Ehsan Kourkchi    School of Astronomy (SoA)    Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM)    Email: ekourkchialum.sharif.edu  ; ehsanipm.ir    [Publications]   [M.Sc. Thesis]  [my CV]   [Contact]   [Research]  [AstroIPM]

Coma Cluster Dwarf Galaxies (click here)

Education

Part time researcher, School of Astronomy (SoA), Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), Tehran, Iran; 2007-2011 (present). Click here to see my research activities.

M.Sc. in Physics (cosmology), Department of Physics, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran and Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune, India; February 2006.

M.Sc. Thesis Title: CMB Anisotropy and Polarization in Multiply Connected Universe; In this thesis, the CMB 2D maps were analyzed and simulated. The CMB maps were simulated for universes with non-trivial topologies to study the effect of topology on CMB power spectrum.

Thesis Abstract: The CMB anisotropy data has brought the issue of global space-time structure of universe from the realm of theoretical curiosity to something within the grasp of observations.  The notion that the universe has non-trivial global structure is inherent in the inflationary paradigm and the possibility of non-trivial topology is also a generic possibility within the framework of string theory. The angular power spectrum is an inadequate description of CMB anisotropy prediction in a multiply connected universe and requires a different approach to compute the angular correlation of CMB anisotropy. The progress till now is limited to CMB anisotropy prediction at low angular resolution. The project would develop and implement a computationally rapid method to computing the CMB anisotropy predictions for taking into account the physics of CMB anisotropy. This will allow us to place interesting constraints on cosmic topology using the WMAP data. In anticipation of CMB polarization maps, we also plan to compute the CMB polarization prediction in multiply connected universe models.

M.Sc. Thesis Supervisor: Prof. Tarun Souradeep (IUCAA, Pune, India) and Prof. Sohrab Rahvar (Sharif University, Tehran, Iran).

Total GPA (M.Sc.): 3.8 of 4 (Note: grades are not curved)

B.Sc. in Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran; June 2003.

Total GPA (B.Sc.): 3.2 of 4 (Note: grades are not curved)

Published Paper

1) E. Kourkchi; H. G. Khosroshahi; D. Carter; A.M. Karick; E. Marmol-Queralto; K. Chiboucas; R. B. Tully; B. Mobasher; R. Guzman; A. Matkovic and N. Gruel, Dwarf Galaxies in the Coma Cluster: I. Velocity Dispersion Measurements, 2011, MNRAS, ref. MN-10-2692-MJ.R2, arXiv:1110.2649

2) E. Kourkchi; H. G. Khosroshahi; D. Carter and B. Mobasher, Dwarf Galaxies in the Coma Cluster: II. Spectroscopic and Photometric Fundamental Planes, 2011, MNRAS, ref. MN-11-0266-MJ.R1, arXiv:1110.2648

3) R.J. Smith; J. R. Lucey; D. Hammer; A. E. Hornschemeier; D. Carter; M. J. Hudson; R. O. Marzke; M. Mouhcine; S. Eftekharzadeh; P. A. James; H. G. Khosroshahi; E. Kourkchi and A. Karick, Ultraviolet tails and trails in cluster galaxies: a sample of candidate gaseous stripping events in Coma, 2010, MNRAS, 408, 1417

4) D. Hammer et al., The HST/ACS Coma Cluster Survey. II. Data Description and Source Catalogs, 2010, ApJS, 191, 143

5) S. Khosravi; R. Mansouri and E. Kourkchi, Modified Averaging Processes in Cosmology and the Structured FRW Model, 2009, IJMPD, 18, 1177

6) S. Khosravi; E. Kourkchi; R. Mansouri; Y. Akrami, An inhomogeneous model universe behaving homogeneously, 2008, GReGr, 40, 1047

Submitted Papers

1) S. Eftekharzadeh; E. Kourkchi; H. G. Khosroshahi; M. Muhcine; P. A. James and D. Carter, Deep H-alpha survey of the Coma Cluster: I. Data Catalogue, 2011, submitted to AJ

Papers In Preparation

1) E. Kourkchi; S. Eftekharzadeh; H. G. Khosroshahi; P. A. James; D. Carter and M. Muhcine, Deep H-alpha survey of the Coma Cluster: II. Luminosity Function, 2012

Conference Proceeding

1) E. Kourkchi; H G. Khosroshahi; D. Carter; K. Chiboucas and A. M. Karick, Dynamical and Photometric Properties of Dwarf Galaxies in Coma Cluster, Lyon: A Universe of Dwarf Galaxies, Editors: M. Koleva; Ph. Prugniel and I. Vauglin, 2011, EAS, 48, 307

2) A. M. Karick; E. Kourkchi; H G. Khosroshahi and D. Carter, The HST/ACS Coma Cluster Treasury Survey: The Nature of Dwarf Galaxies Deep in the Heart of Coma, Lyon: A Universe of Dwarf Galaxies, Editors: M. Koleva; Ph. Prugniel and I. Vauglin, 2011, EAS, 48, 295

Awards and Honors

• Awarded Research Fellowship, School of Astronomy, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), 2007-2011 — present.
• Full Grant Awarded from School of Astronomy (SoA), the Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), Iran, to visit the Astrophysics Research Institute (ARI), Liverpool John Moores University, UK, for three months.
• Awarded “Marie Curie Visiting Fellowship for Postgraduate Students” to visit Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris (IAP) for 4 months, 2008.
• Awarded Research Fellowship from French embassy to visit Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris (IAP) for one month, 2007.
• Full Grant Awarded to participate in Summer School in Cosmology, ICTP, Trieste, Italy, 21st July 2008 to 1st August, 2008.
• Full Grant Awarded to participate in XXIIIrd IAP Colloquium, Paris, France, July 2-6, 2007.
• Full Grant Awarded to visit Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune, India, July-December 2005.
• Full Grant Awarded to participate in High Performance Computing Workshop, IUCAA, Pune, October 5-9, 2004.
• Full Grant Awarded to visit Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune, India, July-December 2004.

