Dark Matter Halo Substructure: A Key to Fundamental Physics and Galaxy Formation

AST-0602122Zentner，AndrewDr.Zentner被授予NSF天文学和天体物理学博士后奖学金，在芝加哥大学Kavli宇宙物理研究所开展一项研究和教育计划。星系的形成、暗物质的性质和暴涨时期的物理学仍然是宇宙学的谜团。来自众多观测项目的最新和即将发布的数据的爆炸性增长，给理论家们带来了可验证预测的负担。对暗物质晕结构和子结构的研究导致了这些领域之间的深刻联系。森特纳博士将对暗物质晕的形成进行详细的理论研究，特别是晕子结构和卫星星系，这将从根本上改善我们对星系形成的理解，并限制暗物质的性质和膨胀。这些研究的目的是在标准冷暗物质宇宙论和选定的替代模型中对暗物质、亚晕和星系可观测到的性质做出明确的预测。这些研究的主要工具是：(1)晕组装的高分辨率宇宙学数值模拟；(2)更大系统内的亚晕和星系演化的目标模拟；以及(3)晕合并和亚结构演化的分析模型。这些研究有几个革命性的方面，包括在对另一种暗物质的自洽模拟中解决相空间有限的核心，以及改进构成大多数星系形成模型基础的晕合并统计学的基本框架。Zentner还将在芝加哥青年女性领导力特许学校(YWLCS)开展一个教育项目，旨在鼓励城市年轻女性从事科学事业。Zentner博士将与YWLCS的教职员工合作，将天体物理学引入YWLCS课程的两个年级，主要是在秋季学期。今年春季，曾特纳博士将指导几个YWLCS学生完成与天文学和天体物理学相关的高强度学期项目。

AST-0602122Zentner, AndrewDr. Zentner is awarded an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship to carry out a program of research and education at the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics at the University of Chicago. The formation of galaxies, the nature of dark matter and the physics of the inflationary epoch remain cosmological puzzles. The explosion of recent and forthcoming data from numerous observational programs places a burden on theorists for testable predictions. Studying dark matter halo structure and substructure leads to profound connections among these fields. Dr. Zentner will undertake detailed theoretical studies of the formation of dark matter halos, particularly halo substructure and satellite galaxies, that will yield fundamental improvements in our understanding of galaxy formation and that will constrain dark matter properties and inflation. These studies aim to make definitive predictions for the properties of dark matter subhalos and galaxy observables in the standard cold dark matter cosmology and selected alternative models. The primary tools for these studies are: (1) high-resolution cosmological numerical simulations of halo assembly; (2) targeted simulations of subhalo and galaxy evolution within larger systems; and (3) analytic models of halo merging and substructure evolution. These studies have several revolutionary aspects, including resolving phase-space-limited cores in self-consistent simulations of alternative dark matter and improving the basic framework of halo merger statistics that forms the foundation of most galaxy formation models.Dr. Zentner will also undertake an educational program at Chicago's Young Women's Leadership Charter School (YWLCS) aimed at encouraging urban young women to pursue careers in science. In collaboration with YWLCS faculty, Dr. Zentner will introduce astrophysical sciences into the YWLCS curriculum at two grade levels, primarily in the fall semesters. In the spring, Dr. Zentner will mentor small groups of YWLCS students in intensive astronomy- and astrophysics-related term projects.