The dark side of the universe through extragalactic gravitational lensing

The fact that the universe consists largely of dark matter and dark  energy is one of the major surprises to have come out of  astronomical research in the last decades. Trying to understand the  physics of these constituents, as well as their effect on the components of the universe we do see, is now one of the main goals of cosmology. This workshop will focus on what gravitational lensing can contribute, specifically weak lensing by galaxies and large scale structure. With the imminent start of the imaging surveys KiDS and VIKING at the twin survey telescopes being erected at the European Southern Observatory, and of PANSTARSS on Hawaii, as well as the publication of results from the ongoing Canada-France-Hawaii Legacy Survey, the aim is to take stock of what has been learnt thus far, and to look ahead. The workshop will consist of a number of review talks as well as more specialized contributions and survey status reports. There will be time for quite detailed discussion of techniques as well, and the aim is to give participants the opportunity to learn first-hand about measurement of gravitational lensing, analysis of simulations, and interpretation of the results in the framework of cosmological models. Participants will include members of the seven institutes that make up the EU-funded DUEL research training network, as well as a selection of others working in the field.