Fall Quarter 2009

Cosmology lunch #2

Thursday, October 1

12:30 pm

Location: PRB M2005

Suggested papers or other topics for discussion (add your name/initials when you post something new):

• • Viola et al.  arxiv: 0909.4403 [ DM halos inner slope from WL; added by MSSG - I'll read/skim all of the ones in this list before the meeting]

  • QUaD collaboration, arXiv:0909.1621 (CMB temperature and polarization on arcmin to degree scales, parameter constraints; MJM)

  • Basilakos et al. arxiv: 0909.3919 [ Precision Cosmology from x-ray AGN clustering; MSSG]

  • Newman et al. arxiv: 0909.3527 [ The distribution of DM over 3 decades in radius in the lensing cluster A611; MSSG]

  • Bacon et al.  0909.5133 -- [ Measuring DM substructure with galaxy-galaxy flexion ; MSSG ]

Other papers of interest, but I (MSSG) probably won't have time to read, would be interested if others do read them:

• •  Hernandez-Monteagudo 0909.4294 [Revisiting the WMAP-NVSS angular cross-correlation, a skeptic view; MSSG]

  • Scherrer et al.  0909.5187 [From Finance to Cosmology: the Copula of LSS; MSSG]

  • Gentile et al.  0909.5203 [Universality of galactic surface densities within one dark halo scale-length; MSSG]

Last week (Sept. 23), we talked about:

• • Mantz et al, arXiv:0909.3098

  • Bean, arXiv:0909.3853

Cosmology lunch #3

Thursday, October 8

12:30 pm

Location: PRB M2035 (note new location)

Suggested papers or other topics for discussion:

• • Reid et al. arXiv:0910.0008, new limits on neutrino masses from the CMB, clusters, and Hubble constant (MJM)

  • Bridle et al. arXiv:0908.0945 and related papers (e.g. Lewis arXiv:0901.0649, Miller et al. arXiv:0708.2340, Kitching et al. arXiv:0802.1528), Review of methods for shape measurements in cosmic shear (TFE) 

  • Leonard and King arXiv: 0910.0842  "A new tool to determine masses and mass profiles using gravitational flexion " (MSSG, though I won't have time to read through thoroughly beforehand, this time)

Cosmology lunch #4

Thursday, October 22

12:30 pm

Location: PRB M2035

Suggested papers or other topics for discussion:

• • Leonard and King arXiv: 0910.0842  "A new tool to determine masses and mass profiles using gravitational flexion " (MSSG)

  • Kasen & Woosley, arXiv:0910.1590, distances from Type II supernovae (MJM)

  • 0910.2513: Nakamura+ -- Constraint on the growth factor of the cosmic structure from the damping of the baryon acoustic oscillation signature (MSSG)

Papers people are interested in, but probably won't be able to read before the meeting (but perhaps others will volunteer?):

• • 0910.2417: Mead+ -- Probing the cosmic web: inter-cluster filament detection using gravitational lensing (MSSG)

  • 0910.1833: Stril, Cahn, Linder -- Testing Standard Cosmology with Large Scale Structure (MSSG)

  • 0910.1361: Jeong+ -- Galaxy-CMB and galaxy-galaxy lensing on large scales: sensitivity to primordial non-Gaussianity (MSSG)

  • 0910.1480: Beynon+ -- Weak lensing predictions for modified gravities at non-linear scales (MSSG)

  • 0910.1539: Chongchitnan+ -- Imprints of dynamical dark energy on weak-lensing measurements (MSSG)

  • 0910.4125: Vallinotto, Viel, Das, Spergel -- Cross-correlations of the Lyman-alpha forest with weak lensing convergence I: Analytical Estimates of S/N and Implications for Neutrino Mass and Dark Energy (MSSG)

  • 0910.3834: Simpson + Peacock -- Difficulties Distinguishing Dark Energy from Modified Gravity via Redshift Distortions

Next week:

• • continue review of methods for shape measurements in cosmic shear (Lewis arXiv:0901.0649, Miller et al. arXiv:0708.2340, Kitching et al. arXiv:0802.1528)  (TFE)

Cosmology lunch #5

Thursday, October 29

12:30 pm

Location: PRB M2035

Suggested papers or other topics for discussion:

• • Mesinger, arXiv:0910.4161, "Was reionization complete by z~5-6?" - examining evidence for the end of reionization from quasar spectra (MJM)

  • Ademir's papers: "Cold Dark Matter Accelerating Cosmology" and "Quantized Fields and Gravitational Particle Creation in f(R) Expanding Universes"

