ASTRO Colloquium with Wendy Freedman

Event Date:
2026-10-26T16:00:00
2026-10-26T17:00:00
Event Location:
HENN 318
Speaker:
Wendy Freedman, University of Chicago
Related Upcoming Events:
Astronomy Colloquia
Intended Audience:
Everyone
Local Contact:

Brett Gladman (gladman@astro.ubc.ca)

All are welcome to this event!

Event Information:

Title:

Is the Hubble Tension Signaling New Physics Beyond the Standard Cosmological Model?

Abstract: 

Local measurements of Ho based on Cepheids continue to yield values lower than those inferred from measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). If this tension is real, it implies that there is fundamental missing physics from our standard (Lambda Cold Dark Matter, LCDM) model of cosmology. Resolving whether this discrepancy reflects new physics, new astrophysics, or systematic effects requires careful attention to the measurement of distances to nearby galaxies that determine the local value of Ho. 

I will describe results from a James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) program designed to improve measurements of the Hubble constant using three independent high-precision methods: Cepheids, the tip of the red giant branch, and carbon stars, applied to galaxies hosting Type Ia supernovae. I will also present new results on  direct measurements of the distance to the Coma cluster.

Bio:

Professor Wendy Freedman  joined the University of Chicago in 2014 as the Sullivan University  Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics, one of nine named University Professors. Previously, she held the Crawford H. Greenewalt Directorship of the Carnegie Observatories in Pasadena, California. She was the founding chair of the Board of Directors (2003-2015) for the Giant Magellan Telescope, a 25-meter optical telescope scheduled for construction in Chile in 2032.

Professor Freedman  is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. She is an elected Fellow of the American Physical Society, and a Legacy Fellow of the American Astronomical Society. Her awards include the Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics by the American Institute of Physics and American Astronomical Society, and she was one of three co-recipients of the 2009 Gruber Cosmology Prize.

Freedman's principle research interests are in observational cosmology and the evolution of galaxies. Presently her research interests are directed at increasing the accuracy of measurements of the expansion rate and testing whether there is new fundamental early-universe physics.
 

Learn More:

 

Add to Calendar 2026-10-26T16:00:00 2026-10-26T17:00:00 ASTRO Colloquium with Wendy Freedman Event Information: Title: Is the Hubble Tension Signaling New Physics Beyond the Standard Cosmological Model? Abstract:  Local measurements of Ho based on Cepheids continue to yield values lower than those inferred from measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). If this tension is real, it implies that there is fundamental missing physics from our standard (Lambda Cold Dark Matter, LCDM) model of cosmology. Resolving whether this discrepancy reflects new physics, new astrophysics, or systematic effects requires careful attention to the measurement of distances to nearby galaxies that determine the local value of Ho.  I will describe results from a James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) program designed to improve measurements of the Hubble constant using three independent high-precision methods: Cepheids, the tip of the red giant branch, and carbon stars, applied to galaxies hosting Type Ia supernovae. I will also present new results on  direct measurements of the distance to the Coma cluster. Bio: Professor Wendy Freedman  joined the University of Chicago in 2014 as the Sullivan University  Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics, one of nine named University Professors. Previously, she held the Crawford H. Greenewalt Directorship of the Carnegie Observatories in Pasadena, California. She was the founding chair of the Board of Directors (2003-2015) for the Giant Magellan Telescope, a 25-meter optical telescope scheduled for construction in Chile in 2032. Professor Freedman  is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. She is an elected Fellow of the American Physical Society, and a Legacy Fellow of the American Astronomical Society. Her awards include the Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics by the American Institute of Physics and American Astronomical Society, and she was one of three co-recipients of the 2009 Gruber Cosmology Prize. Freedman's principle research interests are in observational cosmology and the evolution of galaxies. Presently her research interests are directed at increasing the accuracy of measurements of the expansion rate and testing whether there is new fundamental early-universe physics.  Learn More: Read her University of Chicago Faculty page: https://astrophysics.uchicago.edu/people/profile/wendy-l.-freedman/  Read this UChicago News post and other stories: https://news.uchicago.edu/profile/wendy-freedman  Read this article from UofT "Uof T still feels like home: renowned astronomer Wendy Freedman on getting her start at Arts & Science" Read her bio from the The Royal Society fellows directory: https://royalsociety.org/people/wendy-freedman-36213/ Watch this video, "Why we measure the universe" (TEDxChicago): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LAaOOaDq0k    Event Location: HENN 318