Project description
A unique kind of lens helps scientists 'see' the Hubble constant more clearly
In the 1920s, astronomer Edwin Hubble made one of the most important discoveries of all time – that the universe is expanding at an accelerated rate. Hubble's constant is the measurement unit that refers to the universe's rate of expansion. This number is fundamental to our understanding of the evolution of our cosmos. Until recently, the value matched observations. Lately, growing evidence suggests it may not be quite right, and the dark energy now known to make up about 70 % of our universe plays an important role. The EU-funded EXP-SN project is looking for new insight into cosmic expansion and dark energy with the help of strongly lensed Type Ia supernovae. These rare exploding binary star systems are perfect for this study since their light can appear in multiple locations at once due to gravitational lensing (the bending of light by massive objects).
Objective
Observations of distant Type Ia supernovae indicate that the expansion of the universe is accelerating, driven by a mysterious cosmic component called dark energy. Since the discovery, a standard model of cosmology has been established, wherein ordinary matter only consists of 5% of the energy density, the rest being dark matter (~25%) and dark energy (~70%). Recent, precision measurements of the local expansion rate, the Hubble constant, are in disagreement with the value inferred from the early universe, presenting the strongest challenge to standard cosmology. In this proposal, I will, for the first time, use gravitationally lensed Type Ia supernovae to measure the Hubble constant. Strongly lensed Type Ia supernovae are powerful probes of cosmology since the delay time between their multiple images directly measures the Hubble constant. Wide-field transient surveys like the Zwicky Transient Facility are designed to find tens of such events and hence, it is extremely timely to use them as precision probes in cosmology.
Moreover, I will use the Hubble diagram of unlensed Type Ia supernovae in the near infrared to understand the nature of dark energy. Supernova cosmology in the conventional optical wavelengths is limited by systematic uncertainties. Hence, the near infrared is an exciting wavelength regime to improve them as cosmological probes. Type Ia supernovae are more uniform in the near infrared than the optical and there is significantly less extinction from host galaxy dust. Additionally, I will quantify the constraints on dark energy from future experiment, e.g. the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences physical sciences theoretical physics particle physics
- humanities history and archaeology history
- natural sciences physical sciences astronomy astrophysics dark matter
- natural sciences physical sciences astronomy physical cosmology
- natural sciences physical sciences astronomy stellar astronomy supernova
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2019
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
CB2 1TN CAMBRIDGE
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.