Accounting for Distance Errors in Cosmology

University Of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA

Investigators

Abstract

AST-0507501 Sheth The luminosity functions of galaxies and quasars provide invaluable information about their formation. Estimating the luminosity function from magnitude-limited samples is straightforward if the objects have accurately known distances, but much more difficult when distances are only approximate, or only well known for a small subset of the sample. This occurs, for example, when photometric redshifts are available, but spectroscopic redshifts are not. This research will develop algorithms to handle this complication, and to cope with the effects of these uncertainties on correlations of intrinsic properties. The developed algorithms will be used to interpret data from galaxy and quasar surveys that are just becoming available. These methods will impact a broad range of astronomical studies, including nearby galaxies with marked peculiar velocities, and stellar luminosity functions when accurate parallax distances are not available. Since the work blends theory and data analysis over a three year timeline, it is also well suited for a doctoral thesis project, and every effort will be made to enlist a capable graduate student from an under-represented group.