Experimental Cosmology Research Presentation by Prof. Jon Thaler, Friday, Oct. 5

Prof. Jon Thaler will give a presentation on research opportunities in the experimental cosmology group in Phys. 596 (Physics Graduate Orientation) from roughly 11:00 - 11:45 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 5, in Rm. 144 Loomis.

Prof. Thaler's research is focused in two areas: (1). Dark Energy Survey (DES) - This project will build a new 500-megapixel CCD camera for the 4-m Blanco telescope at CTIO in Chile. We will use it to study supernovas and the time development of large scale structure (the distribution of galaxies and clusters of galaxies). These measurements will begin to constrain the properties of the dark energy, possibly testing whether or not it is Einstein's cosmological constant. We wil begin collecting data in 2009. (2). Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) - We will build a new 8.4-m telescope optimized for cosmological studies. Beginning in about 2014, we will survey half of the sky, mapping the time development of structure formation during the past 12 billion years. We will also observe more than a million supernovas. This enormous data set will yield precise measurements of the properties of dark matter and dark energy and may also allow us to make the first measurement of the mass of the neutrino.

Any graduate students interested in research opportunities in experimental cosmology -- even those not enrolled in Phys 596 -- are welcome to attend Phys. 596 class during Prof. Thaler's presentation.