Galaxies and Cosmology
Studying the structure and origin of the Universe as a whole is the field of cosmology. The research within the field of Galaxies and Cosmology stretches from the centre of our own Galaxy to the end of the ``dark ages'' when the first stars and galaxies in the Universe turned on.
Image: G. Östlin / HST
Our current understanding is that the Universe started with the Big Bang and has been expanding ever since. It consists of a small amount of normal matter (5%), a larger amount of so-called dark matter (25%), and dark energy (70%). Small variations in the density and the force of gravity led to the formation of collapsed structures, essentially galaxies and clusters of galaxies. Since the largest structures in the universe are clusters of galaxies, understanding the formation and evolution of galaxies is intimately connected to cosmology.
At the Department of Astronomy, we study observations from optical to radio wavelengths combined with modelling to understand the dynamics and nuclear activity of spiral galaxies, including the Galactic Centre. We work on the kinematics as well as star formation histories of starburst galaxies and blue compact galaxies (BCGs), the anomously red halos found around BCGs, Ly-alpha emission and Lyman continuum escape from galaxies, and gravitational lensing studies to explore dark matter halos. Using supercomputers we model the effects of the first galaxies on the intergalactic medium, the so-called reionization of the universe. Furthermore, we develop models for predicting the rates of different types of supernovae as a function of the cosmic star formation rate, and lead parts of a large programme aimed at detecting high redshift upernovae, and we explore the nature of dark energy, mainly by the use of type Ia supernovae.
The researchers at the department are collaborating with the physics departments at Stockholm University and the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) within the Oskar Klein Centre.
Research staff:
Robert Cumming
Kanan Datta
Kambiz Fathi
Claes Fransson
Per Olof Lindblad
Garrelt Mellema
Magnus Näslund
Aage Sandqvist
Jesper Sollerman
Erik Zackrisson
Göran Östlin
Research students:
Angela Adamo
Javier Blasco Herrera
Michael Blomqvist
Martina Friedrich
Roland Karlsson
Jens Melinder
Laia Mencia Trinchant
Genoveva Micheva
Nuria Piñol-Ferrer
Teresa Riehm
For contact information, visit the Staff listing.
Editor: Andrej Kuutmann
Source: Department of Astronomy
Updated: 05/13/08