Risa H. Wechsler

Stanford University, Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology

Research field

Cosmology, galaxy formation and dark matter halos

Risa Wechsler studies how galaxies are connected to the dark matter halos in which they form. Her review with Jeremy Tinker shows that star formation is most efficient in halos of about a trillion solar masses, where still less than 20 percent of the available ordinary matter has turned into stars. Galaxy surveys rely on this connection to infer the distribution of matter from the galaxies they map. The unit uses it to link simulations of the cosmic web to what surveys observe.

In the masterclass

Section 3 presents this research after the cosmic web and its simulations.

The research is presented in Unit 15: Dark Matter, Dark Energy and Cosmic Structure, in a research spotlight box that explains the result at the level of the unit and links it to the physics you have just learned.

The paper

The Connection Between Galaxies and Their Dark Matter Halos