Astrophysics, Cosmology and Gravitation
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Exploration into the building blocks of matter through complementary approaches: (1) the most sensitive search for a direct signal from the dark matter halo surrounding our galaxy (the CDMS experiment in the Soudan Underground Laboratory in northern Minnesota), (2) the highest energy accelerator (The CMS experiment at the future Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland), and (3) the most precise measurement of the magnetic moment of the muon (g-2 at Brookhaven Lab in New York).
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| EBEX takes flight |
Physics of The Cosmos
Welcome to the Cosmology Group at the University of Minnesota!
We are a diverse but cohesive group of Physics and Astronomy faculty,
post-docs and graduate students engaged in research work in Cosmology,
Gravitation and related fields. Our research interests span a wide
range of topics in the experimental, theoretical and observational
Cosmology.
On the experimental side we are involved in all aspects of the
Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS) experiment, in the building of
balloon-borne instruments to detect minute signals from the Big Bang
as imprinted on the Cosmic Microwave Background, and in the Laser
Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO), a network of
multi-kilometer interferometers designed to search for gravitational
waves. On the theoretical side we investigate the earliest moments of
the Universe, the inflationary epoch whose outcome sets the stage for
the later evolution of galaxies and clusters. We map the mass distribution
in these structures in order to reveal the properties of dark matter.
We also study the origin and evolution of the chemical elements from
their production during the Big Bang Nucleosynthesis and in the interiors
of stars, to their dispersal by supernova and mixing into the interstellar
medium. We carry out observational programs to test theoretical predictions
of the chemical evolution models and to uncover new properties of stars
and galaxies.
Our weekly Monday lunchtime seminars cover a variety of cosmology and
related topics and are generally accompanied by lively discussions. With
the generous help from the Fine Theoretical Physics Institute we organize
yearly workshops that attract international experts.
Astrophysics and Cosmology Faculty
| Priscilla Cushman | Dark matter searches, novel particle detectors, collaborative work toward a Center for Underground Science through the DUSEL initiative |
| Lucy Fortson | High-energy astrophysics, gamma-ray astronomy, extragalactic astronomy including active galactic nuclei and barred spirals; Developing online citizen science as a method to solve research problems with large datasets; physics education research. |
| Shaul Hanany | Observational Cosmology; Early Universe Physics |
| Alexander Heger | Massive and very massive stars, the first stars, stellar rotation, nucleosynthesis, supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, X-ray bursts. |
| Vuk Mandic | Gravitational Wave Physics, Observational Cosmology, Early Universe Physics |
| Keith Olive | Cosmology/Particle Physics |
| Marco Peloso | Astroparticle physics, Inflation, Cosmology of extra-dimensions, Physics beyond the Standard Model |
| Clement Pryke | Astrophysics and Cosmology--Cosmic microwave background |
| Yong-Zhong Qian | Nuclear/particle astrophysics and cosmology: neutrino oscillations and
their effects in astrophysical environments, supernova explosion and
nucleosynthesis, chemical evolution of galaxies
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| M. Claudia Scarlata | Galaxy formation and evolution: massive galaxies, evolution of galaxy structure.
Lyα line as a cosmological tool: escape of Lyα photons, large-scale structure, Lyα blobs.
Reionization: Lyman continuum escape fraction, IR background fluctuations |
| Evan Skillman | Extragalactic Observational Astronomy;
Specializing in: Chemical Evolution of Galaxies, Structure and
Evolution of Dwarf Galaxies, H II Region Abundances, Star Formation, Big Bang Nucleosynthesis, Cluster Galaxies |
| Liliya L.R. Williams | Cosmology; distribution of dark matter;
gravitational lensing; formation of structure |
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Astrophysics and Cosmology Research Staff
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Astrophysics and Cosmology Graduate Students
| Chaoyun Bao | Cosmic Microwave Background Polarization |
| Danielle Berg | |
| Brett Buchea | |
| Bikramjit Chandra | |
| Ke-Jung Chen | Stellar Evolution, Computational Astrophysics |
| Scott Fallows | |
| Marcos Garcia Garcia | |
| Thomas Hofer | |
| Chen Hou | |
| Shivaraj Kandhasamy | Gravitational waves, cosmology. |
| Allison Kennedy | I am interested in particle physics with a current emphasis on dark matter. |
| Jeffrey Klein | |
| Cheng-Hsien Li | Neutrino oscillations with three flavors and CP violation |
| Mark Mackey | |
| Charles McEachern | |
| Sergey Monin | |
| Ryo Namba | |
| Mark Pepin | Dark Matter, Particle Physics, Geant4 Simulation |
| Tanner Prestegard | |
| Congxin Qiu | |
| Catherine Raach | |
| Farzad Sadjadi | Gravitational lensing, cosmology, polarimetry, evolutionary computation |
| Jacob Simones | |
| Pamela Vo | |
| Christopher James West | Nuclear Astrophysics, Galactic Chemical Evolution, Stellar Evolution |
| Addishiwot Woldesenbet | Gravitational Lensing... |
| Zhen Yuan | |
| Jianjie Zhang | |
| Kyle Zilic | Astrophysics, cosmology, CMB polarization |
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