Mapping the universe: dark energy, black holes, and gravity – with Chris Clarkson

How can we map the universe and its galaxies? What's the evidence for dark matter and dark energy? And how has Einstein's general theory of relativity been proven by modern technology?

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In this talk Chris Clarkson describes how cosmological surveys map the vast cosmic web of galaxies on scales so far only envisaged in computer simulations. Unravelling this delicate web will reveal not only the nature of the Big Bang itself, but the essence of dark energy — and with it, the future of the Universe.

This talk was recorded at the Ri on 25 April 2023.

00:00 Intro
01:58 Mapping our solar system and galaxy
8:16 Looking at other galaxies
13:08 Mapping the universe with galaxy surveys
15:32 What does the whole universe look like?
23:22 A timeline of the universe’s evolution
25:42 How do we know what the universe looks like?
27:28 Einstein’s theory of gravity
30:28 Spacetime bends and moves
33:40 Black holes predicted by Einstein
35:35 Gravitational waves
37:58 The universe is expanding – how fast?
40:02 The evidence for dark matter
41:48 The evidence for dark energy
43:35 How much is the universe expanding over time?
45:01 How can we explain the structure of the universe?
53:18 The mystery of dark energy and dark matter
56:33 Inflation at the big bang
57:39 The next generation of surveys


Chris Clarkson is a cosmologist working at Queen Mary University of London. He works mainly on the theory of large scale structure of the universe but has worked on many aspects of gravity and cosmology, including the big bang, gravitational waves and black holes. He is currently Head of the Astronomy Unit at QMUL, having previously worked at the University of Cape Town as Head of the Cosmology Group. He studied for his PhD in Glasgow a long time ago, and undertook postdocs in Canada, South Africa and in the UK.

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