL(97)ap + ap/97/PRL, Eisenstein & Bunn PRL(97)ap, Leahy ap/97/PRL; Wardle et al PRL(97); Loredo et al PRD(97); Jain & Ralston MPLA(99).
@ Other polarization effects: Ralston et al PRL(98) [Faraday rotation].
@ Homogeneity, local void: García-Bellido & Haugboelle a0807-JCAP [bounds].
@ And small-scale physics: Niemeyer ap/02-in [curvature perturbations]; Freedman & Turner RMP(03); > s.a. inflation, quantum gravity phenomenology.
@ Epoch of reionization: Bowman et al ap/05/ApJ, McQuinn et al ApJ(06)ap/05 [21 cm].
@ Techniques: Lombardi A&A(02)ap [interpolation and smoothing].

References > s.a. astronomy [observation methods]; astrophysics; models [model selection].
@ Books: Bothun 98 [III].
@ Reviews: Baryshev et al ViA(94)ap/95; Bahcall ap/95-in; Bernardeau ap/98-ln; Lahav ap/98-in [galaxy surveys]; Peebles ap/98-in, ap/99-in, ap/01-in; Turner ap/98-in, & Tyson RMP(99)ap; Krauss ap/01-in; Balbi ap/01-in; Lineweaver ap/01-in; Sarkar hp/02-in; Tegmark Nat(02)jan, LNP(04)ap/02; Peebles ap/02-in; Reid et al ap/02; Melchiorri RNC(03) [precision cosmology]; Ostriker & Souradeep ap/04-in; Peacock et al ap/06-rp [ESA-ESO report].
@ Status, critical papers: Disney GRG(00)ap; Opher ap/03-in; Peebles ap/03-in [open problems]; Sanders ap/04-in.
@ Theory: Davis ap/04-PhD [redshifts, horizons].

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