A Unified Study of Dark Energy and Galaxy Formation

University Of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA

Investigators

Abstract

This award will support a study of the effects of baryonic matter on cosmological constraints on dark energy as derived from future weak lensing surveys. Large-scale numerical simulations of cosmological structure formation will be performed that treat the physics of baryons in detail. The information garnered from the simulation programs will be used to develop the techniques that will be needed to make optimal use of future photometric surveys to constrain the properties of dark energy and the process of galaxy formation. Broader impacts of this work include research training for a graduate student. All simulation data, processed data products, analysis tools and software developed as part of this project will be made available freely to the scientific community. Simulation visualizations and results will be discussed as part of regular public lecture series at the Allegheny Observatory and will be incorporated into the Carnegie Science Center Girls Science & Math Project to build interest in astrophysical sciences.