Farnik Nikakhtar
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania
Department of Physics, Yale University
Probing the dark universe using Optimal Transport theory
Abstract: Astronomical observations strongly suggest that the universe is mostly dark. Its two dominant components, dark energy and dark matter, remain among the most mysterious concepts in cosmology today. The effects of these two substances are imprinted in the remaining few percent of the universe that consists of normal (baryonic) matter. Dark energy is responsible for the accelerating expansion of the universe and the existence of dark matter is deduced from the orbital properties of stars in galaxies. In this talk, we discuss the observable effects of both these phenomena and applications of the Optimal Transport (OT) theory to approach them. OT has a fundamental connection to physical problems as most phenomena in nature are governed by optimization principles. Applications of OT touch many fields of physics from quantum mechanics, to general relativity, among others. We address two independent astrophysical problems using OT techniques: Recovering the Galactic Potential with Optimal Transport Theory, and Optimal Transport Reconstruction of Baryon Acoustic Oscillations. Our results would develop novel ways to place stronger constraints on cosmology and dark energy; while also revealing the distribution of dark matter in galaxies, thus constraining dark matter’s properties.
یکشنبه 1 خرداد 1401، ساعت 19:00
Sunday 22 May 2022 – 19:00 Tehran Time
اتاق سمینار مجازی –Virtual Seminar Room
https://vc.sharif.edu/ch/cosmology
گزینه ورود به صورت مهمان – Enter as a Guest