The Galaxy-Dark Matter Connection

Frank van den Bosch (ETH Zurich ) - 15 Aug at 12:00 noon

I present a new statistical method to link galaxies to their dark matter haloes. I show how the galaxy-dark matter connection thus established can be used to (i) constrain both galaxy formation and cosmology and (ii) construct detailed mock galaxy redshift surveys. In particular, I show how pairwise peculiar velocity dispersions and cluster mass-to-light ratios require a relatively low value for the power-spectrum normalization parameter, sigma_8, and demonstrate that there are two characteristic scales in galaxy formation. I also present results from large catalogues of galaxy groups selected from the 2dFGRS and SDSS with a new, halo-based group finder. In will use these to argue that, contrary to common wisdom, galaxy properties do not depend on environment or luminosity, but only on the mass of the halo in which they reside.

The seminar will be held in 544 Campbell Hall.


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