Alex Gough
Alex’s research interest is gravitational dynamics. Their PhD is focussed on theoretical techniques in cosmic large-scale-structure formation.
Project title
'Cosmic structure formation in the nonlinear regime'
About
I am a PhD student in applied mathematics studying how the largest structures in the universe form over time. I am a part of both the cosmology and observational astrophysics groups.
Project Description
The large scale structure of the universe is a complex network of filaments and halos dominated by dark matter and roughly traced by luminous sources such as galaxies. My project focuses on both better understanding the dynamics of dark matter collapse and clever statistic choices and methods to extract cosmological information from tracers. I use techniques inspired by the quantum-classical correspondence to push modelling of dark matter to later times and smaller scales, which is particularly important for understanding bound objects. These techniques can help us hunt for signatures of particular dark matter candidates. I also work on developing clustering statistics which capture the non-Gaussianity of the late time matter distribution.
Other Interests
I’m passionate about science communication and education and enjoy writing. I am a regular author for the Astrobites collaboration, writing accessible summaries of current astrophysics research.
Education
2016—2019 Bachelor’s Degree BSc in Physics, Oxford University, UK
2019—2020 Master’s Degree MMathPhys in Mathematical and Theoretical Physics, Oxford University, UK
Master’s thesis: Are we Isotropic Observers? Testing the Copernican Principle and Consequences for Cosmology
Publications
You can find a list of my publications on my ORCID, arXiv, or NASA ADS
Supervisors
Contact
Email: a.gough2@newcastle.ac.uk
Website: alexandergough.com
Cosmology group: blogs.ncl.ac.uk/cosmology/
Observational astrophysics group: blogs.ncl.ac.uk/astro-obs/
Astrobites author profile: astrobites.org/author/agough/
Twitter: twitter.com/acwgough