Open Research Europe presents an interview with Prof. Jackson Said, Associate Professor of Space Science and Astronomy at the University of Malta and Gateway Advisor of the Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology Community Gateway on Open Research Europe.

This Community Gateway focuses on research, both theoretical and experimental, related to the advances and applications of astronomy, astrophysics, and cosmology, from dark energy and dark matter to space exploration and exoplanets.

Read on to find out more about the Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology Community Gateway and our Guest Advisor.

What is your research area and how does it relate to the Astronomy, Astrophysics & Cosmology Community Gateway?

The main theme of my research is about exploring different probes of new fundamental physics in cosmology.

Recent observations have shown a growing tension in the reported value of the current expansion rate of the universe when comparing survey results using the standard model of cosmology.

This may be the first indication of physics beyond the current perspective of cosmology, which is based on a combination of Einstein’s general relativity, dark matter, and dark energy, and the regular matter we know about from particle physics experiments.

The core of the problem comes down to measurements based on readings associated with early universe physics and those based on the late universe. The markedly different reported values of the expansion rate, of the Hubble constant, and of the universe at present, point to a statistical tension that is increasingly difficult to resolve using the standard model of cosmology.

The motivation for my research in this field is mainly focused on looking into modifications to Einstein’s general theory of relativity, which is currently the best description of gravity that relates to most cosmological and astrophysical observations. Also, the theory is open to many generalizations, which may prove helpful when explaining potentially problematic features of cosmology and astrophysics, such as cosmic tensions.

Cosmic tensions are a core topic in modern cosmology and certainly one within the remit of the Astronomy, Astrophysics & Cosmology Community Gateway. As studies continue to reinforce the presence of a statistical tension in the standard model of cosmology when comparing cosmological datasets, more possible solutions will continue to be developed, giving the research area more momentum in the physics community.

What are the biggest challenges of being a researcher in your field?

It can be hard for early career researchers to find their footing, especially given the diversity of cosmology, which ranges from new fundamental physics theories to novel approaches to data analysis and observational cosmology. However, the community has a number of ways to support researchers, ranging from training schools to detailed guides and community tools.

An example of such community-driven support is a new COST Action project called CosmoVerse which aims to bridge a number of gaps in the community, such as connecting young researchers with more senior ones, as well as closing the divide between well-established countries and countries whose cosmology research groups are still developing.

However, the biggest impact that CosmoVerse will have is on bringing theories, data analysts, and observational cosmologists together to tackle the problem of cosmic tensions. This is the biggest challenge in our community and one we address through CosmoVerse.

What are the major questions your research area tries to answer?

Astronomy, astrophysics & cosmology are topics that feature many open questions ranging from understanding how the universe developed from the ‘Big Bang’ to current times, to questions about exotic stars in the universe, such as black holes, and many more.

There is also a lot of work on new windows into our understanding of the universe, such as gravitational wave astronomy, gamma-ray burst physics, and a host of other topics.

Cosmic tensions are a thematic area that brings together most topics in astronomy.

A lot of phenomena are, in some way, affected by the universe’s expansion. This gives us a lot of different ways to make measurements of the evolution of the universe’s expansion over its history. The community is confronting the open questions of cosmic tensions in a variety of ways, but it is also an opportunity to bring together researchers from different subfields across cosmology to work on these features as a community.

Why is open science important to you and researchers in your field?

Whenever there is an open question in science, different researchers want to study different aspects of the topic.

Having a platform based on the principles of open science can help in giving all researchers access to the data and analysis that produces published results in a transparent way.

This is very helpful in cases where researchers want to reanalyze published data and consider different approaches or assumptions that might affect the final result in these studies. This can also be a beneficial aspect for researchers publishing significant results, helping to build greater trust in results by being completely transparent since it puts their results above reproach.

Are there any challenges to participating in open science within your research area?

Almost all cosmology research publications are available via open access in some shape or form. However, the community is still working on making data analysis pipelines open access. This is somewhere where Open Research Europe can be a great help, with its various publication formats, and total open access philosophy.

Explore more of the Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology Community Gateway today.