Title:
The Dark Energy Survey status and first results
Abstract:
The Dark Energy Survey (DES) Collaboration will soon begin a 5000 sq.
deg. imaging survey of the southern galactic cap using a new 3 sq.
deg., 520 Megapixel CCD camera, the Dark Energy Camera 
(DECam), mounted on the Blanco 4-meter telescope at the Cerro-Tololo
Inter-American Observatory. DECam has achieved first-light in September
and is undergoing commissioning and science verification until
December 2012. The survey will begin shortly thereafter.
DES data will be used to place new and tight constraints on the
nature of dark energy via the history of the cosmic expansion rate and
the growth of large-scale structure, using the four
complementary techniques recommended by the Dark Energy Task Force:
weak gravitational lensing, galaxy cluster counts, large-scale
structure including baryon acoustic oscillations, and Type Ia
supernovae. 
In this talk, the science projections and prospects will be
described, together with the status of the project and the first
results obtained from the early commissioning data.