Experimental and Observational Astrophysics and Cosmology

Viewing the formation and evolution of stars, galaxies, and the cosmos. Galaxy clusters, cosmic microwave background radiation, ultra high-energy sources, large scale structure in the universe and cosmic evolution.
Current research in observational astrophysics and cosmology at Stanford covers a wide range of approaches to tackling the most important frontiers. Major topics include direct detection of dark matter, probes of dark energy (via gravitational lensing, surveys of galaxy clusters and supernovae), sources of gamma rays (pulsars, blazars, supernova remnants, dark matter annihilation or decay), the structure of clusters of galaxies and their use as probes of cosmology, the development of next generation detectors of photons (radio through gamma-ray), the origins of solar variability on a wide range of time scales, and experiments in gravitation (detection of gravitational waves, probes of gravity at short distance scales).
Major experiments and facilities include the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment (direct detection of dark matter), the Cryogenic Dark Matter Detector (direct detection of dark matter), the Fermi Large Area Telescope (gamma-rays), NuSTAR (x-rays), the Dark Energy Survey DES (probes of dark energy), the Solar Dynamics Observatory SDO and the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory SOHO (solar space missions), and the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory LIGO. Future facilities include the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST, observing half the sky deeply every three days).
The Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, housed in the the Fred Kavli Building at SLAC and the Physics & Astrophysics Building and the Varian Physics Laboratories on campus, hosts much of the research in astrophysics and cosmology at Stanford and SLAC. Scientists meet through twice-weekly Tea Talks, a weekly Cosmology Seminar and a weekly Astrophysics Colloquium. Seminars are also hosted by the Stanford Solar Observatories Group and the Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory.
Related Faculty
Related News

Illustration by Sandbox Studio, Chicago with Olena Shmahalo
While the cosmic-backlight approach should work well for mapping matter at the edges of galaxies…

This is a long-exposure image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope of massive galaxy cluster Abell 2744. It shows some of the faintest and youngest galaxies...
Stanford physics graduate student Elise Darragh-Ford and her colleagues examined computer-…

Attendees at the KIPAC 20th Anniversary Community Day festival will observe the sun through telescopes and sun-spotters. (Image credit: Jacqueline Ramseyer...
This year, the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (KIPAC) is celebrating…

Photo by Linda Cicero
Cosmologists have found new evidence for the standard model of…

Upon seeing JWST’s first trove of images, Stanford astrophysicist and cosmologist Risa Wechsler…

In the time since the first exoplanet was discovered in 1992, astronomers have detected more…
Related Events

Linda Cicero
Astronomy Lecture - Supermassive Black Holes
Did you know there's a…