Bachelor Thesis Projects
Dark Energy: Constraining cosmological models with extra spatial dimensions with Type Ia Supernovae Data
What is driving the accelerated expansion of our Universe — dark energy or new physics beyond Einstein’s gravity? In this Bachelor thesis project, you will build your own Python-based cosmology pipeline and confront theoretical models with real Type Ia supernova data. Starting from the standard ΛCDM model, you will perform parameter estimation and then explore more exotic scenarios such as modified gravity models. You will work with professional datasets like Union 2.1 and Pantheon+, using the same statistical tools applied in modern cosmological research. If you want to combine physics, data analysis, and scientific programming in a hands-on research project, this thesis is for you.
Find out more on the Bachelor Thesis Pages of LMU Physics here. (enrollment key: LMUPhysik_Abschlussarbeiten)
Master Thesis Projects
The Hubble Tension and different cosmic distance measures
Recent direct measurements of the cosmic expansion from Cepheid-calibrated supernovae Ia are in increasing tension with values indirectly inferred from the cosmic microwave background and standard rulers based on baryonic acoustic oscillations created in the early Universe. Currently it is unclear if the tension is due to problems with one (or several) of the measurements, or if it signals a breakdown of our current cosmological standard model. This project tries to test underlying assumptions of the standard model with public cosmological data sets.
Simulation Based Inference for Galaxy Cluster Cosmology
Usually in cosmology, we learn about our model parameters (such as the expansion rate or the matter density) by writing down a likelihood for a measurement and evaluating it with the data. This forces us to combine data into summary statistics with (approximately) known likelihood, such as power spectra or total abundance of galaxy clusters. Another approach is to simulate the Universe until it matches the observation, using state-of-the-art machine learning and Bayesian inference tools. This project aims to implement a toy model of this approach before applying it to data.
Fast Radio Bursts
Fast Radio Bursts are quite mysterious: they are very short and very bright signals, but their source is still unknown. However, they are definitely extragalactic and visible up to cosmological distances. Since the radio signal undergoes dispersion as it travels through the ionised intergalactic medium, the pulses allow us to probe the large-scale structure of the Universe in a new and exciting way. There are several projects available focusing on theoretical or numerical work depending on your interests. Feel free to get in touch!
Maximum Entropy Reconstruction of the Reionization History
In this project we develop a new method to constrain the reionization history of the Universe with Cosmic Microwave Background data.
Topological Classification of the Cosmic Web
Usually cosmological information is extracted from overdense (clusters) or underdense (voids) regions of the cosmic web. However the structure of the cosmic web is much richer, not only consisting of clusters and voids, but also of filaments and sheets. Detecting and quantifying all these structures is an exercise in classifying the cosmic web topologically. In this project we want to explore the cosmic web with Betti numbers on different scales.
Real-Time Cosmology
We will explore the ability of frequency comb spectrographs, such as the one on the Wendelstein telescope, to measure the time dependence of the redshift factor. This would allow, for example, to constrain intrinsically inhomogenous cosmological models.
Mark correlation of galaxies and halos
Models of galaxy formation have to explain the large scale structure and the properties of the galaxies (luminosity, type, etc.). You will use mark correlation functions to investigate the interplay of spatial distribution and inner properties of galaxies. Theoretical as well as numerical approaches are possible.
Simulation based Inference for 21cm Cosmology
Constraining the neutriona mass with cosmological and astroparticle physics observations