Hubble Constant Tension: Signs of New Physics?

by David Rubin (University of Hawaii)

Thursday Oct 17, 2019, 3:30 PM → 4:30 PM Pacific/Honolulu

112 (Watanabe Hall)

The present relative expansion rate of the universe, the Hubble constant, is a key parameter in cosmology. In the last few years, increasing tension has been observed between the values from direct measurements in the local universe and those inferred from the early universe assuming a standard cosmological model. This tension now exceeds 5 sigma, depending on which measurements are considered. I will discuss the current and upcoming Hubble constant measurements, the evidence for tension, and possible physical resolutions if the tension is real.