Week 3: Dark matter and dark energy

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Michela Massimi and John Peacock

According to the currently accepted model in cosmology, our universe is made up of 5% of ordinary
matter, 25% cold dark matter, and 70% dark energy. But what kind of entities are dark matter and dark
energy? In this class, we take you through a fascinating journey at the frontiers of contemporary
cosmology and particle physics. We also look at alternative theories that explain the same experimental
evidence without recourse to the hypothesis of dark matter and dark energy and we discuss the rationale
for choosing between rival research programs.

Video Lectures
This week's lecture is split into five parts. Click the links for the videos:
Lecture 1: Introduction
Lecture 2: Dark Matter & Dark Energy (part I)
Lecture 3: Dark Matter & Dark Energy (part II)
Lecture 4: What Prospects for Cosmology?
Lecture 5: Conclusion

Resources
Here you can find slides for this week's lectures.
Here you can find transcripts of this week's lectures:
Lecture 1: Introduction
Lecture 2: Dark Matter & Dark Energy (part I)
Lecture 3: Dark Matter & Dark Energy (part II)
Lecture 4: What Prospects for Cosmology?
Lecture 5: Conclusion

Assessment
The quiz for this week can be found here.

Citizen Science Portal

The Philosophy and the Sciences team has partnered with Zooniverse to bring citizen science to our
MOOC. Make your own contribution to cosmology here.

Other Online Resources

On Kuhn and the rationality of theory choice
If you would like to explore in more detail, how Kuhn's view about incommensurability poses a problem for
the rationality of theory choice, please read the entry in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
The classic text is Kuhn's 1977 chapter 'Objectivity, value judgment, and theory choice'. In T. S. Kuhn The
Essential Tension (University of Chicago Press). A copy can be found in the public domain here.
On the problem of underdetermination of theory by evidence
Please see the very helpful entry in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Underdetermination and cosmology
For a simple and accessible article on the underdetermination problem in contemporary cosmology,
please see O. Lahav and M. Massimi (2014) 'Dark energy, paradigm shift, and the role of evidence', in
Astronomy & Geophysics 55, 3.3-3.5. The pre-print is freely accessible here.
Dark matter and dark energy
If you would like to know more about contemporary cosmological research about dark energy, please take
a look at the official site of the Dark Energy Survey. This is the official site of one of the current largest
survey that is mapping 200 million galaxies by 2018 by integrating four different kinds of probes.
If you would like to know more about MOND, please take a look at Bekenstein, J. D. (2010) 'Alternatives to
dark matter: modified gravity as an alternative to dark matter', freely accessible here.
Here you can find a series of video interviews with top cosmologists on dark matter.
And here you can find a series of video interviews with top cosmologists on dark energy.

Created Wed 27 Aug 2014 10:23 AM PET

Last Modified Thu 6 Nov 2014 7:18 AM PET