 

Research Interests

• Multi-waveband Galaxy Surveys (X-ray, Optical, Near-IR, Infrared, Radio)
• Cosmic Evolution Surveys (Dark Energy and Dark Matter)
• Local and High Redshift Galaxies
• Galaxy Formation and Evolution (observation and theory)
• Galactic and Intergalactic Medium
• Imaging and Spectroscopy (observation, data reduction and data analysis), data mining and virtual observatory
• Transient Surveys
• Gravitational Lensing
• Large-scale Structures
• Minor interests: Gravity \& General Relativity, physics of the early-universe, theoretical and phenomenological aspects of dark universe, gravitational waves, CMB (data analysis and theory), 21 cm cosmology, and any other particular novel astronomical topic

 

Observation and Data reduction/analysis Experiences

• Measuring the internal velocity dispersions of dwarf galaxies from high resolution spectra (DEIMOS/KECK II)
• Measuring the Coma dwarf galaxies structural parameters from ACS/HST images
• Data Reduction (Multi-chip and Mosaiced Wide Field Images, Isaac Newton Telescope (INT-2.5 m)
• Deep H-alpha survey of Coma Cluster with INT-2.5 m
• Designing the automated data reduction/analysis pipelines
• Optical (imaging & spectroscopic) data reduction

*  Relevant experiences in Astronomy:  Optical Data Reduction, Astronomical Techniques, Spectral Data Analysis, Computational Astronomy, Photometry and Spectroscopy.

** Relevant experiences in Cosmology:  Theoretical Cosmology, Non-homogeneous Cosmological Models

Visits

• ARI (Astrophysics Research Institute, Liverpool John Moores University), Liverpool, UK, March-April, 2009, to work with Prof. David Carter on “Measuring the Velocity Dispersion of Dwarf Galaxies in the Centre of Coma Cluster”.
• IAP (Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris), Paris, France, June-July, 2007.
• IUCAA (Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics), Pune, India, July-December, 2005, to work on master thesis on “CMB Anisotropy and Polarization in Multiply Connected Universes” under the supervision of Prof. Tarun Souradeep.
• IUCAA (Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics), Pune, India, July-October, 2004, to work with Prof. Tarun Souradeep on “the Effects of Global Topology of the Universe on the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) Anisotropy”.

 

Schools, Conferences and Research Programs

1. IPM School and Workshop on Optical Data Reduction, (ODRW), Tehran, Iran, October 11-20, 2008. I was the tutor of the technical sessions in this workshop.
2. Summer School in Cosmology, 2008, ICTP, Trieste, Italy, 21st July 2008 to 1st August.
3. IPM International School on Weak Gravitational lensing (ISWLP08), Tehran, Iran, July 2-8, 2008.
4. IPM International School on Gravitational Lensing Techniques (ISGLT08 I and II), 2008, Tehran, Iran, November 24-29, 2007 and January 9-11, 2008.
5. XXIIIrd IAP Colloquium, “From Giant Arcs to CMB Lensing: 20 years of gravitational distortion” in Honor of Bernard Fort, Paris, France, July 2-6, 2007.
6. IPM International Cosmology School and Workshop (ICSW07), Tehran, Iran, June 2-9, 2007.
7. IPM School on Cosmology, Qeshm Island, Iran, January 16-24, 2005.
8. High Performance Computing Workshop, IUCAA, Pune, October 5-9, 2004.
9. The International Virtual Observatory Alliance (IVOA), IUCAA, Pune, September 30 – October 1, 2004.
10. IASBS Physics Winter School on Particle Physics, Zanjan, Iran, Winter 2003.

 

Computer Skills

• High Level Programming Languages: C, C++, FORTRAN (90-77) and Object-Oriented Programming (professional)
• Script programming: csh, sh, bash (professional); perl, python (semi-professional); Query programming (professional)
• High Performance Computing and Parallel Programming techniques, such as MPI and OpenMP (semi-Professional)
• IDL: Programing, Data analysis, Graphical User Interface (professional)
• Image Reduction and Analysis Facility (IRAF) (professional); photometry and spectroscopy
• Image reduction tools: TERAPIX tools (e.g. SCAMP, SWARP, SExtractor, Missfits); THELI pipeline (professional)
• Astronomical data analysis soft wares: galfit, gim2d, pPXF, GAIA (Graphical Astronomy and Image analysis tool); Tinytim (professional), MIDAS (non-professional)
• MATLAB (professional); Maple and Mathematica (semi-Professional)
• AUTOCAD (professional); SIMULINK (for Simulation of Dynamical Systems)  (non-professional)
• LABVIEW (Laboratory Virtual Instrument Engineering Workbench (non-professional)
• Operating Systems: MS Windows; Linux – all distributions; MAC-OS (e.g. Leopard, Lion) (professional)
• Web Design Languages: HTML