Novel Statistical Tools for the Analysis of Astronomical Data

This project, coordinated by Prof. A. Zezas,  has as a goal to bring together the resources of an interdisciplinary collaboration network of leading groups in Astrophysics (FORTH, Universite de Geneve/Geneva Observatory, University of Cambridge, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory/CfA, Caltech, and Northwestern University) and Statistics (Imperial College, Cambridge University, Simon Fraser University). The network will share expertise between the different fields and geographical areas in order to tackle key questions in observational Astrophysics, related to the nature of dark energy and dark matter, the populations of accreting binary stars in galaxies and their evolution, and the morphological and activity classification of galaxies. To address each of these questions we use state-of-the-art observations and theoretical models, and we will develop novel, principled tools for statistical analysis in the domains of source classification, structure detection, time-series analysis, and fitting. The methods developed under this program will have lasting value and applications beyond the field of Astrophysics. This is the continuation of the successful EU-funded program ASTROSTAT.