Theoretical Cosmology
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Oxford
Department Name: Oxford Physics
Abstract
We have a broad brush picture of the evolution of the Universe which has consistently stood up to experimental and observational scrutiny. With Einstein's theory of gravity we are able to explain the expansion of recession of galaxies, the presence of a residual bath of relic radiation and the rough abundances of the light elements. Within the auspices of this grant we wish to subject this model to more detailed scrutiny and in doing so, construct a detailed understanding of the physical processes that come into play on an immense range of scales. On the various largest scales, we can use the roughness in the relic radiation to extract the information about the nature of space time and energy when the Universe was in it infancy. Specifically we can now try and detect the background of ripples in space-time, called gravity waves, by looking for particular distortions in relic light. To do so, we must come up with clever algorithms that can cope with the extremely large data sets and extract weak signals. It will be necessary to separate out what is truly due to the gravity waves from other sources of radiation which will contaminate the signal. With such precise data sets, and including other cosmic observables such as the way that galaxies move towards or away from each other, it should be possible to probe and peruse our standard theory and see if there is any evidence for deviations from it. This holistic approach will also allows us to learn more about the nature of the matter and energy that fills the Universe. On smaller scales, we must focus on the building blocks of structure: galaxies. These are extremely complex organisms that a host a wide range of physical process from gravitational to chemical. We will tackle this problem in a variety of ways. At the smallest scales we will work with extremely accurate numerical models of how the different physical process occur and how they trigger the formation of stars. These are complemented by analytical models which are technically much simpler but will allow us to explore a much wider range of environments, from now all the way back to the past when the Universe is much denser and hotter. There is now compelling evidence that there very massive black holes inhabiting at the centres of galaxies. We wish to study this novel and unique observational phenomena and study its theoretical implications. In particular we wish to, once again, study how the existence of black holes drives the formation and evolution of galaxies and how their presence may be tested in a number of observational ways.
Organisations
Publications
Bañados M
(2010)
Eddington's theory of gravity and its progeny.
in Physical review letters
Bañados M
(2009)
Eddington-Born-Infeld gravity and the large scale structure of the Universe
in Physical Review D
Clifton T
(2012)
Modified gravity and cosmology
in Physics Reports
Clifton T
(2009)
What the small angle CMB really tells us about the curvature of the Universe
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Clifton T
(2009)
Archipelagian cosmology: Dynamics and observables in a universe with discretized matter content
in Physical Review D
Clifton T
(2009)
Errors in estimating O ? due to the fluid approximation
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Codis S
(2013)
Connecting the cosmic web to the spin of dark haloes: implications for galaxy formation
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Colombi S
(2011)
Extreme value statistics of smooth Gaussian random fields Extreme value statistics of smooth Gaussian random fields
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Davis O
(2011)
Most massive haloes with Gumbel statistics Most massive haloes with Gumbel statistics
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Desmond H
(2018)
Reconstructing the gravitational field of the local Universe
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Devriendt J
(2010)
The dusty, albeit ultraviolet bright, infancy of galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Dubois Y
(2012)
Self-regulated growth of supermassive black holes by a dual jet-heating active galactic nucleus feedback mechanism: methods, tests and implications for cosmological simulations AGN feedback for cosmological simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Dubois Y
(2010)
Jet-regulated cooling catastrophe Jet-regulated cooling catastrophe
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Dubois Y
(2013)
Blowing cold flows away: the impact of early AGN activity on the formation of a brightest cluster galaxy progenitor
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Dubois Y
(2013)
AGN-driven quenching of star formation: morphological and dynamical implications for early-type galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Dubois Y
(2009)
Influence of AGN jets on the magnetized ICM
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Dubois Y
(2011)
How active galactic nucleus feedback and metal cooling shape cluster entropy profiles Cluster entropy profiles
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Dubois Y
(2015)
Black hole evolution - I. Supernova-regulated black hole growth
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Dubois Y
(2010)
Magnetised winds in dwarf galaxies
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Dubois Y
(2012)
Feeding compact bulges and supermassive black holes with low angular momentum cosmic gas at high redshift Feeding supermassive BHs with cosmic gas
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ferreira P
(2010)
Linear growth rate of structure in parametrized post-Friedmannian universes
in Physical Review D
Ferreira PG
(2009)
Einstein's theory of gravity and the problem of missing mass.
in Science (New York, N.Y.)
