Weak lensing: Dark Matter, Dark Energy and Dark Gravity

TL;DR

This review explores how weak lensing observations can shed light on the universe's dark components, including dark matter, dark energy, and alternative gravity theories, highlighting recent results and future prospects.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive non-specialist overview of how weak lensing can inform our understanding of dark matter, dark energy, and dark gravity, emphasizing recent observational and theoretical developments.

Findings

Confrontation of dark matter profiles with observations.

Measurements of neutrino masses through lensing.

Prospects for distinguishing gravity theories with future surveys.

Abstract

In this non-specialist review I look at how weak lensing can provide information on the dark sector of the Universe. The review concentrates on what can be learned about Dark Matter, Dark Energy and Dark Gravity, and why. On Dark Matter, results on the confrontation of theoretical profiles with observation are reviewed, and measurements of neutrino masses discussed. On Dark Energy, the interest is whether this could be Einstein's cosmological constant, and prospects for high-precision studies of the equation of state are considered. On Dark Gravity, we consider the exciting prospects for future weak lensing surveys to distinguish General Relativity from extra-dimensional or other gravity theories.