Cosmology and large scale structure

Research at IUCAA in Cosmology and Large-Scale Structure (LSS) explores a number of areas using both observational and theoretical techniques, ranging from fundamental questions such as the nature of dark matter and dark energy — including standard and alternate cosmological models — to the phenomenology and physics of the Cosmic Web. Aspects of the latter include the relationship between cosmic tracers like galaxies and the ubiquitous dark matter distribution, the formation and evolution of these galaxies and galaxy clusters, the evolution and properties of the inter-galactic medium at both early and late epochs, and the origin and evolution of cosmic magnetic fields which pervade the Cosmic Web at all length scales. Understanding the multi-scale properties of the Cosmic Web, which is the stage on which the evolution of observable tracers plays out, allows these tracers to become sensitive probes of fundamental cosmological questions. IUCAA researchers are actively addressing these questions using tools ranging from analytical and semi-analytical techniques to state-of-the-art numerical simulations, as well as observational data from large-volume surveys of the local and high-redshift Universe.