Risa's publications (ADS)

All GFC Group Publications

selected publications

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Dark energy | Dark matter | Structure formation | Galaxy formation | Galaxy-halo connection | Dwarf galaxies | Milky Way Structure | Simulations | Analysis Tools | AI/ML | ​Surveys 

Dark energy and cosmology

• Dark Energy Survey Year 3 Results: Cosmological Constraints from Cluster Abundances, Weak Lensing and Galaxy Clustering Abbott and the DES Collaboration
• DESI 2024 VII: Cosmological constraints from the full-shape modeling of clustering measurements DESI Collaboration 2024
• Dark Energy Survey Year 1 Results: Cosmological Constraints from Cluster Abundances, Weak Lensing, and Galaxy Correlations To, Krause, Rozo, Wu, Gruen, Wechsler et al 2021
• DES Y1 Results: Validating cosmological parameter estimation using simulated Dark Energy Surveys MacCrann, DeRose, Wechsler et al 2018
• Cosmological Constraints from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey maxBCG Cluster Catalog Rozo et al 2010

Dark matter

• Milky Way Satellite Census IV. Constraints of Decaying Dark Matter from Observations of Milky Way Satellite Galaxies Mau et al 2022
• Report of the Topical Group on Cosmic Probes of Dark Matter for Snowmass 2021 Drlica-Wagner et al 2022
• Constraints on Dark Matter Properties from Observations of Milky Way Satellite Galaxies Nadler et al 2021
• Searching for Dark Matter Annihilation in Recently Discovered Milky Way Satellites with Fermi-LAT Albert et al 2017
• Halo-to-halo Similarity and Scatter in the Velocity Distribution of Dark Matter Mao, Strigari, Wechsler et al 2013

Structure formation and galaxy clustering

• How Do Uncertainties in Galaxy Formation Physics Impact Field-level Galaxy Bias Shiferaw, Kokron, Wechsler 2025
• ​The Dependence of Halo Clustering on Halo Formation History, Concentration, and Occupation Wechsler et al 2006
• Modeling Luminosity-dependent Galaxy Clustering through Cosmic Time Conroy, Wechsler, & Kravtsov 2006
• The Physics of Galaxy Clustering. I. A Model for Subhalo Populations Zentner et al 2005
• Concentrations of Dark Halos from Their Assembly Histories Wechsler et al 2002

Galaxy formation

• The Pandora project --II. How non-thermal physics drives bursty star formation and temperate mass-loaded outflows in dwarf galaxies Martin-Alvarez et al 2026
• Dwarf Galaxies at Cosmic Noon: New JWST Constraints on Satellite Models and Subhalo Tidal Evolution  Wan et al 2025
• Unraveling emission line galaxy conformity at z~1 with DESI early data Yuan, Wechsler et al 2025
• The Average Star Formation Histories of Galaxies in Dark Matter Halos from z = 0-8 Behroozi, Wechsler & Conroy 2013
• On the Lack of Evolution in Galaxy Star Formation Efficiency Behroozi, Wechsler, Conroy 2013

Galaxy-halo connection

• Universe Machine: The Correlation between Galaxy Growth and Dark Matter Halo Assembly from z=0-10  Behroozi, Wechsler et al 2019
• The Connection between Galaxies and their Dark Matter Halos Wechsler & Tinker 2018
• Connecting Galaxies, Halos, and Star Formation Rates Across Cosmic Time Conroy & Wechsler 2009
• The Dark Side of the Halo Occupation Distribution Kravtsov, Berlind, Wechsler et al 2004
• Galaxy halo occupation at high redshift Bullock, Wechsler, & Somerville 2002

Dwarf galaxies

• SAGAbg III. Environmental Stellar Mass Functions, Self-quenching, and the Stellar-to-halo Mass Relation in the Dwarf Galaxy Regime Kado-Fong et al 2025
• A DECADE of dwarfs: first detection of weak lensing around spectroscopically confirmed low-mass galaxies To et al 2025
• Dwarf galaxy halo masses from spectroscopic and photometric lensing in DESI and DES Treiber, Amon, Wechsler et al 2025
• The SAGA Survey. III. A Census of 101 Satellite Systems around Milky Way-mass Galaxies Mao et al 2024
• Target Selection and Sample Characterization for the DESI Low-Z Secondary Target Program Darragh-Ford et al 2023

