Date: Wed, 05 Mar 2008 13:52:58 -0600
<br>From: Nicholas Suntzeff <nsuntzeff@tamu.edu>
<br>To: faculty@physics.tamu.edu

<p>
The 5-year WMAP data and analysis papers have been put on the web today. 
See:

<p>
<a 
href="http://lambda.gsfc.nasa.gov/product/map/dr3/map_bibliography.cfm">
http://lambda.gsfc.nasa.gov/product/map/dr3/map_bibliography.cfm</a>

<p>
and in particular

<p>
<a 
href="http://lambda.gsfc.nasa.gov/product/map/dr3/pub_papers/fiveyear/cosmology/wmap_5yr_cosmo.pdf">
http://lambda.gsfc.nasa.gov/product/map/dr3/pub_papers/fiveyear/cosmology/wmap_5yr_cosmo.pdf</a>

<p>
New precise limits are put on the scalar/tensor ratio, constraining many 
models of inflation. The rest of the numbers have smaller error bars. 
<b> Especially interesting is that the curvature of the universe 
is flat to 
about 1% now, and the equation of state is still consistent with a    
cosmological constant.</b> The epoch of reionization is found to 
be z~11.

<p>
Basically LCDM still works, with a 6 parameter fit.

<p>
_______________________________________________________________

<p>  Nicholas B. Suntzeff
<br>  Mitchell/Munnerlyn/Heep Chair in Astronomy
<br>  Department of Physics
<br>  Texas A&M University
<br>  College Station, TX 77845-4242
<br>  nsuntzeff@tamu.edu / http://faculty.physics.tamu.edu/suntzeff