Charlie Mpetha did his undergraduate at Lancaster University, then moved to a PhD in gravitational wave cosmology at the University of Edinburgh. Mid-way through his PhD, in 2023, he won a Leverhulme Study-Abroad scholarship to work at the WCA for a year with James Taylor on topics in cluster cosmology. Now, Charlie is in his first year as a NASA Postdoctoral Fellow at Goddard, working on cluster science for the Nancy Grace Roman space telescope.
Title: Cluster Lensing in the Stage-IV Era
Abstract: The study of galaxy clusters has a myriad of science cases, from feedback and galaxy evolution to cosmology and testing the theory of gravity. One powerful approach to studying cluster properties is through their lensing effect on the light of distant galaxies. Measuring cluster lensing profiles allows us to study the matter distribution of galaxy clusters. This topic is particularly timely with the advent of several powerful new Stage-IV surveys, including the Nancy Grace Roman and Euclid Space Telescopes, which will enable precise cluster lensing measurements for individual systems and stacks of clusters.
In this talk, I will discuss some applications of cluster lensing, highlighting the current state of the art, key open questions, and prospects for next-generation surveys.