Probing the Universe with Cosmic Velocity Fields

Feldman宇宙学家期待着下一代的宇宙学调查，但需要分析和统计工具来补充观测。 该项目将开发形式主义，以充分利用即将到来的观测数据，并为大尺度结构，宇宙学和粒子物理学的前沿带来新的理解。 这项研究将产生优雅而强大的统计数据来分析特殊的速度样本，这实际上是宇宙学的唯一动力学探针，并将使用它们来研究大尺度结构，中微子质量估计和宇宙的物质含量。 速度场直接对质量分布进行采样，与其他探测器（如宇宙微波背景、红移测量或引力透镜）相比，速度场不太容易受到偏差和传统先验问题的影响。 这项工作将使奇特的速度调查重新成为一个有用的和独特的工具，以调查各种宇宙尺度上的大规模质量分布。 本项目开发的统计、分析和数值方法将有助于探测宇宙学数据集，以收集关于基本过程的信息，此外，这些统计工具将有助于在数据嘈杂和难以处理的许多研究领域提取相关信息。 PI深入参与外联和向公众介绍科学创新的重要工作，广泛旅行，向不同群体演讲，从小学到高中学生，到教堂，特殊利益团体和专业协会。 其他需要继续认真努力的是那些涉及公共科学宣传和国家公立学校科学标准的努力。

AST-0807326FeldmanCosmologists look forward with great excitement to the next generation of cosmological surveys, but need the analytical and statistical tools to complement the observations. This project will develop formalisms to exploit to the fullest the upcoming observational data and to bring new understanding to the frontiers where large-scale structure, cosmology, and particle physics, all overlap. The research will produce elegant and powerful statistics to analyze peculiar velocity samples, virtually the only dynamical probe of cosmology, and will use them to study large scale structure, neutrino mass estimation, and the matter content of the Universe. Velocity fields sample the mass distribution directly and are less susceptible to problems of bias and conventional priors as compared to other probes such as the cosmic microwave background, redshift surveys, or gravitational lensing. This work will allow peculiar velocity surveys to re-emerge as a useful and unique tool to investigate the large-scale mass distribution on various cosmological scales. The statistical, analytical and numerical methods developed in this project will be valuable for probing cosmological data sets to gather information about fundamental processes.In addition, these statistical tools will help to extract relevant information in many areas of research whenever the data are noisy and unwieldy. The PI is deeply involved in the important work of outreach and the introduction of scientific innovation to the public, travelling widely to lecture to diverse groups, from elementary to high school students, to churches, special interest groups and professional societies. Other serious efforts to be continued are those involving public science advocacy and state public school science standards.