Likelihood function for with a uniform prior on r _s over the range 120–200 h ⁻¹ ₇₀ kpc, using the restricted group sample. (The likelihood has been normalized so the area under the curve is 1.) The dashed vertical line indicates the value where the likelihood peaks. Dotted vertical lines indicate 68.2%, 95.4%, and 99.7% (1σ, 2σ, 3σ) confidence regions. The solid vertical line and shading indicate the mean WMAP seven-year value and 68% confidence range from Larson et al. (2011). The vertical green line indicates the value , the lower limit for cosmic acceleration ( q ₀ < 0).