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Cosmology and the Hubble Constant: On the Megamaser Cosmology Project (MCP)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 July 2012

C. Henkel ,
J. A. Braatz ,
M. J. Reid ,
J. J. Condon ,
K. Y. Lo ,
C. M. Violette Impellizzeri  and
C. Y. Kuo
C. Henkel
Affiliation:
Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Auf dem Hügel 69, 53121 Bonn, GermanyAstron. Dept., King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80203, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia email: [email protected]
J. A. Braatz
Affiliation:
National Radio Astronomy Observatory, 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA email: [email protected]
M. J. Reid
Affiliation:
Harvard-Smithonsian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA02138, USA email: [email protected]
J. J. Condon
Affiliation:
National Radio Astronomy Observatory, 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA email: [email protected]
K. Y. Lo
Affiliation:
National Radio Astronomy Observatory, 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA email: [email protected]
C. M. Violette Impellizzeri
Affiliation:
National Radio Astronomy Observatory, 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USAJoint ALMA Observatory, Alonso de Córdova 3107, Vitacura, Santiago, Chile email: [email protected]
C. Y. Kuo
Affiliation:
Dept. of Astronomy, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USAAASIA, Astron.-Math. Building, Roosevelt Rd, Taipei 10617, Taiwan email: [email protected]
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Abstract

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The Hubble constant H0 describes not only the expansion of local space at redshift z ~ 0, but is also a fundamental parameter determining the evolution of the universe. Recent measurements of H0 anchored on Cepheid observations have reached a precision of several percent. However, this problem is so important that confirmation from several methods is needed to better constrain H0 and, with it, dark energy and the curvature of space. A particularly direct method involves the determination of distances to local galaxies far enough to be part of the Hubble flow through water vapor (H2O) masers orbiting nuclear supermassive black holes. The goal of this article is to describe the relevance of H0 with respect to fundamental cosmological questions and to summarize recent progress of the ‘Megamaser Cosmology Project’ (MCP) related to the Hubble constant.

Keywords

masersgalaxies: activegalaxies: ISMgalaxies: nucleicosmology: cosmological parameterscosmology: distance scaleradio lines: galaxies
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 8 , Symposium S287: Cosmic Masers - from OH to H0 , January 2012 , pp. 301 - 310
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2012

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