My
current research work involves the CCD detectors for
the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), shown in this artist's conception.
This innovative new telescope, currently under construction at Cerro Pachon in Chile,
will survey the entire southern sky to unprecedented depth. A key component of the
telescope is the 3.2 Gigapixel digital camera, one of the largest cameras ever built.
My work involves characterizing the astrometric and photometric distortions of the CCD
detectors used in the camera, in order to ensure that the data produced by the LSST survey
will be of the highest possible quality.
My
PhD research involved detailed simulations of colliding galaxy clusters, such
as the Bullet Cluster shown here. Galaxy clusters are the largest gravitationally
bound structures in the universe, and represent ideal laboratories for studying the
interactions of matter on very large scales. Recent advances in instrumentation,
especially the deployment of NASA's "great observatories", have generated a
large amount of data on these structures. By simulating the formation and evolution
of these clusters on large computing networks, we can study the distribution and
evolution of the dark matter and ordinary matter that make up these clusters.
This is an excellent test of our understanding of the structure of galaxy clusters,
and of the laws of physics that govern their evolution. I am currently working to extend
this research in two ways: first, by applying the techniques developed to study the
Bullet Cluster to others clusters such as the "El Gordo" cluster, and second, by
attempting to improve the modeling on non-thermal pressure.