Milky Way structure 

• Shaping the Milky Way II. The dark matter halo's response to the LMC's passage in a cosmological context Darragh-Ford et al 2025
• The Cocytos Stream: A Disrupted Globular from our Last Major Merger? Aganze, Chandra, Wechsler et al 2025
• The Backup Program of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument's Milky Way Survey Dey et al 2025
• Eight Ultra-faint Galaxy Candidates Discovered in Year Two of the Dark Energy Survey Drlica-Wagner & the Dark Energy Survey 2015

Simulations 

• Milky Way-est: Cosmological Zoom-in Simulations with Large Magellanic Cloud and Gaia–Sausage–Enceladus Analogs Buch, Nadler, Wechsler, Mao 2024
• Buzzard to Cardinal: Improved Mock Catalogs for Large Galaxy Surveys To, DeRose, Wechsler et al 2024
• Symphony: Cosmological Zoom-in Simulation Suites over Four Decades of Host Halo Mass Nadler, Mansfield et al 2023 
• The Buzzard Flock: Dark Energy Survey Synthetic Catalogs DeRose, Wechsler et al 2019
• The Aemulus Project I: Numerical Simulations for Precision Cosmology DeRose, Wechsler et al 2019

Analysis tools

• SYMFIND: Addressing the Fragility of Subhalo Finders and Revealing the Durability of Subhalo Mansfield, Darragh-Ford, Wang et al 2024
• The ROCKSTAR Phase-space Temporal Halo Finder and the Velocity Offsets of Cluster Cores Behroozi, Wechsler, & Wu 2013
• Gravitationally Consistent Halo Catalogs and Merger Trees for Precision Cosmology Behroozi, Wechsler et al 2013

AI/ML

• ReplicationBench: Can AI Agents Replicate Astrophysics Research papers? Ye, Yuan, Cooray et al 2025
• The Future of Artificial Intelligence and the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (AI+MPS) Ferguson et al 2025
• A Strong Gravitational Lens is worth a thousand dark matter halos: Inference on Small-scale structure using sequential methods Wagner-Carena et al 2024
• Insights into the origin of halo mass profiles from machine learning Lucie-Smith, Adhikari, Wechsler 2022

Surveys

• The DECam Local Volume Exploration Survey: Overview and First Data Release Drlica-Wagner 2021
• Overview of the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys Day et al 2019
• The Dark Energy Survey: Data Release 1 The Dark Energy Survey Collaboration 2018
• The SAGA Survey: I. Satellite Galaxy Populations Around Eight Milky Way Analogs Geha, Wechsler et al 2017
• The DESI Experiment Part I; Science, Targeting, and Survey Design The DESI Collaboration 2016
• CANDELS: The Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey Grogin and the CANDELS Collaboration 2011​
• LSST Science Book LSST Science Collaboration 2009

selected talks (for expert audiences)

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• Unveiling the Nature of Dark Matter with Small-Scale Structure Physics Colloquium, UC Berkeley, October 2025
• Kavli Lecture, KICC, Cambridge, UK, June 2025
• Connecting light and dark across time and space IoA 50th Anniversary July 2024
• A Universe of Data Challenges Women in Data Science March 2018
• Modeling the Sky in the 2020s Astronomy in the 2020s STScI Workshop June 2017
• Probing the Dark Universe with Galaxy Surveys Caltech Physics Research Conference June 2017
• The Galaxy-Halo Connection KITP Blackboard Lunch May 2017
• Probing the Dark Universe with Galaxy Surveys, Pappalardo Distinguished Lecture @ MIT, October 2016
• Newly Discovered Satellites in the Milky Way and Beyond UC-HiPACC Workshop August 2015 
• Simulating Large Cosmological Surveys STScI Mocking the Universe Workshop, July 2015
• Progress and Outstanding questions in the galaxy-halo connection UC-HiPACC, August 2013
• The Velocity Structure of Dark Matter Halos and the Cosmological Context of the Milky Way KITP May 2013
• Simulating the Sky UC-HiPACC AstroInformatics Summer School, August 2012
• The Galaxy Halo Connection Across Mass and Time STSCI Colloquium, May 2012
• First Galaxies and Faint Dwarfs KITP February 2012
• Dark Matter Properties and Galaxy Properties STScI Science Symposium on Dark Matter, May 2011
• Simulation Challenges in the Era of Surveys of 10 Billion Galaxies, December 2010
• Understanding Dark Matter: Clues from the Formation of Structure Kavli Frontiers of Science, November 2009
• Connecting Galaxies, Halos, and Star Formation Rates across Cosmic Time SETI Colloquium, August 2009

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