Partners
University of Tartu, Tartu Observatory
Prof. Elmo Tempel
The University of Tartu is Estonia’s leading research university, and one of the top academic institutions in the Baltic States and Eastern Europe. Tartu Observatory is the institute at UTARTU that covers astronomy, astrophysics, cosmology, space technology, and other related areas. The Observatory includes a Galaxy Physics and Cosmology Group, which is the core UTARTU participant in EXCOSM. In this project, UTARTU covers expertise in structure and composition of nearby and distant galaxies, how neighboring galaxies influence the formation of galaxies and the general distribution of matter around galaxies.
The team is led by Prof. Elmo Tempel, head of the Department of Galaxy Physics and Cosmology. He has expertise in mathematical methods and cosmic web analysis from an observational perspective. UTARTU team includes 5 PhD students and 6 researchers who have expertise in analysing observational data, especially the connection between galaxies and the underlying cosmic web. UTARTU team has experience in studying galaxy dynamics and the detection and characterisation of filaments, groups, clusters, and superclusters and their connection to galaxy evolution.
Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam
Dr. Noam Libeskind
The Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP) is a German research institute dedicated to astrophysical questions ranging from the exploration of our Sun to the evolution of the cosmos. It focuses on the study of cosmic magnetic fields, extragalactic astrophysics and the development of research technologies in the fields of spectroscopy, robotic telescopes and E-science. Cosmography and large-scale structure group in AIP develops techniques to quantify the cosmic web and relate it to our cosmic coordinates.
UTARTU Galaxy Physics and Cosmology group has limited knowledge and previous experience on how to work with hydrodynamical simulations. AIP has long-term expertise and can provide knowledge transfer to UTARTU in hydrodynamical simulations, including the generation of initial conditions, running of N-body and hydrodynamical simulations, post-processing and analysis of simulations. AIP is experienced with large data storage and management, as well as the publication of large data sets for the community. AIP is a partner of the Large Binocular Telescope in Arizona, has telescopes in Tenerife and the Antarctic and develops astronomical instrumentation for large telescopes such as the VLT of the ESO.
In EXCOSM, the AIP team will be led by Dr. Noam Libeskind, head of the Cosmography and Large-scale Structure group. He has expertise in galaxy formation and hydrodynamical simulations, the cosmic web and characterization of the Megaparsec Universe, alignments of galaxies with respect to their environment and cosmographic maps.
Kapteyn Astronomical Institute of the University of Groningen
Prof. Rien van de Weijgaert
The University of Groningen (RUG) is a top 100 research university with a global outlook. Founded in 1614, it is one of the oldest research universities in the Netherlands, but also one with the largest international student communities – out of 36,420 students, over 9,000 are international, coming from 127 different countries. The Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, part of the Faculty of Science and Engineering, is performing research in a large range of topics, with the emphasis on external galaxies and cosmology. It is part of the Dutch research school for astronomy (NOVA), one of only two exemplary schools in the country. It has strong links with the research institutes SRON and ASTRON.
RUG’s team in EXCOSM is led by Prof. Rien van de Weijgaert. He is a full professor in cosmic structure formation, program director of BSc and MSc astronomy programmes and education director in Kapteyn Institute. He has expertise in cosmology, cosmic structure formation, large scale structure of the Universe and computational geometry and topology. UTARTU Galaxy Physics and Cosmology group currently lacks knowledge in cosmic web theory and galaxy evolution, especially connecting the theoretical knowledge and simulations with available observational data. RUG will provide guidance to UTARTU on how various observational surveys can be used to tackle systematically a range of important issues on (cosmic web) environmental influence on galaxy formation evolution.
University of Lorraine
Prof. Radu Stoica
University of Lorraine (UL), France, is a public institution created after the merge of four universities of the Lorraine region in north-eastern France. Though the University was founded in Lorraine in 1572, the fusion took place in 2012 and created a hub of scientific advancement, economic growth, and knowledge transfer. 43 teaching departments and 60 research centers make the UL one of the largest universities in the country. UL’s specific focus is given to crosstalk between fields and competences, in order to help students develop individualized career paths. Institut Elie Cartan de Lorraine (IECL-UL) is one of the largest French mathematics laboratories. The laboratory covers the entire field of mathematics: it conducts research in fundamental mathematics (geometry, analysis, number theory) and in applied mathematics (probability, statistics, partial differential equations).
The EXCOSM team is led by Prof. Radu Stoica, who is a member of IECL Probability and Statistics group. He is a renowned specialist for pattern detection and characterization in spatio-temporal data. He is the key person behind the development of the mathematical methodology based on marked point processes for detecting structures in cosmological data and the author of the Bisous model. Prof. Stoica’s efforts concentrate on building an interdisciplinary group including mathematicians, astronomers, geologists, and computer scientists.
