Heidi Wu
Probing Cosmic Acceleration with Galaxy Clusters
Abstract: The acceleration of the Universe is one of the biggest puzzles in physics: is it due to a cosmological constant, dynamical dark energy, or modification of gravity? Galaxy clusters provide a unique opportunity to answer this question. In this talk, I will first introduce how we use large sky surveys of galaxy clusters to study cosmic acceleration. In these surveys, a major challenge is to accurately infer the mass of clusters. I will then present my research on using simulations to improve mass calibration methods — including galaxy dynamics, weak gravitational lensing, and X-ray observations. These results not only mitigate the systematic errors in current cluster surveys but also help the optimization of future ground- and space-based missions.