Theoretical Tools for Structure Formation

*9802362天体物理学和宇宙学的怀特研究将专注于我们在宇宙中星系分布中看到的大规模结构的形成。将开发必要的工具来了解NASA的宇宙背景探索者(COBE)卫星首次测量到的非常小的不规则性是如何形成最近的天空调查中看到的大型星系链结的。对这些过程的理解有望阐明非常早期的宇宙的物理学，并提供测量许多基本宇宙学参数的可能性，例如宇宙正在膨胀的速度，以及是否有足够的物质来阻止遥远的未来的膨胀。

***9802362White Research in astrophysics and cosmology will focus on the formation of the large-scale structure we see in the distribution of galaxies in the universe. The tools necessary to understand how the very small irregularities first measured by NASA's Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite grew to form the large chains and knots of galaxies seen in recent surveys of the sky will be developed. An understanding of these processes promises to shed light upon the physics of the very early universe and offers the possibility of measuring many of the fundamental cosmological parameters such as the speed with which the universe is expanding and whether there is enough matter to halt the expansion in the distant future.***