This event was recorded on June 28, 2023 at Aspen Center for Physics during the 2023 DeWolf Foundation Physics Talks, in partnership with Aspen Public Radio.
It is often said that our understanding of science grows in leaps and bounds with technological advances. However, over the last few decades, it is the realization of our ignorance of the universe we live in that has grown in leaps and bounds, and we are aware of this with increasing scientific precision! Most of the energy content in the universe is invisible and remains mysterious to us, making its presence known only through the otherwise inexplicable behavior of the universe's visible contents. In fact, it is only by mapping the evolving distribution of light in the universe that we can "see" the dark components. Arjun Dey describes our current exciting state of ignorance and explains why this poses a wonderful opportunity for science. He also describes a new exploration, now being carried out on a venerable telescope equipped with a spectacular new instrument, that seeks to shed light on these mysteries.
ABOUT ARJUN DEY
Arjun Dey began exploring the universe at 15 years of age as an amateur astronomer and telescope builder. He received his PhD from UC Berkeley and is now an astronomer at NOIRLab, the US national center for ground-based optical and infrared astronomy. A recipient of Fellowships from the Radcliffe Institute and Guggenheim Foundation, Arjun's research focuses on how galaxies form and evolve, and what they reveal about the invisible contents of the universe: dark matter and dark energy. He is a key member of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument survey project, which aims to measure the expansion history of the universe, explore the nature of dark energy, investigate the evolution of galaxies, and study the structure and fossil history of the Milky Way.