Recent years have seen spectacular progress in cosmology. This project will continue research in cosmic phenomenology, developing improved analysis methods and using them to sharpen cosmological constraints and theoretical understanding. Better data from current and upcoming experiments will be used to improve knowledge about neutrinos, dark matter, dark energy and the early Universe. The key components of this research are: 1) cosmology with galaxy clustering, including using smaller scale information than before, for degeneracy breaking and consistency testing; 2) illuminating the "dark ages" by developing information theory based techniques for 21 cm tomography data analysis, for fast yet nearly lossless extraction of cosmological information, concerning both the epoch of reionization and fundamental physics; 3) theoretical and phenomenological calculations to strengthen the link between observations and the underlying theories and their free parameters. A common theme is the use of information theory based techniques to tackle the mathematical and statistical challenges posed by massive data sets, particularly for managing and modeling uncertainty.
Along with strengthening the foundation for the emerging standard model of cosmology, this research will develop broadly useful data and tools, which will promptly be made publicly available. The project trains students, and offers ample opportunities for public talks and other educational outreach. The origin, evolution and fate of the universe have long captivated the imagination of the general public, allowing for active work in both formal and informal public outreach.
