4th CTP International Workshop on the Dark Side of the Universe
The British University in Egypt (BUE)
1st - 5th June, 2008
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In ancient Egypt the dome of the sky was represented by the goddess Nut, who arched her back over the earth so that only her hands and feet touched the ground. She was the night sky, and the sun, the god Ra, was born from her every morning. |
The Centre for Theoretical Physics at the British University in Egypt will organize the 4th International workshop on the Dark Side of the Universe (DSU) from 1st to 5th June 2008.
The meeting is a continuation of the first, second, and third DSU workshops held in Seoul, Madrid, and Minnesota in June 2005, 2006, and 2007, respectively.
Two of the most evasive and fascinating enigmas in physics are the existence of dark energy and dark matter in the Universe. Most astronomers, cosmologists and particle physicists are convinced that 74% of the density of the Universe is due to some vacuum energy, the so called 'dark energy', whereas 22% is due to some non-luminous matter, the so called 'dark matter'. Thus only 4% is due to ordinary matter. Dark energy is a mysterious force that causes the speeding up of the universe expansion. The evidence on dark energy came from studying distant type Ia supernovae. In 1998, it was found that the supernovas were dimmer than they should have been, and that meant they were farther away than they should have been. The only way for that to happen, the astronomers realized, was if the expansion of the universe had sped up at some time in the past. On the other hand, the measured rotation velocity of isolated stars or gas clouds in the outer parts of galaxies was not as one should expect from the gravitational attraction due to the luminous matter. This lead astronomers to assume that there was dark matter in and around galaxies. Although the existence of dark matter was suggested in 1933, still we do not know its composition.
The presence of Dark Matter and Dark Energy, which are fundamental issues in physics, may possibly find a resolution only via new theories of particle physics. This leads to a strong connection between particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology. The main theme of the conference is theoretical, phenomenological and experimental aspects of the field of astroparticles (particle physics, astrophysics, and cosmology). The DSU08 aims to bring together scientists from universities and research institutes from all around the world to discuss the latest theoretical and experimental advances.
The Conference is sponsored by:
(CAIS) Cairo University
