The Keck Cosmic Web Imager (KCWI) is a new type of telescope designed to image the large-scale structure of the universe. The instrument is mounted on the 10-meter Keck I telescope at the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii.
KCWI uses an innovative technique called integral field spectroscopy to map out the three-dimensional distribution of galaxies and gas in the universe. This technique allows astronomers to study how matter is distributed on cosmological scales, providing insights into the nature of dark matter and dark energy.
The instrument was built by a team of scientists from the University of California, Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and UCLA. The project was led by UC Berkeley professor James Gunn and UCLA professor Daniel Jaffe.
KCWI has already made some groundbreaking observations, including detecting massive structures known as filamentary networks that connect galaxies together like a cosmic web. These filamentary networks are thought to be composed of dark matter, which makes up about 27% of all matter in the universe.
In addition, KCWI has been used to study quasars, which are extremely bright objects powered by supermassive black holes. Quasars are thought to play an important role in heating and ionizing gas in the intergalactic medium, making it difficult for galaxies to form new stars.
The Keck Cosmic Web Imager will continue to make important contributions to our understanding of cosmology and astrophysics in the years ahead.”