Dr. Gary Bernstein

Biography

Professor Bernstein's research focuses on extracting astronomical knowledge from large piles of astronomical images. His group is currently pursuing major science projects involving approximately 100,000 sky exposures through the Dark Energy Survey. The research employs gravitational lensing to measure how light is deflected by gravity, a phenomenon predicted by General Relativity. This light deflection results in dramatic distortions of background objects, which can be observed as subtle changes in their shapes. By measuring statistical correlations of the shapes of hundreds of millions of galaxies, they aim to ascertain the properties of dark matter and dark energy. Furthermore, Professor Bernstein and his collaborators are examining DES images for solar system members that orbit Neptune, known as trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs). These icy bodies are remnants from the early formation of the Solar System and provide insight into significant rearrangements that occurred among the giant planets. The research highlights over the years include accurate measurements of the dark matter distribution in the Universe through weak gravitational lensing techniques and the discovery of various TNOs complications.

Research Interests

Courses