Studies of dark energy with X-ray observatories

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010 Apr 20;107(16):7179-83. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0914905107. Epub 2010 Apr 19.

Abstract

I review the contribution of Chandra X-ray Observatory to studies of dark energy. There are two broad classes of observable effects of dark energy: evolution of the expansion rate of the Universe, and slow down in the rate of growth of cosmic structures. Chandra has detected and measured both of these effects through observations of galaxy clusters. A combination of the Chandra results with other cosmological datasets leads to 5% constraints on the dark energy equation-of-state parameter, and limits possible deviations of gravity on large scales from general relativity.