1. Nobel Prize in Physics 2011 Saul Perlmutter Supernova Cosmology Project Berkeley, USA Brian P. Schmidt High-z Supernova Search Team Weston Creek, Australia Adam G. Riess High-z Supernova Search Team Baltimore, USA “for the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the Universe through observations of distant supernovae” David Blaschke, IFT Seminar, Wroclaw University, 9.12.2011 SN 1006 : Remnant of Supernova Type Ia

2. Cosmic Dynamics

7. Standard Candles... Cepheids (... 29 Mpc) (period - luminosity) Tully-Fisher relation (... 50 Mpc) (galaxy rotation - luminosity) Supernovae Ia ( > 1000 Mpc) (unique lightcurve peak luminosity) The Cosmic Distance Ladder 1 Mpc = 3.26 million ly = 3.085 10 22 m Luminosity distance d L : (L – absolute; l - apparent)

8. The Strategy

9. Supernovae Typ Ia as standard candles The picture of a galaxy Supernova 1995ar (red arrow) shines as bright as a galaxy White dwarf star accretes mass from a companion star... At 1.4 M_solar the white dwarf explodes in a supernova type Ia Type Ia ? The lightcurve decides! The same galaxy, three weeks later.

10. Supernovae Typ Ia as standard candles The picture of a galaxy Supernova 1995ar (red arrow) shines as bright as a galaxy The same galaxy, three weeks later.

11. Analysis Method “Supernova on Demand” - sample thousands of Galaxies during new moon - observe same patches 3 weeks later: find dozens of SNe - for close-to-peak brightness SNe start follow-up observations On world's largest telescopes

12. The Result: 27 % Matter (4% Atoms, 23% Dark), 73% Vacuum (Dark) Energy

16. Independent Confirmation: Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) Fluctuations

17. Independent Confirmation: Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) Fluctuations

18. Independent Confirmation: Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) Fluctuations

24. Summary of Results