Huge Camera to shed light on dark energy

Three quarters of our Universe is still unaccounted for and predicted by theoreticians to exist as ‘dark energy’ but now physicists are one step closer to actually observing this prediction.

The lenses have been polished to an accuracy of one millionth of a centimeter

A milestone for the Dark Energy Survey (DES) has allowed scientists to put the dark energy theory to the test using one of the largest cameras in the world.

Five lenses have been shipped from the US to France and polished to the accuracy of one millionth of a centimetre - the largest of the five lenses is now one of the biggest in the world. On completion the DES will map 300 million galaxies with Blanco 4-meter telescope in Chile. Researchers hope that this extensive map of the Universe will reveal the puzzles of dark energy, explaining the concept originally proposed by Einstein 90 years ago.

The construction of the lenses has been demanding – Dr Peter Doel of the Optical Science Laboratory at UCL said: “The polishing and assembly of the five DES lenses will be a major technological achievement, producing one of the largest cameras on Earth.”

Observations are planned to begin in 2011 and continue until 2016. Professor John Womersley, the Director of the Programmes at the Science and Technology Facilities Council who contribute funding to the collaboration involving over 100 scientists, said “We are delighted that the UK is taking an important role in this innovative project which will help us understand one of the deepest mysteries of the universe.”

By Leila Sattary