High-performance information extraction from cosmic web probes – INFOCW

Physical cosmology is dominated by a successful standard model connecting high-energy physics to observational astronomy, in which the Universe evolves from the “Big Bang” to its present state. However, we currently do not know some key elements, such as the cause of the accelerated expansion and the masses of neutrino particles. This proposal tackles these two enthralling problems.

In contrast to existing methods, which rely on correlation functions and involve various assumptions and simplifications, recent breakthrough research, with leading contributions from the proposing PI, has shown that cosmological data can be analysed using models that predict the entire map of the large-scale structure. The close interplay between cosmological simulations, data science, and observations has made this area one of the most innovative and promising fields of astrophysics. Building upon these developments, INFOCW will explore novel strategies to unscramble information stored in the cosmic web, the largest accessible structure in the Universe.

The proposed work spans all of numerical modelling, statistical method development, data analysis, and interpretation; it will advance information sciences as necessary to push the research frontier in cosmology and astrophysics. This proposal is particularly timely and significant in light of the upcoming launch of ESA’s Euclid satellite, which will produce unprecedented amounts of multi-scale data. Key contributions will be made towards scaling data models and inference algorithms, maximising the science output of Euclid, and constraining cosmological physics.