Gigapixel Lyman-alpha Forest Cosmology

对类星体的大型调查正在进行中，如SDSS-3 BOSS，这将提供大量的类星体光谱。 即使是一个这样的类星体光谱也包含一系列信息，例如莱曼-阿尔法森林，它提供了宇宙密度场的地图，并提供了数百个像素的独立信息。 该项目提出了一个连贯的计划，将建立一个星系际介质在高红移的状态和它的关系和宇宙学探测的图片。大型宇宙流体动力学模拟将用于对观测测量进行预测，并设计和测试将应用于数据的分析技术。 本计画将涵盖星系际物质场的五个方面：中性介质、电离氢场、质量密度场、辐射场及温度场，并将提供深入了解星系际介质的物理，以及它与星星及星系形成的关系，以及宇宙学。 拟议的工作是不可能的较小的数据集，并代表一些新的东西，和潜在的未来继续从更大的调查数据是明确的。 此外，数据集的庞大规模将对光谱学的观察方式产生广泛的影响，将星系际介质的研究和绘图带入大规模数据挖掘领域。 这项工作将推动软件工具的开发，以前没有必要分析类星体光谱时只涉及少量的objectsEducationally，这个项目将有助于本科生和研究生的教育，其结果将被纳入一个正在进行的推广计划，与中学生从少数民族在科学中代表不足。

Large surveys of quasars are underway, such as SDSS-3 BOSS, that will provide a large set of quasar spectra. Even one such quasar spectrum contains an array of information, such as the Lyman-alpha forest that offers a map of the cosmological density field and provides hundreds of pixels of independent information. The project presents a coherent program that will build up a picture of the state of the intergalactic medium at high redshifts and its relationship and probe of cosmology. Large cosmological hydrodynamic simulations will be used to make predictions for observational measurements and to devise and test analysis techniques to be applied to data. Five aspects of the intergalactic matter field will be covered: the neutral medium, the ionized hydrogen field, the mass density field, the radiation field, and the temperature field.This project will provide insight into the physics of the intergalactic medium, with its relationship to star and galaxy formation, as well as cosmology. The proposed work is not possible with smaller data sets and represents something new, and the potential future continuation with data from even larger surveys is clear. In addition, the sheer size of the data set will have a broad impact on the way spectroscopy is viewed, moving the study and mapping of the intergalactic medium into the realm of large-scale data mining. This work will push the development of software tools there were not previously necessary when analysis of quasar spectra involved only a small number of objectsEducationally, this project will assist the education of undergraduate and graduate students, and the results will be incorporated into an ongoing outreach program working with middle school students from minorities underrepresented in science.