The Optics of the Dark Universe

Matthias Bartelmann (Universität Heidelberg)
Seminar Room 3, 15:00h

The cosmological standard model, which is emerging for ten years now, forces
us to accept that the majority of the energy density in the universe is
invisible. Dark matter determines the composition of cosmic structures, dark
energy controls the geometry of the universe and the growth of structures. The
gravitational lensing effect has developed into one of the most important
methods to investigate dark structures in the universe. By its means,
exoplanets are discovered, dark matter in galaxies and galaxy clusters is
quantified and cosmic structures on the largest scales are being studied. The
talk will give an overview over applications of gravitational lensing and
explain individual examples in more detail.

Transparencies