Award Abstract #0134753
PECASE: Measuring Cosmology and the Evolution of Structure Via Gravitational Lensing

NSF Org:	AST Division of Astronomical Sciences
Initial Amendment Date:	April 23, 2002
Latest Amendment Date:	June 13, 2006
Award Number:	0134753
Award Instrument:	Continuing grant
Program Manager:	Brian M. Patten AST Division of Astronomical Sciences MPS Directorate for Mathematical & Physical Sciences
Start Date:	September 1, 2002
Expires:	August 31, 2007 (Estimated)
Awarded Amount to Date:	$589070
Investigator(s):	Ian Dell'Antonio ian@het.brown.edu (Principal Investigator)
Sponsor:	Brown University BOX 1929 Providence, RI 02912 401/863-2777
NSF Program(s):	SPECIAL PROGRAMS IN ASTRONOMY
Field Application(s):
Program Reference Code(s):	OTHR, 1217, 1207, 1187, 1076, 1045, 0000
Program Element Code(s):	1219

ABSTRACT



Proposal Title: PECASE: Measuring Cosmology and the Evolution of Structure via Gravitational Lensing

Institution: Brown University

Dr. Dell'Antonio of Brown University is awarded funds to conduct the Deep Lens Survey (DLS), for which observations have already begun at the four-meter telescopes at Kitt Peak National Observatory and Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory. Through this survey, Dr. Dell'Antonio will attempt to determine the amount of dark matter (DM) in the universe by studying its gravitational lensing signal in a wide-field, deep optical imaging survey. The phenomenon of weak gravitational lensing occurs when matter along the line of sight, which might otherwise be unobservable, magnifies and distorts the images of background galaxies. Because gravitational lensing is sensitive to all forms of mass, not just luminous (ordinary) matter, it is an ideal tool for studying DM. In addition, because the different models for the DM predict different degrees of clustering, the actual distribution of mass can offer clues to the nature of the DM. This project will determine the 2-dimensional distribution of projected mass in the universe with great accuracy, and the 3-dimensional distribution with somewhat less accuracy. The 3-dimensional distribution makes it possible to study the evolution of clustering with distance from earth (and thus look-back time). The evolution of clustering at redshifts between 0 and 1 depends critically on the amount and nature of the dark energy (DE) thought to be responsible for the present acceleration of the expansion of the universe, so this proposal will differentiate between possible models for the DE.

Dr. Dell'Antonio will also use the data - which will include multi-color imaging of about 25 million stars and galaxies - to design ancillary science projects at several different levels. In addition to the traditional mentoring of undergraduate and graduate students in research projects, he will also mentor local high-school students. He plans to recruit students who traditionally have not had opportunities for furthering their science background by partnering with teachers at Providence inner-city schools. The students will present their finished projects at public nights at Brown University's Ladd Observatory public nights, so the community as a whole (and in particular the families of the students) can see the effects of the mentoring program. The PI will also design workshops and laboratories for introductory astronomy students that will allow them to work with original data collected in the survey.

This project was originally funded as a CAREER award, and was converted to a Presidential Early Career Award for Engineers and Scientists (PECASE) award in May 2004.

PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH

D. Wittman, I.P. Dell'Antonio, J.P. Hughes, V.E. Margoniner, J.A.Tyson, J.G. Cohen, D.Norman. "Shear-Selected Clusters from the Deep Lens Survey: Optical Imaging, Redshifts, and X-Ray followup," Astrophysical Journal, v.643, 2006, p. 128.

Fabricant, D., et al.. "Hectospec, the MMT's 300 Optical Fiber-Fed Spectrograph," PASP, v.117, 2005, p. 1411.

Kurtz, Michael J.; Geller, Margaret J.; Fabricant, Daniel G.; Wyatt, William F.; Dell'Antonio, Ian P.. "μ-PhotoZ: Photometric Redshifts by Inverting the Tolman Surface Brightness Test," Astronomical Journal, v.134, 2007, p. 1360.

M.J. Geller, I.P. Dell'Antonio, M. J. Kurtz, M. Ramella, D. Wittman, J.A. Tyson, D. Fabricant. "The HectoSpec-Deep Lens survey," Astrophysical Journal, Letters, v.635, 2005, p. 125.

Thomas P. Kling, Ian P. Dell'Antonio, David Wittman, J. Anthony Tyson. "Wide-Field Weak Lensing by RXJ1347-1145," Astrophysical Journal, v.625, 2005, p. 643.

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