The Local Value of H$_0$

Abstract

We review the local determination of the Hubble constant, H$_0$, focusing on recent measurements of a distance ladder constructed from geometry, Cepheid variables and Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia). We explain in some detail the components of the ladder: (1) geometry from Milky Way parallaxes, masers in NGC 4258 and detached eclipsing binaries in the Large Magellanic Cloud; (2) measurements of Cepheids with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in these anchors and in the hosts of 42 SNe Ia; and (3) SNe Ia in the Hubble flow. Great attention to negating systematic uncertainties through the use of differential measurements is reviewed. A wide array of tests are discussed. The measurements provide a strong indication of a discrepancy between the local measure of H$_0$ and its value predicted by $\Lambda$CDM theory, calibrated by the cosmic microwave background ($Planck$), a decade-long challenge known as the `Hubble Tension'. We present new measurements with the James Webb Space Telescope of $>$320 Cepheids on both rungs of the distance ladder, in a SN Ia host and the geometric calibrator NGC 4258, showing reduced noise and good agreement with the same as measured with HST. This provides strong evidence that systematic errors in HST Cepheid photometry do not play a significant role in the present Hubble Tension. Future measurements are expected to refine the local determination of the Hubble constant.Comment: 14 pages, 14 figures. Invited Review for IAU Symposium 376, Richard de Grijs, Patricia Whitelock and Marcio Catelan, ed