Cosmology lunch #6

Thursday, November 5

12:30 pm

Location: PRB M2035

Suggested papers or other topics for discussion:

• • Leauthaud+: arXiv:0910.5219, "A Weak Lensing Study of X-ray Groups in the COSMOS survey: Form and Evolution of the Mass-Luminosity Relation" (MSSG)

  • Peebles: arXiv:0910.5142, " Phenomenology of the Invisible Universe" (MSSG)

  • Bernstein, Bebek, Rhodes, Stoughton, Vanderveld, and Yeh: arXiv:0910.4571, "Noise and bias in square-root compression schemes" (MSSG)

  • D'Andrea et al, arXiv:0910.5597, "Type II-P Supernovae from the SDSS-II Supernova Survey and the Standardized Candle Method" (MJM)

  • Bordoloi, Lilly, and Amara, arXiv:0910.5735 "Photo-z Performance for Precision Cosmology" (MSSG)

  • Schrabback et al, arXiv:0911.0053 "Evidence for the accelerated expansion of the Universe from weak lensing tomography with COSMOS" (TFE)

Cosmology lunch #7

Thursday, November 12

1:00 pm (later than usual due to CCAPP postdoc meeting at 11:30)

Location: PRB M2035

Suggested papers or other topics for discussion:

• • Sawangwit et al., arXiv:0911.1352, "Cross-correlating WMAP5 with 1.5 million LRGs: a new test for the ISW effect" (MJM)

  • Rapetti et al. arXiv:0911.1787 and Mantz et al. arXiv:0911.1788: using X-ray clusters to test GR and constrain massive neutrinos (MJM)

  • Boyarsky et al.: arXiv:0911.1774:  New evidence for dark matter

Cosmology lunch #8

Thursday, November 19

12:30 pm

Location: PRB M2035

Suggested papers or other topics for discussion:

• • Cahill, arXiv:0911.0960, non-standard gravity and BBN (Gary S.)

  • Israel et al, arXiv:0911.3111, The 400d Galaxy Cluster Survey Weak Lensing Programme: I: MMT/Megacam Analysis of CL0030+2618 at z=0.50  (TFE)

  • Planck update, arXiv:0911.3101 (MJM)

  • Jasche et al, arXiv:0911.2498, nonlinear large scale structure in SDSS data (MJM)

  • Dodelson & Vesterinen, arXiv:0907.2887, Cosmic Neutrino Last Scattering Surface (Ademir)

Cosmology lunch #9

Thursday, December 3

12:30 pm

Location: PRB M2035

Suggested papers or other topics for discussion:

• • Shafieloo & Clarkson, arXiv:0911.4858, "Model independent tests of the standard cosmological model" (MJM)

  • Peiris & Verde, arXiv:0912.0268, "The Shape of the Primordial Power Spectrum: A Last Stand Before Planck" (MJM)

  • Basilakos & Plionis, arXiv:0807.4590, "Could Dark Matter Interactions Be an Alternative to Dark Energy?" (Ademir)

  • (?) White et al., arXiv:0911.5341, simulations of Lyman alpha forest and BAO (Chris?)

Cosmology lunch #10

Thursday, December 10

12:30 pm

Location: PRB M2035

Suggested papers or other topics for discussion:

• • Labini: Super-homogeneity and inhomogeneities in the large scale matter distribution   arXiv:0912.1191   (MSSG)

  • R. Schoedel: Accurate photometry with adaptive optics in the presence of anisoplanatic effects with a sparsely sampled PSF arXiv:0912.1219  (MSSG)

  • A. Cimatti++ : Euclid Assessment Study Report for the ESA Cosmic Visions Authors arXiv:0912.0914 (MSSG)

  • Itoh et al, arXiv:0912.1460, CMB dipole vs. galaxy distribution dipole (MJM)

Cosmology lunch #11

Thursday, December 17

12:30 pm

Location: PRB M2035

Suggested papers or other topics for discussion:

• • M.Geller et al. --  arXiv:0912.2364 -- SHELS: Testing Weak Lensing Maps with Redshift Surveys (MSSG)

  • A. Morandi, K. Pedersen, M. Limousin -- arXiv:0912.2648 -- Unveiling the three-dimensional structure of galaxy clusters: resolving the discrepancy between X-ray and lensing masses (MSSG)

  • Burrage, Davis, & Shaw, arXiv:0912.1716, "Searching for Axion-like Particles for Active Galactic Nuclei"

  • Kiblinger et al, arXiv:0912.1614, "Bayesian model comparison in cosmology with Population Monte Carlo"