Talks by Incoming STScI and JHU Prize Fellows

Speaker: Mi Dai, JHU, Horizon Fellow
Title: Challenges in Type Ia Supernova Cosmology
Abstract: Cosmology with type Ia supernovae is facing more challenges as the number and quality of the observed supernovae increase dramatically with the arrival of new generation telescopes such as the Vera Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space and Time and the Roman Space Telescope. In this talk, I wil l describe a few challenges we face and the efforts on resolving them.

Speaker: Selim Hotinli, JHU, Horizon Fellow
Title: New Directions in Cosmology: Utilising the Small-scale Signatures in the Universe
Abstract: In the upcoming years, the field of cosmology will see a wealth of new and high quality data from the current Stage-3 (and the forthcoming Stage- 4) surveys of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and large-scale structure (LSS). Simultaneously, surveys of the 21cm hydrogen-line will achieve sufficient accuracy for cosmological inference. These create unique and exciting opportunities to study the fundamental components of the Universe. These experiments will provide the strongest challenges to our modern cosmological picture yet, and have the potential of revolutionising our understanding of the most fundamental properties of our Universe. In this talkI briefly discuss various new opportunities provided by upcoming precision measurements of CMB and galaxy surveys, as well as the upcoming measurements of 21cmhydrogen brightness temperature.

Speaker: Mireia Montes, STScI, STScI Prize Fellow
Title: How the Intracluster Light Is Going to Change your Life!
Abstract: An enigmatic component present in galaxy clusters is the intracluster light (ICL),made up of stars that are not bound to any particular galaxy but drift freely between galaxies in the cluster. A byproduct of the interactions of galaxies within the cluster, characterising the ICL is key to understanding the assembly mechanisms occurring inside galaxy clusters.  In this talk, I will present the latest advances in our understanding of the ICL and the possibility to explore the dark matter distribution in galaxy clusters using this diffuse light.

Speaker:  Emily Rickman, ESA/STScI, ESA Research Fellow
Title: Direct Imaging and Spectral Characterization of Long Period Exoplanets and Brown Dwarfs
Abstract: Giant planets and brown dwarfs at an orbital separation great than 5 AU are important puzzle pieces needed for constraining the uncertainties that exist in giant planet formation and evolutionary models. I describe the progress towards the detection, characterisation and monitoring of widely-separated giant planets and brown dwarfs through both direct imaging and long-period radial-velocities. The discovery of such benchmark sources provides a powerful and critical tool of advanced evolutionary models, as well as a laboratory to test theoretical atmospheric models, in addition to probing a parameter space in mass, separation and age where the occurrence rate of these objects is not well understood.

Speaker: Alec Hirschauer, STScI, STScI Prize Fellow
Title: Dust and Chemical Enrichment in Metal-Poor Star-Forming Environments
Abstract: We will explore several ways with which we study the enrichment of heavy elements and dust in low-abundance star-forming environments, which mimic the conditions of the early Universe.  This includes the detection of dusty and evolved stars via infrared imaging, as well as the measurement of gas-phase metal abundances via optical emission line spectroscopy.  From these studies we have discovered a new potential protosuper star cluster and some of the most metal poor, low-luminosity star-forming galaxies known.

All 2020 Fall Colloquium virtual talks are held on Wednesdays at 3:00 p.m.

Please direct questions or comments to contact above. The 2020-2021 committee members are: Karoline Gilbert (STScI co-chair), Ethan Vishniac (JHU co-chair), Graeme Addison (JHU), Martha Boyer (STScI), Joshua Peek (STScI), Kevin Schlaufman (JHU), and Raymond Simons (STScI).