Speaker: Lucas Macri (Project Director, US-ELT Program, NSF NOIRLab)

Host: Steve Kawaler

Title: The Hubble Tension in the era of JWST

Abstract: A precise and accurate measurement of the current expansion rate of the Universe (commonly referred to as the "Hubble constant", or H₀) can serve as a powerful test of the cosmological model. Several independent techniques are yielding estimates of H₀ that are ~8% (and ~6 sigma) higher than predictions based on the "Lambda CDM" cosmological model, anchored by observations of the Cosmic Microwave Background.

I will review the observational progress in this field over the last decade, including recent results from JWST, and some of the theories that have been proposed to resolve this "Hubble tension", which point towards possible new Physics in the dark sector.