Future of the Universe

How do we go about determining the ultimate fate of the Universe?

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Tests for the Appropriate Solution and Estimates for the Best model

• Test: Topology of the Universe from Small z Observations ===> inconclusive, but showed dark matter dominates normal matter
• Test: Topology of the Universe from Large z Observations ===> Universe is flat, Ω = 1 with Dark Energy is dominant.
• Universe from a Snapshot of the Cosmic Microwave Background Radation, CMB ===> Best model for the Universe.

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Global measurements of Omega (from WMAP supported by Type Ia SNe)

===> The Universe is flat

and 68 % of the Universe is Dark Energy; dark matter part of the matter, Ω_DM ~ 27 %, and the normal matter part of the matter, Ω_b ~ 4.6 %. A nagging issue connected with Dark Energy is something known as the Cosmological Constant Problem.

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