As a cosmologist, I aim at understanding the distribution of matter (stuff) on scales greater than millions of light years. To observe and marvel at this distribution invariably leads to question. Where does it come from? Why does it look the way it looks? Can it be explained by the physics we learned in different contexts? Does it point to physics we do not know of?
These questions invariably stimulate dreams of better observations. These dreams turn into ambitious and time consuming tasks (often non dreamy) that ultimately lead to new and undreamed of questions. And it starts all over again. I am part of this human, curiosity driven, flow of modern science.
Currently the deep physical questions in cosmology I am actively exploring are the following. To investigate them inevitably lead to an enjoyable blend of physics, data science, and computational physics. Interdisciplinarity is the name of this fluid game.
These questions motivate many technologically ambitious surveys and the coming years promise new major observational breakthroughs (SPHEREx, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, Euclid, CMB-S4, ...). They will undoubtedly lead to important discoveries, the magnitude of which we can only dream of.
Research papers can be found on the arXiv or on NASA/ADS. My research is supported by NASA, the NSF, and the Heising-Simons Foundation.
These questions invariably stimulate dreams of better observations. These dreams turn into ambitious and time consuming tasks (often non dreamy) that ultimately lead to new and undreamed of questions. And it starts all over again. I am part of this human, curiosity driven, flow of modern science.
Currently the deep physical questions in cosmology I am actively exploring are the following. To investigate them inevitably lead to an enjoyable blend of physics, data science, and computational physics. Interdisciplinarity is the name of this fluid game.
- The origin of the structures we see in the distribution of matter. It is currently proposed the Universe went through an inflationary phase in its first moment. My focus is to study, invent and implement new observational probes of this epoch in order to understand the physics at play then.
- The nature of the so-called "dark energy" which is causing the observed recent accelerated expansion of the universe is a profoundly challenging problem in physics. Novel cosmological observations covering tremendous volumes will give us the insights we need to crack this problem. The theoretical, observational, and data analysis challenges on the way are real and enough to keep oneself busy though.
- The formation of the first stars and galaxies in the universe. These cosmic objects and their descendants lit up the distribution of matter. Their signature is faint but still observable. Multiple astrophysical techniques are required to gain a comprehensive physical understanding of how this process happened. To study and implement these techniques and combine them at best is one of my priorities.
- Gravitational wave astronomy. The merging of distant black holes sends tremors in space-time. We have now measured it with special-purpose interferometers. We opened a new window into the Universe. But are other astronomical observations sensitive to this tremor? Can we repurpose astronomical observatories to complement these interferometers? The answer is yes, and we are actively trying to open a this window a little wider.
These questions motivate many technologically ambitious surveys and the coming years promise new major observational breakthroughs (SPHEREx, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, Euclid, CMB-S4, ...). They will undoubtedly lead to important discoveries, the magnitude of which we can only dream of.
Research papers can be found on the arXiv or on NASA/ADS. My research is supported by NASA, the NSF, and the Heising-Simons Foundation.