Arianna Dwomoh '24 - Research with Duke Cosmology Group

Over the summer, I conducted a 12-week research project with the Duke Cosmology Group. I specifically worked with Erik Peterson, a PhD candidate, and Dr. Dan Scolnic, to evaluate supernova 'siblings', which are supernovae within the same galaxy. A supernova is an extremely bright explosion which generally explodes the same way each time. We can use these bursts of light (which we deem 'standardizable candles') to measure distance and trace the expansion history of our universe. My project will be the first analysis of supernova siblings using near-infrared (NIR) data.  I hope to publish a first-author paper within the coming months!

In addition to participating in such a wonderful project, I also enjoyed being on campus (and at home) for most of the summer. I had the opportunity to connect with the graduate students and post docs on a much deeper level and gain insight into what graduate school may look like for me! I am extremely grateful to the amazing people that I interacted with and to the SPIRE program for its support throughout the summer.