Clusters of Galaxies: Key to Galaxy Evolution and Cosmological Physics

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Dr. Sarah Hansen is awarded an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship to carry out a program of research and education at the University of California-Santa Cruz. Dr. Hansen will utilize new and recent observations of galaxy clusters to address key outstanding issues in galaxy evolution and cosmology. The PI will characterize the population of galaxies in clusters to z~1 identified in a joint optical and Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) survey. She will use the measured distribution of optical properties of these systems to (a) constrain models of galaxy formation and evolution and (b) improve cosmological parameter estimation by decreasing the scatter in the mass-observable relationship. This work will be the first time that the evolution of galaxies in massive dark matter halos has been studied with a sample of clusters derived from an SZ survey.Dr. Hansen will also partner with the California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science (COSMOS) program to develop a course designed to share the excitement of astrophysical inquiry and research with promising high school students from California. Furthermore, by partnering with the California Teach (CalTeach) program, Dr. Hansen will initiate opportunities for teacher training and professional development relating to astrophysics in the high school science curriculum.