Cosmological Strong Lensing: A Public Comparison of Theory with New Data Across Mass and Redshift

这个项目将模拟宇宙学的元素，并将其与观测结果进行比较，特别是使用充当透镜的强引力场。其目的是了解引力透镜是否可以用来理解宇宙学性质。使这个项目成为可能的是越来越多的强引力透镜样本。这些透镜是巨大的星系和星系团，它们如此之大，以至于可以弯曲来自更遥远的背景物体的光，并通过透镜物体附近。研究这些透镜和被透镜的物体将使研究人员能够研究星系和星系团的质量、暗物质的数量、遥远的物体和源、透镜和我们之间的空间，并确定宇宙的基本特性。这个项目要回答的主要问题是：宇宙中充当透镜的大质量物体的性质是否与天文学家通过模拟宇宙所作的预测相符？如果是这样，它们可以用来理解更基本的问题。如果没有，天文学家将更好地了解需要对他们的模拟做些什么来改进它们。由于观测到的透镜天体数量的增加，这个项目现在成为可能。除了该项目的科学部分，该项目还将通过与来自美国国家聋人技术学院的六名聋人本科生合作，作为芝加哥大学的暑期合作学生，增加美国科学家的多样性。通过让他们在学术生涯的早期参与科学研究，该项目旨在开辟他们原本无法涉足的职业道路。学生们将开发一个移动应用程序，作为“公民科学”的门户；该项目通过参与科学分析的视觉分类来吸引更广泛的公众。与之前的天文学公民科学不同，这个项目旨在通过他们现在最常用的电子工具（平板电脑和手机）与公民接触，并通过一个应用程序，而不是网页，在一个更“像游戏一样”的环境中进行互动。学生们将被鼓励参加外展活动，特别是针对芝加哥更广泛的聋人公众，目的是激发年轻公民对STEM研究的兴趣。这个项目显然与美国国家科学基金会促进科学进步的使命有关。此外，该项目的“更广泛的影响”部分做到了这一点，并通过帮助培养对下一代不同个人的STEM活动的兴趣和教育来促进国家的健康、繁荣和福利。宇宙学模拟正在成为分析大范围星系外数据的支柱。这些分析是大量的，跨越我们的努力去理解所有可观测到的离散星系外物体，整合从X射线到无线电的直接背景，以及所有这些结构对观测到的宇宙微波背景的影响，以及对广泛信号的科学利用。模拟是规划和部署主要新设施和实验的核心。随着模拟在复杂性、范围和影响方面的发展，对它们进行广泛的可观察性严格测试是至关重要的。这一测试对于算法和模拟内容的检查以及模拟所证明的物理测试都是至关重要的。宇宙中最巨大的光晕（来自星系和星系团）产生的强透镜效应是宇宙学模拟与真实宇宙之间的独特连接点。在给定模拟的情况下，可靠地预测强透镜效应只需要一些相当简单的光线追踪。通过将两个最大的大质量强透镜样本与最大的现有模拟进行比较，该提案将明确解决文献中一个长期存在的疑问：即在该体系中真实宇宙和模拟宇宙之间的对应关系很差。如果提出的比较反驳了这一长期存在的担忧，那么对现有模型和引发这种担忧的模拟的主要挑战将有效地消失。相反，如果这个长期存在的问题得到加强，那么对透镜统计数据的详细检查将阐明为什么，以及如何推进模拟以确保对应。任何一个结果都将显著推动这一领域向前发展。模拟和观察到的真实样本之间的比较将跨越许多透镜和透镜特性，以多种方式测试匹配或缺乏匹配，跨越整个相关的红移柱，以及20年的光晕质量。这样的分析以前从来没有可能或尝试过，现在才有可能，因为真实的强透镜样本和模拟的快速发展。

This project will simulate elements of cosmology and compare those to observations, in particular using strong gravitational fields that act as lenses. The goal is to understand whether gravitational lenses can be used to understand the cosmological properties. What makes this project possible is the growing sample of strong gravitational lenses. These lenses are massive galaxies and clusters of galaxies that are so large they bend light coming from a more distant background object and passing near the lensing object. Studying these lenses and the lensed objects will allow the researchers to study the mass of the galaxies and clusters, the amount of dark matter, the distant object and space between the source, the lens, and us, and to determine fundamental properties of the universe. The main question to be answered by this project is: Do the properties of the most massive objects in the universe, which are acting as lenses, match those from astronomer's predictions from simulations of the unverse? If so, they can be used to understand more fundamental problems. If not, astronomers will have a better understanding of what needs to be done to their simulations to improve them. This project is possible now due to an increase in the number of observed lensing objects.In addition to the scientific portion of the project, the PI to increase diversity among American scientists by working with six Deaf undergraduate students from the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, as summer co-op students at the University of Chicago. By engaging them in scientific research early in their academic careers, this project aims to open career paths that they would otherwise be unable to tread. The students will develop a mobile app as a portal for "citizen science"; and the project engages the broader public by enabling participation in the visual classifications central to the scientific analysis. Unlike prior efforts in citizen science in astronomy, this program aims to reach citizens through their now most commonly used electronic tools (tablets and phones) and by casting much of the interaction in a more "game-like" setting using an app, rather than webpages. The students will be encouraged to participate in outreach activities, particularly to the broader Deaf public in Chicago, with the aim of sparking interest in STEM studies in yet younger citizens.This project clearly relates to NSF's mission to promote the progress of science. In addition, the "Broader Impact" portion of the project does this, and advances the national health, prosperity and welfare by helping to develop interest in, and educating, STEM activities among the next generation of diverse individuals.Cosmological simulations are becoming the backbone of analysis for a wide range of extragalactic data. These analyses are numerous, spanning our efforts to understand all observable discrete extragalactic objects, integrated direct backgrounds from X- rays to the radio, and the influence of all that structure on the observed cosmic microwave background, as well as the scientific exploitation of that wide range of signals. Simulations are central to the planning and deployment of major new facilities and experiments. As simulations develop in complexity and scope, and impact, it is paramount that they are rigorously tested against a broad range of observables. This testing is critical as a check of algorithms and simulation contents, and as a test of the physics that the simulations evince. Strong lensing by the most massive halos (from galaxies and clusters of galaxies) in the universe is a unique point of connection between cosmological simulations, and the real cosmos. Robustly predicting strong lensing, given a simulation, requires only some fairly simple ray tracing. By comparing the two largest samples of massive strong lenses against the largest existing simulations, this proposal will address unambiguously a long-standing doubt in the literature: Namely that the correspondence between real and simulated universes in this regime is poor. If the proposed comparisons refute this long-suggested concern, a major challenge to the existing model and the simulations that evoke it will be effectively retired. Conversely, if this long held problem is reinforced, then the proposed detailed examination of the statistics of lensing will illuminate why, and how simulations must be advanced to ensure correspondence. Either result will move this field forward, significantly. Comparisons between simulations and observed real samples will be made across many lens and lensing properties, testing the match or lack thereof in multiple ways, across the entire relevant redshift column, and two decades in halo mass. Such an analysis has never before been possible or attempted, and is possible only now due to rapid advances in both real strong lensing samples, and simulations.