Tuesday, April 28, 2015

You are here: Waterloo astrophysicists map the universe

Astrophysicists have created a 3D map of the universe that spans nearly two billion light years and is the most complete picture of our cosmic neighbourhood to date.

The spherical map of galaxy superclusters will lead to a greater understanding of how matter is distributed in the universe and provide key insights into dark matter, one of physics’ greatest mysteries.

Professor Mike Hudson, Jonathan Carrick and Stephen Turnbull, of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Waterloo, and Guilhem Lavaux the Institute d’Astrophysique de Paris of the Centre national de la recherche scientifique of France, created the map. Professor Hudson is also an affiliate member of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.

“The galaxy distribution isn’t uniform and has no pattern. It has peaks and valleys much like a mountain range. This is what we expect if the large-scale structure originates from quantum fluctuations in the early universe,” said Hudson, also associate dean of science, computing.

The map appears online in the peer-review journal, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, one of the world’s leading primary research journals for astronomy and astrophysics.

The lighter blue and white areas on the map represent greater concentrations of galaxies. The red area is the supercluster called the Shapley Concentration, the largest collection of galaxies in the nearby universe. Unexplored areas appear in medium blue.

Knowing the location and motion of matter in the universe will help astrophysicists predict the universe’s expansion and identify where and how much dark matter exists.

Scientists have observed that galaxies move differently because the universe's expansion is not even. These differences are called peculiar velocities. Our own Milky Way galaxy and its neighbour Andromeda are moving with a speed of 2 million kilometres per hour.

Previous models haven’t fully accounted for this observed motion. Hudson and his team are interested in discovering what structures are responsible for the peculiar velocities.

These deviations in the motion of galaxies are a valuable tool to determine the distribution of matter and dark matter on the largest scales.

Dark matter accounts for a large majority of the mass content in the universe. It is a hypothesized form of matter particle that does not reflect or emit light and as a result it can’t be seen or measured directly. The existence and properties of dark matter can only be inferred indirectly through its gravitational effects on visible matter and light.

“A better understanding of dark matter is central to understanding the formation of galaxies and the structures they live in, such as galaxy clusters, superclusters and voids,” said Hudson.

The next step will involve getting more detailed samples of peculiar velocities to enhance the map, in collaboration with researchers in Australia.

Arts student wins design contest for Canada's 150th anniversary

With files from Wendy Philpott.

Second-year Global Business and Digital Arts (GBDA) student Ariana Cuvin has won the Government of Canada's Canada 150 logo competition.

Cuvin's logo design depicts a series of diamonds arranged in the shape of a maple leaf, and it will become a unifying symbol of the Canada 150 movement. Her logo will be featured in all Government of Canada activities and material related to Canada 150.

Cuvin, 19, entered the nationwide design competition, which ran from December 5, 2014 to January 23, 2015. It was open to Canadian students aged 18 and older who were enrolled in a post-secondary program in Canada.

Students were asked to submit a design that evoked pride, unity and celebration that reflected Canada as a diverse nation with "a rich past and a promising future." According to the Waterloo Region Record, Cuvin's design was chosen from more than 300 submissions.

Cuvin was flown to Vancouver last Thursday for the unveiling of the logo with Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages Shelly Glover.

Check out the Arts News website for more details.

Nominations open for Award of Excellence in Graduate Supervision

The Graduate Studies Office is now collecting nomination packages for the Award of Excellence in Graduate Supervision for the 2015/16 year. This award recognizes exemplary faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in graduate student supervision. Normally three faculty members will be recognized each year at Spring Convocation. The recipients will be honoured with a $1,000 award.

Details as to what a nomination package must be comprised of are outlined in the updated guidelines found on the Graduate Studies website.

Letters can be addressed as “To Whom It May Concern,” and whoever is the primary nominator is whose name should be on the nomination form. Electronic PDF packages submitted by the Faculty to the GSO are preferred, however, hardcopy packages are acceptable.

Nominations must be submitted to the Office of the Faculty Associate Dean, Graduate Studies by June 11. The Faculty Associate Dean, Graduate Studies will assess the nominations and submit a subset of them (electronically preferred) by June 25. 

Applied Health Sciences and Environment may submit up to two nominations while Arts, Engineering, Mathematics, and Science may submit up to four nominations.

Fundraising for Nepal and other notes

"My classmates and I were truly saddened to hear of the earthquake in Nepal on Saturday morning, and the devastation that followed," writes Recreation and Leisure Students student Lindsay Kalbfleisch. " In response to this event, we have set up a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for the Red Cross."

Kalbfleisch and her classmates have a personal connection to the tragedy. "Last year I took a geography course (GEOG 430C), which focused on the Mount Everest region, and culminated with a month-long trip to Nepal, and trek to Mount Everest Basecamp," she writes. "We hope that by sharing stories from our travels in Nepal, we can engage our social networks and encourage even small donations from members of our community." In the first day of their campaign, they raised $1,500.

Waterloo International is working with International SOS to ensure that travellers from the University of Waterloo are safe and accounted for. Currently, a Waterloo graduate student studying in Nepal is safe at the US Embassy.

There will be no open session at this week's Staff Relations Committee meeting, which is scheduled for Friday, May 1. The next meeting of the committee will take place on Friday, June 5, from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

"As a result of construction at E3 near the pedestrian bridge to E5 there will be periodic lane closures when necessary to provide for loading and unloading of materials and equipment," says a note from Plant Operations. "The road will remain open but will be reduced to one lane. These incidents will be kept to a minimum to the best of our ability. The week of May 4^th could extend for a full day while structural steel is unloaded and put in place by the use of a crane."

The construction is for the GAIA (Green and Intelligent Automotive) research facility for hybrid and electric vehicles (HEV), and will consist of three labs: one for testing engine efficiency, one for long-lasting batteries, and one for testing research-modified HEVs on a rolling platform. 

‎The project includes a major structural renovation to facilitate many pieces of research equipment.