102 Cardwell Hall
Abstract: Analyses of galaxy clustering in redshift surveys such as the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS), have provided robust cosmological measurements and are now considered as one of the pillars of modern observational cosmology. One key technique uses Baryon Acoustic Oscillations as a standard ruler with which to measure the expansion of the Universe: finding the BAO scale within the galaxy survey fixes the distance-redshift relation. Complementary measurements can be made on smaller scales using voids as standard shapes, and from Redshift-Space Distortion measurements, which constrain the growth of cosmological structure. I will introduce both BAO, RSD and void-based methods, and present recent results from the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS), confirming and refining the standard LCDM cosmological model. Future surveys including the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), the Euclid satellite mission and the MaunaKea Spectroscopic Explorer, will provide an order of magnitude more information than BOSS and eBOSS and I will introduce these surveys and present predictions for the expected measurements.