Cosmology from Surveys
Lead Research Organisation:
University College London
Department Name: Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
It seems we live in a bizarre Universe. Recent measurements strongly favour a 'concordance' model in which the Universe is flat and contains approximately 4% baryons, 21% Cold Dark Matter and 75% Dark Energy .The concept of Dark Energy is a variant on Einstein's cosmological constant (Lambda). This 'Lambda+ Cold Dark Matter' paradigm and its extensions pose fundamental questions about the origins of the Universe. The Universe appears to have begun with a period of rapid inflation and eventually cooled into a dark world in which the first objects formed and re-ionized the Universe. Along with Dark Energy, these processes form the basis for research of this proposal. A unique feature of our Programme is that it brings together expertise in galaxy surveys, gravitational lensing, radio survey analysis and the CMB. The Programme also connects the UCL Cosmology and Instrumentation Teams. Since its foundation in 2004 the main focus of the Cosmology Team has been Dark Energy with heavy involvement and leadership roles in both the Dark Energy Survey (DES) and in the proposed ESA Euclid satellite. With the recruitment of two new members of staff in 2009 we have branched into the research areas of the Cosmic Microwave Background (utilizing the Planck satellite) and Radio Surveys (e.g. LOFAR). Therefore we have now a much broader coverage of modern Cosmology. We will estimate the properties of Dark Energy, constrain the physics of the very early Universe, study the phase change as the universe underwent Re-ionization, and potentially measure the mass of the neutrino for the first time. The proposed Programme is divided into four Themes, listed from low to high redshift: Theme 1 covers Cosmology from Photometric Redshift Surveys, Theme 2 is focused on Cosmic Shear from these surveys, Theme 3 explores Radio Surveys mainly for studying the Epoch of Re-ionization, and Theme 4 looks at the fundamental problems of the Early Universe, with the aid of data from Planck. The Cosmology Team at UCL is well placed for this project. The four applicants are very experienced in the fields of analyzing large galaxy surveys, designing surveys for weak lensing and for the Epoch of Re-ionization, and studying the early universe from the CMB, our best hope for uncovering fingerprints of the Physics operating at very high energy scales. The proposed Programme would allow us to maintain and enhance our leadership roles in international projects, and to train and inspire a young generation of Cosmologists.
Organisations
Publications
Verde L
(2013)
(Lack of) Cosmological evidence for dark radiation after Planck
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Mucesh S
(2021)
A machine learning approach to galaxy properties: joint redshift-stellar mass probability distributions with Random Forest
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Clerkin L
(2015)
A prescription for galaxy biasing evolution as a nuisance parameter
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Oikonomou F
(2013)
A search for correlation of ultra-high energy cosmic rays with IRAS-PSCz and 2MASS-6dF galaxies
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Palmese A
(2020)
A Statistical Standard Siren Measurement of the Hubble Constant from the LIGO/Virgo Gravitational Wave Compact Object Merger GW190814 and Dark Energy Survey Galaxies
in The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Sadeh Iftach
(2015)
ANNz2 - photometric redshift and probability distribution function estimation using machine learning
in ArXiv e-prints
Sadeh I
(2016)
ANNz2: Photometric Redshift and Probability Distribution Function Estimation using Machine Learning
in Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Lahav Ofer
(2012)
ANNz: Artificial Neural Networks for estimating photometric redshifts
in Astrophysics Source Code Library
Goldstein D
(2015)
AUTOMATED TRANSIENT IDENTIFICATION IN THE DARK ENERGY SURVEY
in The Astronomical Journal
McEwen J
(2013)
Bayesian analysis of anisotropic cosmologies: Bianchi VIIh and WMAP
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Easther R
(2012)
Bayesian analysis of inflation. II. Model selection and constraints on reheating
in Physical Review D
Noreña J
(2012)
Bayesian analysis of inflation. III. Slow roll reconstruction using model selection
in Physical Review D
Donahue M
(2014)
CLASH-X: A COMPARISON OF LENSING AND X-RAY TECHNIQUES FOR MEASURING THE MASS PROFILES OF GALAXY CLUSTERS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Bradley L
(2014)
CLASH: A CENSUS OF MAGNIFIED STAR-FORMING GALAXIES AT z ~ 6-8
in The Astrophysical Journal
Medezinski E
(2013)
CLASH: COMPLETE LENSING ANALYSIS OF THE LARGEST COSMIC LENS MACS J0717.5+3745 AND SURROUNDING STRUCTURES
in The Astrophysical Journal
Grillo C
(2014)
CLASH: EXTENDING GALAXY STRONG LENSING TO SMALL PHYSICAL SCALES WITH DISTANT SOURCES HIGHLY MAGNIFIED BY GALAXY CLUSTER MEMBERS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Huang X
(2015)
CLASH: EXTREME EMISSION-LINE GALAXIES AND THEIR IMPLICATION ON SELECTION OF HIGH-REDSHIFT GALAXIES
in The Astrophysical Journal
Jouvel S
(2014)
CLASH: Photometric redshifts with 16 HST bands in galaxy cluster fields
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Merten J
(2015)
CLASH: THE CONCENTRATION-MASS RELATION OF GALAXY CLUSTERS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Rosati P.
