CAREER: Application of Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data to Gravitational Lensing Studies and the Enhancement of Science Education

最近大量的理论和实验工作表明，引力透镜效应为我们直接测量宇宙中总质量的丰度和分布提供了最好的机会。最近的工作扩展了对质量分布的测量，从多个类星体图像和巨大弧线的强透镜效应到大质量星系团外围的弱透镜效应。借助斯隆数字巡天（SDSS）独特的宽视场成像系统，将有可能将这种透镜研究扩展到非常宽的视场，并独立于发光物质和暗物质之间的偏差研究宇宙中的密度变化。弱透镜技术是直接探测宇宙质量密度中的大尺度结构的唯一方法，而SDSS提供了在很大一部分天空中实现这一目标的唯一机会。这些方法将用于测量四分之一天空的物质表面密度，利用光度和光谱红移探测密度场的演变，直接测量观测到的发光物质的局部分布与潜在质量分布之间的偏差，以及测量附近星团（如后发星团）的透镜质量。这是一个困难的项目，需要仔细控制系统错误，但SDSS设计得非常好，可以应对这些挑战。一个补充计划将在SDSS数据中搜索类星体透镜以用于相关研究。SDSS生成的数据将用于传统的研究生和本科生研究，也将作为将当前研究带入入门课堂的工具。高级本科生将参与设计一套工具，使用SDSS数据，说明重要的科学原理。这些工具将用于进入非科学专业的“动手”宇宙学课程，大型标准物理入门课程，并将通过现有的教师拓展计划分发。我们将继续努力提高密歇根大学的标准本科教学质量，并继续开展SDSS公共信息项目和成功的公共讲座系列。这个项目是一个为期五年的项目，它将使密歇根大学的一名教员进一步发展成为一名天体物理学研究者和教育家。该基金将支持该教员、一名研究生和一些本科生分析斯隆数字巡天项目获得的数据中的引力透镜效应。也支持使用SDSS数据来开发新的教育材料，以供各种课堂使用。

Abstract - McKay A large amount of recent theoretical and experimental work has shown that gravitational lensing effects afford our best opportunity to directly measure the abundance and distribution of total mass in the universe. Recent work has extended the measurement of mass distributions from the strong lensing regime of multiple quasar images and giant arcs to the weaker lensing effects seen in the periphery of massive clusters of galaxies. With the unique wide field imaging system of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), it will be possible to extend such lensing studies to very wide fields, and study density variations in the universe independent of the bias between luminous and dark matter. The weak lensing technique is the only way to directly probe large scale structures in the mass density of the universe, and the SDSS offers the only opportunity to do this over a large fraction of the sky. These methods will be used to measure the surface density of matter over one fourth of the sky, to probe the evolution of this density field using photometric and spectroscopic redshifts, to measure directly the bias between the observed local distribution of luminous matter and the underlying mass distribution, and to measure the lensing mass of nearby clusters like the Coma cluster. This is a difficult program, requiring careful control of systematic errors, but the SDSS is exceedingly well designed to meet these challenges. A complementary program would search for quasar lenses within the SDSS data for use in related studies. Data generated by the SDSS will be used both for traditional graduate and undergraduate research, and also as a tool for bringing current research into the introductory classroom. Advanced undergraduate students will be involved in designing a set of tools, using the SDSS data, to illustrate important scientific principles. These tools will be used in a "hands-on" cosmology class for entering non-science majors, in large standard intro ductory physics classes, and will be distributed through existing teacher outreach programs. There will be continued efforts to improve the quality of standard undergraduate teaching at the University of Michigan, and to continue SDSS public information programs and a successful public lecture series. This project is a five year program that will enable a faculty member at the University of Michigan to develop further as an astrophysics researcher and an educator. The grant will support the faculty member, a graduate student, and a number of undergraduates in their analysis of gravitational lensing effects in data to be obtained by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. There is also support to use the SDSS data in the development of new educational materials for use in a variety of classroom situations.