The standard cosmological model needs to be tested against cosmological observations to check its validity and to determine the values of its parameters. This project makes use of different cosmological observations in which the members of the research team are involved for this purpose. 

On the one hand, we are working on large mappings of galaxies and quasars that provide precise measurements of the redshift in large volumes of the Universe. These catalogues are both photometric (J-PAS) and spectroscopic (DESI). These are major international projects, which will measure very precisely the characteristics of baryonic acoustic oscillations, a fundamental tool for understanding the nature of dark energy, a basic component of the standard cosmological model. 

On the other hand, we use the phenomenon of gravitational lensing, through observations from different telescopes (GTC, LBT), to study also the properties of dark energy through time delays of multiple images of gravitationally lensed quasars. 

In addition, and in a more local setting, our team will continue to work on the study and characterisation of the populations of massive stars in the Galaxy. This will continue with the exploitation of scientific data from the IPHAS photometric mapping, and with the development and exploitation of the VPHAS+ southern hemisphere analogue mapping. 

Finally, we will carry out microlensing studies on nearby stars, with the aim of detecting Earth-type exoplanets, determining their abundance and characterising the percentage of those located in the region known as the habitability zone.

Other research and experimental development on natural sciences and engineering