Towards Understanding of Properties and Nature of Dark Energy

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Dr. Huterer is awarded an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship to carry out a program of research and education at the Center for Cosmological Physics at the University of Chicago. The dominant theory behind the recent discovery of the accelerating expansion of the universe involves a mysterious component called dark energy. The nature of dark energy and the physics mechanism responsible for its existence remain one of the central questions of cosmology and particle physics. Dr. Huterer's research program will both explore existing and develop new mathematical methods aimed to understand properties of dark energy. In particular, Dr. Huterer will (1) study theory uncertainty in weak gravitational lensing, leading to the derivation of theory accuracy requirements for upcoming observational surveys, (2) build phenomenological models to help explain why dark energy becomes dominant only at low redshifts, and (3) propose new methods for studying dark energy.Dr. Huterer will also carry out an educational program of interactive lectures and activities, tailored specifically for urban middle school students at North Kenwood/Oakland Charter School on Chicago's south side. Dr. Huterer will help to develop curriculum for a cosmology unit as part of the school's General Science program, organize and teach after-school science labs, and mentor students on a weekly basis. Dr. Huturer will also help to organize the annual Yerkes Summer Institute workshops at Yerkes Observatory in Wisconsin, in which the majority of participants are urban Chicago high school students.