Exploring the Dark Sector with Euclid and WFIRST-AFTA

ISAS

　　　　　  Space Science Colloquium
Date:       16:30-17:30, 4th of November (Tue), 2014
Place:      Conference room (Main building 2F)
Speaker:    Jason Rhodes (NASA/JPL, USA)
Title:      Exploring the Dark Sector with Euclid and WFIRST-AFTA

Abstract:
Dark energy, the name given to the cause of the accelerating expansion
of the Universe, is one of the most profound mysteries in modern
science. Current cosmological models hold that dark energy is currently
the dominant component of the Universe, but the exact nature of dark
energy remains poorly understood. There are ambitious ground-based
surveys underway that seek to understand dark energy and NASA is
participating in the development of significantly more ambitious
space-based surveys planned for the next decade. NASA is providing
mission-enabling technology to the European Space Agency‘s (ESA) 

Euclid mission in exchange for US scientists to participate in the Euclid
mission. NASA is also developing the Wide Field Infrared Survey
Telescope-Astrophysics Focused Telescope Asset (WFIRST-AFTA) mission for
possible launch in ~2023. WFIRST was the highest ranked space mission in
the Astro2010 Decadal Survey and the AFTA incarnation of the WFIRST
design uses a 2.4m space telescope to go beyond what the Decadal Survey
envisioned for WFIRST. Understanding dark energy is one of the primary
science goals of WFIRST-AFTA. I’ll discuss the status of Euclid and
WFIRST and comment on the complementarity of the two missions. I’ll also
briefly discuss other, exciting science goals for WFIRST, including a
search for exoplanets using both microlensing and a dedicated
coronagraph for exoplanet imaging.