Cosmology and fundamental physics with the Euclid satellite

TL;DR

Euclid is a space mission designed to investigate the universe's accelerated expansion, focusing on dark energy, dark matter, and fundamental physics, with broad implications for cosmology and galaxy evolution.

Contribution

This review outlines the scientific goals and theoretical frameworks for Euclid's cosmology and fundamental physics research, emphasizing topics beyond standard models.

Findings

Euclid will provide precise measurements of galaxy shapes and redshifts.

The mission aims to test theories of dark energy and modified gravity.

Results will inform our understanding of the universe's expansion and structure formation.

Abstract

Euclid is a European Space Agency medium class mission selected for launch in 2019 within the Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 programme. The main goal of Euclid is to understand the origin of the accelerated expansion of the Universe. Euclid will explore the expansion history of the Universe and the evolution of cosmic structures by measuring shapes and redshifts of galaxies as well as the distribution of clusters of galaxies over a large fraction of the sky. Although the main driver for Euclid is the nature of dark energy, Euclid science covers a vast range of topics, from cosmology to galaxy evolution to planetary research. In this review we focus on cosmology and fundamental physics, with a strong emphasis on science beyond the current standard models. We discuss five broad topics: dark energy and modified gravity, dark matter, initial conditions, basic assumptions and questions of methodology in the data analysis. This review has been planned and carried out within Euclid's Theory Working Group and is meant to provide a guide to the scientific themes that will underlie the activity of the group during the preparation of the Euclid mission.