Collaborative Research: Halo Modeling Strikes Back: New Techniques to infer the Galaxy-Dark Matter Connection in the Presence of Environmental Effects

合作研究：光晕模型的反击：在环境影响下推断星系-暗物质联系的新技术

• 批准号: 1517563
• 负责人: Andrew Zentner
• 金额: $ 21.07万
• 依托单位: University of Pittsburgh
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-08-15 至 2019-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1517563&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Halo; Modeling; Strikes

In the next decade, a number of innovative telescopic surveys will provide scientists with a wealth of precise data regarding galaxies and cosmology. This project aims to remove recently identified deficiencies in models of the relationship between galaxies and dark matter, necessary to interpret galaxy survey data. The researchers will develop, and make publicly available, an open-source software package that could be used to minimize systematic errors in interpreting galaxy data sets, leading to a better understanding of galaxy formation and evolution, and also paving the way for unbiased use of galaxy surveys in precision cosmology. Complementing this novel research program, this proposal includes contributions to K-12 science education, addressing the critical need for students to engage in STEM-related disciplines. At Yale, PI van den Bosch will develop a custom planetarium show for the Leitner Family Observatory and Planetarium on the topic of gravity, and tailored to 8th graders. At the University of Pittsburgh, PI Zentner will serve as an instructor in the Buhl Academy, a new program at the Carnegie Science Center Buhl Planetarium that pairs scientists with Pittsburgh area K-12 teachers.Halo occupation modeling models the probabilistic relation between galaxies and dark matter halos and is the premier tool for interpreting the clustering of galaxies. A standard assumption made in all halo occupation studies is that the mass of a dark matter halo completely determines the properties of its resident galaxy population. Mounting observational evidence indicates that galaxy properties, in particular star formation rates, are correlated with halo properties other than mass, such as halo age or concentration. This "galaxy assembly bias" (GAB) is a significant source of systematic error, both in efforts to understand galaxy evolution and in the precision cosmology program. In order to ensure the unbiased interpretation of forthcoming data, this proposal aims to develop the next generation halo occupation models that properly account for GAB. The researchers will identify the optimal set of observational diagnostics that can be used to infer the presence and strength of GAB, develop open-source software that properly accounts for GAB, and explore methods to mitigate the impacts of GAB by using alternative definitions of halo mass. They will apply these newly developed techniques to extant galaxy survey data, and make predictions for forthcoming surveys such as DES, eBOSS, DESI, LSST, EUCLID, and WFIRST.

在接下来的十年里，一些创新的望远镜观测将为科学家提供大量关于星系和宇宙学的精确数据。 该项目旨在消除最近发现的星系和暗物质之间关系模型的缺陷，这是解释星系调查数据所必需的。 研究人员将开发并公开提供一个开源软件包，该软件包可用于最大限度地减少解释星系数据集的系统误差，从而更好地了解星系的形成和演化，并为在精确宇宙学中无偏见地使用星系调查铺平道路。 作为对这一新研究项目的补充，该提案包括对K-12科学教育的贡献，解决了学生参与STEM相关学科的迫切需求。在耶鲁大学，PI货车登博世将开发一个定制的天文馆显示莱特纳家庭天文台和天文馆的主题重力，并为8年级学生量身定制。 在匹兹堡大学，PI Zentner将担任布尔学院的讲师，这是卡内基科学中心布尔天文馆的一个新项目，将科学家与匹兹堡地区的K-12教师配对。晕占据模型模拟星系和暗物质晕之间的概率关系，是解释星系聚集的首要工具。所有晕占据研究中的一个标准假设是，暗物质晕的质量完全决定了其常驻星系群的性质。越来越多的观测证据表明，星系的性质，特别是星星的形成率，与晕的性质有关，而不是质量，如晕的年龄或浓度。这种“星系组装偏差”（GAB）是系统误差的重要来源，无论是在理解星系演化的努力中，还是在精确宇宙学计划中。为了确保对即将获得的数据进行公正的解释，该提案旨在开发下一代光环占据模型，以正确解释GAB。研究人员将确定可用于推断GAB的存在和强度的最佳观测诊断集，开发适当解释GAB的开源软件，并探索通过使用晕质量的替代定义来减轻GAB影响的方法。他们将把这些新开发的技术应用于现存的星系调查数据，并为即将到来的调查，如DES，eBOSS，DESI，LSST，欧几里得和WFIRST做出预测。