RSAA Colloquium: Professor Tamara Davis (U.Queensland)
Supernova cosmology with the complete Dark Energy Survey.
Speakers
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Description
We're excited to finally be able to show the supernova cosmology results from the completed Dark Energy Survey. We observed for 6 years with a custom-built camera on the CTIO-4m telescope in Chile, and followed-up with spectra from the Anglo-Australian Telescope. This produced a brand new sample of ~1500 type Ia supernova, which approximately quintuples the cosmology-quality high-redshift (z > 0.5) supernovae in the literature. We find tight constraints on dark energy and dark matter and see tantalising hints that the equation of state of dark energy may change with time. This amazing data also allowed us to detect gravitational lensing magnification of the supernovae (which gives information on the shape of dark matter haloes) and make a beautifully precise measurement of time dilation due to the expansion of the Universe.
Image: Professor Tamara Davis https://smp.uq.edu.au/article/2020/06/professor-tamara-davis-awarded-order-australia
Schedule
About the speaker:
Professor Tamara Davis is an astrophysicist who studies the elusive "dark energy" that's accelerating the universe. She completed her PhD in 2004 at the University of New South Wales on theoretical cosmology and black holes, then worked on supernova cosmology in two postdoctoral fellowships, the first at the Australian National University (collaborating with Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory) and the second at the University of Copenhagen. In 2008 she moved to Queensland to join the WiggleZ Dark Energy Survey team working on mapping the galaxies in the Universe. She led the Dark Theme within the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics, is now leading the OzDES survey -- working with the international Dark Energy Survey, and working with working with the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument project. As of 2024 she is Deputy Director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery.
Her accolades include the Astronomical Society of Australia's Louise Webster Medal for early career research impact, the L'Oréal Women in Science Fellowship for Australia, the Australian Institute of Physics Women in Physics Lectureship, the Australian Academy of Science's Nancy Millis Medal for outstanding female leadership in science, an Australian Research Council Laureate Fellowship, the Astronomical Society of Australia's Ellery Lectureship, and a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).
Location
Duffield Lecture Theatre or ZOOM