University of Waterloo
200 University Avenue West
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
Phone: (519) 888-4567 ext 32215
Fax: (519) 746-8115
Dr. Taylor is using whatever tools he can, including numerical simulations, astrophysical theory and observational data, to try to figure what dark matter is, where it is, and how it behaves. His research includes gravitational lensing and dynamical studies of galaxy clusters, the properties of the smallest galaxies in the local universe, and the theory behind dark matter halos around galaxies and clusters.
Contact information
Office: PHY 256
Phone: 519 888-4567 ext. 48115
Email: taylor@uwaterloo.ca
Website: www.science.uwaterloo.ca/~taylor
One of the ways we can learn about dark matter is by modelling how it should behave using numerical simulations. With the resources of SHARCNET, Ontario’s local supercomputing network, as well as machines in California, Germany and Australia, Dr. Taylor has been studying how cosmology - the large-scale properties of the universe - affects the abundance, shape and smoothness of dense structures like galaxy clusters.
There are three main ways of studying dark matter observationally: galaxy dynamics, gravitational lensing, and direct or indirect detection of dark matter particles. Dr, Taylor is currently involved in several large surveys that provide dynamical and lensing data, and has previously worked on predictions for astro-particle experiments that search for the dark matter candidate particle (“direct detection”), or other particles it produces or interacts with.
COSMOS provides a very rich data-set of galaxies imaged at many different wavelengths. Dr. Taylor searches through this field for small, nearby galaxies that trace the dark matter distribution on the smallest scales. The relative abundance of these galaxies may tell us whether dark matter is genuinely “cold” (and thus lumpy on small scales) or whether it is “warm” (and thus fluffy on small scales).
What Do Dark Matter Halo Properties Tell Us about Their Mass Assembly Histories?
Wong, Anson W.C., Taylor, James E. 2012 ApJ 757, 102
The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS). I. Introduction to the Survey, Ferrarese et al.
2012 ApJS, 200, 4
COSMOS: Stochastic Bias from Measurements of Weak Lensing and Galaxy Clustering, Jullo, E., Rhodes, J., Kiessling, A., Taylor, J. E., Massey, R., Berge, J., Schimd, C., Kneib, J.-P., Scoville, N.
2012 ApJ 750, 37
Measuring the Geometry of the Universe from Weak Gravitational Lensing behind Galaxy Groups in the HST COSMOS Survey
Taylor, J. E., Massey, R. J., Leauthaud, A., George, M. R., Rhodes, J., Kitching, T. D., Capak, P., Ellis, R., Finoguenov, A., Ilbert, O., Jullo, E., Kneib, J.-P., Koekemoer, A. M., Scoville, N., Tanaka, M.,
2012 ApJ 749, 127
New constraints on the evolution of the stellar-to-dark matter connection: a combined analysis of galaxy-galaxy lensing, clustering, and stellar mass functions from z=0.2 to z=1
Leauthaud, A., Tinker, J., Bundy, K., Behroozi, P. S., Massey, R., Rhodes, J., George, M. R., Kneib, J.-P., Benson, A., Wechsler, R. H., Busha, M. T., Capak, P., Cortes, M., Ilbert, O., Koekemoer, A. M., Le Fevre, O., Lilly, S., McCracken, H. J., Salvato, M., Schrabback, T., Scoville, N., Smith, T., Taylor, J.
E., ApJ in press (preprint arXiv:1104.0928)
The GALEX Ultraviolet Virgo Cluster Survey (GUViCS). I: The UV luminosity function of the central 12 square degrees
A. Boselli et al.
2011 A&A 528, 107
Please see Dr. Taylor's website for a complete list of his publications.
2009–2014: NSERC Discovery Grant
2006–2009: NSERC Discovery Grant
2006–2007: Co-Investigator, Hubble Space Telescope Cycle 15 Snapshot Proposal #10881 (143 orbits)
The following news stories have featured Dr. Taylor's research:
2001 Ph. D. (Astronomy), University of Victoria, Canada
1994 M. Sc. (Astronomy), University of Toronto, Canada
1993 B. Sc. (Mathematics & Physics), University of Toronto, Canada
The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is centralized within our Office of Indigenous Relations.