Silk, Joseph 96-17168 Dr. Silk will research several fundamental problems in theoretical astrophysics and cosmology that focus on the cosmic microwave background. One representative problem is the study of the angular anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation in different cosmological models, where the small observed deviations from anisotropy probe the origin of the large-scale structure in the universe. A second example is the study of galaxy formation and evolution. Improving models for the global star formation rate and application to the early evolution of disks and protogalaxies will aid predictions of their luminosity, spectral and chemical evolution.
