Andreu Font Ribera (Institut de Física d’Altes Energie, IFAE) has obtained an ERC Consolidator Grant 2021. His project COSMO-LYA (A Cosmological Lever Arm for Fundamental Physics) will study some of the main open questions in cosmology and in particle physics.
Andreu Font-Ribera was born in Barcelona in 1985 and studied Physics at the Universitat de Barcelona. In 2011 he obtained a PhD at the same university, followed by postdoctoral contracts at the University of Zurich (Switzerland) and Berkeley Lab (USA). In 2016 Andreu moved to London with a prestigious senior fellowship (STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowship) and became a lecturer at University College London (UK). In 2020 Andreu moved back to his hometown of Barcelona after being awarded the Ramon y Cajal fellowship, and he is now a researcher at Institut de Física d’Altes Energies (IFAE).
Which are the main objectives of COSMO-LYA?
In COSMO-LYA we will use large maps of the distribution of matter in the Universe to study some of the main open questions in cosmology and in particle physics.
What is the mysterious dark energy that is causing the expansion of the Universe to accelerate? How did the universe start? Can we weigh neutrinos, the lightest fundamental particles? These open questions in the boundary of cosmology and fundamental physics can be addressed by studying the distribution of matter in the Universe, both as a function of scale and as a function of time.
While the traditional approach has been to use large galaxy catalogues, during the last decade we have developed an alternative probe: the Lyman-α (Lyα) forest, absorption features in the spectra of high-redshift quasars caused by neutral hydrogen along the line of sight toward the Earth. The Lyα forest provides a unique window to study the distribution of matter at earlier times and on smaller scales than those accessible with galaxy catalogues.
COSMO-LYA will apply these analysis techniques to obtain results that will have an interdisciplinary impact, with wide-reaching consequences for particle and fundamental physics.
You can find a bit more about my project here: https://www.ifae.es/news/2022/03/17/erc-consolidator-grant-awarded-to-andreu-font-ribera
Why did you decide to carry out your research at IFAE?
IFAE is a particle physics institute with an interest in cosmology and particle astrophysics. It offers a unique environment to carry out projects like COSMO-LYA that are within the boundary of both fields.
How do you expect this grant will affect your professional career?
This ERC CoG will allow me to build a large research group over five years, giving me the stability required to carry out a complex project like this one.
Are you planning to open research positions in your group?
Yes, I plan to hire up to 6 people in the next few years, including PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, project managers and computing engineers.
Are you planning any collaborations?
COSMO-LYA will use data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), a large international collaboration led by Berkeley Lab (USA), and with an important contribution from UCL (UK). Since I left UCL in May 2020 I became an Honorary Researcher at UCL, and I visit two or three times a year to continue my collaborations there.
Where can we learn more about you and your project?
Personal website: https://www.ifae.es/people/font-ribera-andreu/
Project website: https://www.ifae.es/news/2022/03/17/erc-consolidator-grant-awarded-to-andreu-font-ribera/
Selected publications
Quasar-Lyman α Forest Cross-Correlation from BOSS DR11: Baryon Acoustic Oscillations, A. Font-Ribera, D. Kirkby, N. Busca, et al., Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics (2014)
Baryon Acoustic Oscillations and the Hubble constant: past, present and future, A. Cuceu, J. Farr, P. Lemos and A. Font-Ribera, Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics (2019)
During the following weeks, we will be presenting those researchers working at Spanish institutions that have obtained an ERC Starting or Consolidator Grant 2021 and their projects. You can check their profiles HERE.