(2014)
CLASH: using massive clusters to probe the cosmological paradigm, structure formation and primordial galaxies
in The evolution of galaxy clusters and cluster galaxies in the epoch of large optical/IR surveys
Monna A
(2014)
CLASH: z ~ 6 young galaxy candidate quintuply lensed by the frontier field cluster RXC J2248.7-4431
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Banerji M
(2014)
Combining Dark Energy Survey Science Verification data with near-infrared data from the ESO VISTA Hemisphere Survey
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Padmanabhan T
(2012)
COMMISSION 47: COSMOLOGY
in Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union
Palmese A
(2016)
Comparing Dark Energy Survey and HST -CLASH observations of the galaxy cluster RXC J2248.7-4431: implications for stellar mass versus dark matter
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Agarwal Shankar
(2012)
Constraining Cosmological Parameters, Including Neutrino Mass, Using N-body Large Scale Simulations and Artificial Neural Networks
in American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #219
Title | Hosting artists in residence |
Description | We have hosted artists in residence who were inspired by Dark Energy studies |
Type Of Art | Artwork |
Year Produced | 2014 |
Impact | - Artist Katie Paterson (on Leverhulme grant; PI: Lahav) presented her work in museums around the world - Artist Marie Kaus produced art work on dark energy, on display at UCL Observatory at Mill Hill |
Description | This grant is finished but this section can be updated at a later date if details required. This grant laid the foundations for preparations for the Dark Energy Survey, where we have played leadership roles The Dark Energy Survey is now complete, but data are sill analysed. The survey has produced so far produced over 350 papers (as of March 2020), some of them led by our group. In addition, the grant provided support for theoretical studies in cosmology and other probes such as the CMB. |
Exploitation Route | Published in ArXiv (Green open access) and refereed journals This grant was followed by the Consolidated Grants (2012-2015; 2015-2019; 2018-21). This grant led to 3 ERC grants: Bridle (Starting Grant) Lahav (Advanced Grant), Peiris (Starting Grant). |
Sectors | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) Education |
URL | http://www.ucl.ac.uk/star |
Description | This grant is finished but this section can be updated at a later date if details required. - Media interviews and press releases - Artist Katie Paterson (on Leverhulme grant; PI: Lahav) presented her work in museums around the world , and artist Marie Kaus produced art work on dark energy, on display at UCL Observatory at Mill Hill |
Sector | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
Impact Types | Cultural |
Description | Advance ERC grant |
Amount | € 2,400,000 (EUR) |
Funding ID | FP7/291329 |
Organisation | European Research Council (ERC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | Belgium |
Start | 04/2012 |
End | 04/2018 |
Title | Optics and statistical methods |
Description | - designing optical corrector for wide field multi object spectroscopy - developing statistics of cross correlations of imaging and spectroscopic surveys (Kirk et al.) - developing methods for selecting candidates of emission lines galaxies from imaging surveys |
Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
Year Produced | 2014 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | See above |
Description | Book: "The Dark Energy Survey: The Story of a Cosmological Experiment" (edited by O. Lahav et al.) published by World Scientific (2020) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | "The Dark Energy Survey: The Story of a Cosmological Experiment" (edited by O. Lahav et al.) published by World Scientific (2020) |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/q0247 |
Description | press release and interview |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | a press release on DESI (which succeeded DESpec) Interviewed in at article on DESI in Physics Today (Oct 2016) |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |