Probing cosmic large-scale structure beyond the average

Introduction

The cosmic large-scale structure is entering a new ‘full space’ era with the launch of the Euclid galaxy survey satellite in 2023, coinciding with the first light for the Rubin Observatory. My proposal is centred on using galaxy surveys across a third of the sky as a laboratory for fundamental physics beyond the standard model by combining powerful theoretical models with exquisite data for galaxy clustering and weak gravitational lensing.

Objectives

To fully realise the potential of Euclid’s ‘full space’ galaxy survey, I will use my unique expertise in developing analytical, computational, and statistical methods to predict and analyse the cosmic large-scale structure beyond the average.

Research Approach

I will hunt for fundamental physics by going beyond the average probed by standard two-point analyses and unlocking additional information from novel clustering statistics sensitive to different density environments.

Insights into Dark Matter Dynamics

I will provide new insights into dark matter dynamics and enable a field-based analysis by pioneering a particle-wave duality inspired phase-space technique that goes beyond the average effective fluid modelling. This will push forward modelling to a new level, overcome limitations of standard fluid and N-body methods, and enable the joint modelling of dark matter, baryons, and massive neutrinos.

Research Program

My research program will unlock key insights into:

1. Particle Physics: By pinning down the total neutrino mass and potential wavelike properties of dark matter.
2. The Early Universe: By constraining primordial non-Gaussianity providing hints for inflationary physics.
3. Gravity: By measuring the nature of dark energy and potential modifications of general relativity.
4. Astrophysics: By determining the relationship between galaxies and dark matter.

Conclusion

My expertise in developing analytical, computational, and statistical methods for clustering dynamics and statistics, along with my leadership within the Euclid collaboration, places me in a strategic position to lead such an ambitious research program.