Astrophysics

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s LSST promises unprecedented cosmological constraints, but achieving them requires more than just statistical power—it demands forecasting pipelines that can account for complex astrophysical systematics and modeling challenges on small scales. In this talk, I present work within the LSST Dark Energy Science Collaboration (DESC) to develop a modular forecasting framework that connects realistic data modeling with infrastructure built for extensibility and validation. Drawing on my role as forecasting group lead, I will outline key challenges in pipeline design, the role of validation in maintaining forecast credibility, and the use of good coding practices—such as modularization and model registries—to ensure long-term adaptability. I’ll close with a look at new directions, including forecasts at high redshift and multi-probe combinations, underscoring how thoughtful infrastructure enables reliable science in the LSST era.

The advent of gravitational wave (GW) detections has opened a new window into our understanding of stellar-mass black holes and neutron stars. Ongoing advancements and upcoming third-generation GW detectors are expected to provide increasingly detailed insights into the properties of compact object binaries across cosmic time. In this context, the merger rate density inferred from GW detections can be interpreted as the convolution of the cosmic star formation history, chemical evolution, and binary stellar evolution.
Studying this connection from the perspective of the host galaxies of binary compact objects offers a complementary approach, not only shedding light on the physical conditions that favor different formation channels but also enhancing our ability to interpret GW observations. In this talk, I will discuss two different approaches to modeling the host galaxies of binary compact objects: one based on population synthesis models combined with galaxy catalogs from cosmological simulations, and another based on empirical galaxy scaling relations. I will highlight some of the key results from these models and discuss the next steps where host galaxy properties can provide critical constraints on the origin and evolution of compact object binaries.

Zoom link: https://pitp.zoom.us/j/98089871850