Penn Researchers Help Make Maps of the Universe’s Dark Matter

Members of the Dark Energy Survey have released the first in a series of maps that show the concentration of dark matter in the cosmos. These maps, created with one of the world’s most powerful digital cameras, are the largest contiguous maps created at this level of detail and will improve researchers’ understanding of dark matter’s role in the formation of galaxies.

The two-year long effort was centered in the research group of Bhuvnesh Jain, professor and Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Term Chair in the Natural Sciences in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. Jain and Vikram’s colleagues at Penn include Gary Bernstein, the Reese W. Flower Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics; research scientist Mike Jarvis; graduate student Dillon Brout; and undergraduates Andrew Neil and Charles Davis.

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