Quick search Find article
Quick search
Find article

Fundamentalist physics: why Dark Energy is bad for astronomy

Simon D M White

Show affiliations


Astronomers carry out observations to explore the diverse processes and objects which populate our Universe. High-energy physicists carry out experiments to approach the Fundamental Theory underlying space, time and matter. Dark Energy is a unique link between them, reflecting deep aspects of the Fundamental Theory, yet apparently accessible only through astronomical observation. Large sections of the two communities have therefore converged in support of astronomical projects to constrain Dark Energy. In this essay I argue that this convergence can be damaging for astronomy. The two communities have different methodologies and different scientific cultures. By uncritically adopting the values of an alien system, astronomers risk undermining the foundations of their own current success and endangering the future vitality of their field. Dark Energy is undeniably an interesting problem to tackle through astronomical observation, but it is one of many and not necessarily the one where significant progress is most likely to follow a major investment of resources.


PACS

95.36.+x Dark energy

95.35.+d Dark matter (stellar, interstellar, galactic, and cosmological)

98.80.-k Cosmology

98.70.Vc Background radiations

Subjects

Gravitation and cosmology

Particle physics and field theory

Astrophysics and astroparticles

Dates

Issue 6 ( 1 June 2007)

Received 19 March 2007, in final form 10 April 2007

Published 16 May 2007



  1. Fundamentalist physics: why Dark Energy is bad for astronomy

    Simon D M White 2007 Rep. Prog. Phys. 70 883

  2. Non-Steady Behaviour of a Spiral under a Constant Current

    A. Belmonte and J.-M. Flesselles 1995 Europhys. Lett. 32 267

  3. The effect of finite-difference time-domain resolution and power-loss computation method on SAR values in plane-wave exposure of Zubal phantom

    T M Uusitupa et al 2008 Phys. Med. Biol. 53 445

  4. Rectangular distribution whose width is not exactly known: isocurvilinear trapezoidal distribution

    Raghu N Kacker and James F Lawrence 2009 Metrologia 46 254

  5. Mollow splitting of the Na D fluorescence lines in an Ar-filled vapour cell

    A R D van Bergen et al 1988 J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 21 647

  6. The dynamical generation of two-dimensional matter-wave discrete solitons

    Artem M Dudarev et al 2004 J. Opt. B: Quantum Semiclass. Opt. 6 S231

  7. Curie point of ferromagnets

    Yaakov Kraftmakher 1997 Eur. J. Phys. 18 448

  8. SNEWS: the SuperNova Early Warning System

    Pietro Antonioli et al 2004 New J. Phys. 6 114

  9. Precise superconducting DC ratio transformer

    I K Harvey 1973 J. Phys. E: Sci. Instrum. 6 812

  10. An amusing analogy: modelling quantum-type behaviours with wormhole-based time travel

    Stéphane Durand 2002 J. Opt. B: Quantum Semiclass. Opt. 4 S351

View by subject




Export







Please login to access our web services, or create an account if you don't yet have one.

You must have cookies enabled in your web browser to be able to login.

Username
Password

Forgotten your password? Get a new one here.