Geen S
(2011)
How Does Feedback Affect Milky Way Satellite Formation?
in EAS Publications Series
Geen S
(2015)
A detailed study of feedback from a massive star
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Geen S
(2013)
Satellite survival in highly resolved Milky Way class haloes
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Kassin S
(2012)
THE EPOCH OF DISK SETTLING: z ~ 1 TO NOW
in The Astrophysical Journal
Kassin S
(2012)
The radius of baryonic collapse in disc galaxy formation Radius of baryonic collapse
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Kaviraj S
(2009)
Identifying the progenitor set of present-day early-type galaxies: a view from the standard model
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Kaviraj S
(2015)
Galaxy merger histories and the role of merging in driving star formation at z > 1
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Kimm T
(2011)
Are cold flows detectable with metal absorption lines? Are cold flows detectable with metal absorption lines?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Kimm T
(2012)
Constraining stellar assembly and active galactic nucleus feedback at the peak epoch of star formation Stellar assembly and AGN feedback at 1 = z = 2
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Macaulay E
(2011)
A slight excess of large-scale power from moments of the peculiar velocity field Large-scale power from velocity moments
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Marsh D
(2010)
Ultralight scalar fields and the growth of structure in the Universe
in Physical Review D
Pichon C
(2011)
Rigging dark haloes: why is hierarchical galaxy formation consistent with the inside-out build-up of thin discs? Rigging dark haloes
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Pipino A
(2009)
GALICS. II: the [ a /Fe] -mass relation in elliptical galaxies
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Powell L
(2013)
Enhancing and inhibiting star formation: high-resolution simulation studies of the impact of cold accretion, mergers and feedback on individual massive galaxies
in Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union
Powell L
(2011)
The impact of supernova-driven winds on stream-fed protogalaxies Winds and streams in protogalaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Powell L
(2011)
Galactic star formation in parsec-scale resolution simulations
in Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union
Prokhorov D
(2010)
An analysis of the temperature structure of galaxy clusters by means of the thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Sakstein J
(2011)
The origin and evolution of the mass-metallicity relation at high redshift using galics The high redshift mass-metallicity relation
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Shafieloo A
(2011)
The crossing statistic: dealing with unknown errors in the dispersion of Type Ia supernovae
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Sutton D
(2010)
Fast and precise map-making for massively multi-detector CMB experiments Fast and precise map-making
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Sutton D
(2009)
Map making in small field modulated CMB polarization experiments: approximating the maximum likelihood method
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Teyssier R
(2011)
Mass distribution in galaxy clusters: the role of Active Galactic Nuclei feedback AGN and mass distribution
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Tillson H
(2011)
The environment and redshift dependence of accretion on to dark matter haloes and subhaloes Accretion on to dark haloes and subhaloes
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Tonini C
(2009)
The impact of thermally pulsing asymptotic giant branch stars on hierarchical galaxy formation models
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Tonini C
(2010)
Hierarchical models of high-redshift galaxies with thermally pulsing asymptotic giant branch stars: comparison with observations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Tonini C
(2011)
The hierarchical build-up of the Tully-Fisher relation The hierarchical build-up of the TF relation
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Tweed D
(2009)
Building merger trees from cosmological N -body simulations Towards improving galaxy formation models using subhaloes
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Verhamme A
(2012)
Lyman- a emission properties of simulated galaxies: interstellar medium structure and inclination effects
in Astronomy & Astrophysics