Stephen Landy

"Mapping the Universe"

ABSTRACT -- Galaxy Redshift Surveys and their role in modern cosmology will be the focus of this talk. It will consist of an overview of the importance of Galaxy Redshift Surveys to modern cosmology in terms of what fundamental cosmological measurements can be made from this information. The construction and motivation of the Las Campanas Redshift Survey will be presented. Specific measurements that have been made from this Survey, such as the Power Spectrum of Galaxy Density Fluctuations and their impact on current ideas in cosmology, along with its application in measuring cosmological parameters, such as the curvature of the Universe and the thermal velocity dispersion of the galaxy field, will also be discussed.

SPEAKER -- Stephen D. Landy graduated from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, with a PhD in physics awarded in 1994. He did a postdoc at the Carnegie Observatories, where he worked on the Las Campanas Redshift Survey. In 1993-96 he did a postdoc in the astronomy department at the University of California at Berkeley. Stephen Landy also holds a Masters degree in History and Philosophy of Science from the University of Chicago. Since 1996 he has been Visiting Scientist at the College of William and Mary. Dr. Landy is married with two children.

Colloquium Committee Sponsor: Hugh O'Donnell, GSFC, 301-286-7684
Next Week: "Air-Breathing Machines That Fly Into Orbit", Charles McClinton, NASA Langley Research Center
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