Bibcode
Rebolo, R.
Bibliographical reference
Nuclear Physics B Proceedings Supplements, Volume 114, p. 3-11.
Advertised on:
1
2003
Citations
6
Refereed citations
6
Description
The determination of the fundamental cosmological parameters has
achieved dramatic progress over the past few years. Using Cepheids and
secondary distance indicators, the expansion rate of the Universe is
constrained to H0 = 60-75 km s-1 Mpc-1.
More stringent constraints can be expected from independent
determinations based on the Sunyaev-Ze'dovich effect in clusters of
galaxies. The total matter-energy density, measured from the first
acoustic peak in the angular power spectrum of cosmic microwave
background fluctuations (CMB) assuming initial adiabatic Gaussian
density fluctuations, results Ωtot =
1.01-0.03+0.03 (68% confidence levels are quoted
hereafter). The classical determination of cosmic baryonic density from
big bang nucleosynthesis and abundances of light elements has been fully
confirmed with comparable accuracy by measurements of peaks in the CMB
power spectrum. The combined results give
Ωbh2 =
0.022-0.0017+0.0017. The index of the power
spectrum of primordial fluctuations is found ns =
1.00-0.03+0.03. Estimates of the average matter
density in the universe from clusters of galaxies, gravitational
lensing, cosmic flows and power spectra of galaxies, clusters and Lyman
α forest give as likely values Ωm ~ 0.3-0.4, but
with large uncertainties. Similar results are found from CMB angular
power spectrum measurements and large scale structure data. Observations
of distant Type Ia supernovae suggest an accelerated expansion of the
universe, setting new tight constraints on Ωm and
ΩΛ which combined with the total matter-density
energy constraints from CMB, lead to Ωm ~ 0.3 and
ΩΛ ~ 0.7 with uncertainties of ~20%. The
expansion age of the universe inferred from the previous set of
cosmological parameters, to = 13 +/- 1.5 Gyr, is fully
consistent with current determinations from globular clusters,
radioactive nuclei and CMB anisotropies.