About

Joaquin Daniel Vieira is a professor at the University of Illinois with appointments in Astronomy, Physics, and the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA). He is an observational cosmologist whose research spans the electromagnetic spectrum. His scientific interests focus on galaxy evolution and structure formation at high redshift, the star formation history of the Universe, the epoch of reionization, and the cosmic microwave background. Professor Vieira builds experiments, conducts cosmological surveys, and performs follow-up observations of distant galaxies. He works with data from major observatories and instruments including the South Pole Telescope (SPT), Dark Energy Survey (DES), Herschel, Hubble, Spitzer, Chandra, and ALMA. Currently, he is involved in developing future millimeter and sub-millimeter facilities and studies the cosmic evolution of dust and ionized carbon. Professor Vieira earned his Ph.D. in Physics from The University of Chicago in 2009, following an M.S. in Physics from the same institution in 2005, and a B.S. in Astrophysics from The University of California, Los Angeles in 2002. His work has been recognized with several honors including the Antarctic Service Medal of the United States of America in 2011, fellowships at the Center for Advanced Studies and Beckman in 2015-16, a National Center for Supercomputing Applications Fellowship in 2015, and a Sloan Research Fellowship in 2017. He is also noted for his excellence in teaching astronomy courses at the University of Illinois.

Research topics

• Astrophysics
• Physics
• Astronomy
• Particle physics
• Quantum mechanics
• Optics
• Statistics

Selected publications

• SPT-3G D1: CMB temperature and polarization power spectra and cosmology from 2019 and 2020 observations of the SPT-3G main field

  Physical review. D/Physical review. D. · 2026-01-05 · 10 citations

  preprintOpen access

  Plenary talk presented at the XXI International Workshop on Neutrino Telescopes - Padova 29 September - 3 October 2025 (https://agenda.infn.it/event/44606/)

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Bright [C <scp>II</scp> ]158 <i>μ</i> m Streamers as a Beacon for Giant Galaxy Formation in SPT2349-56 at <i>z</i> = 4.3

  The Astrophysical Journal · 2026-02-10 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Observations of extreme starbursts, often located in the cores of protoclusters, challenge the classical bottom-up galaxy formation paradigm. Giant elliptical galaxies at z = 0 must have assembled rapidly, possibly within few 100 Myr through an extreme growth phase at high-redshift, characterized by elevated star formation rates of several thousand solar masses per year distributed over concurrent, gas-rich mergers. We present a novel view of the z = 4.3 protocluster core SPT2349–56 from sensitive multicycle Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array dust continuum and [C ii ]158 μ m line observations. Distributed across 60 kpc, a highly structured gas reservoir with a line luminosity of L [C II] = 3.0 ± 0.2 × 10 9 L ⊙ and an inferred cold gas mass of M gas = 8.9 ± 0.7 × 10 9 M ⊙ is found surrounding the central massive galaxy triplet. Like “beads on a string,” the newly discovered [C ii ] streamers fragment into a few kiloparsec-spaced and turbulent clumps that have a similar column density as local Universe spiral galaxy arms at Σ gas = 20–60 M ⊙ pc −2 . For a dust temperature of 30 K, the [C ii ] emission from the ejected clumps carries ≳3% of the far-IR luminosity, translating into an exceptionally low mass-to-light ratio of α [CII] = 2.95 ± 0.3 M ⊙ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:msubsup> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>L</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo>⊙</mml:mo> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo>−</mml:mo> <mml:mn>1</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msubsup> </mml:math> , indicative of shock-heated molecular gas. In phase space, about half of the galaxies in the protocluster core populate the same caustic as the [C ii ] streamers ( r / r vir × ∣Δ v ∣/ σ vir ≈ 0.1), suggesting angular momentum dissipation via tidal ejection while the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) is assembling. Our findings provide new evidence for the importance of tidal ejections of [C ii ]-bright, shocked material following multiple major mergers that might represent a landmark phase in the z ≳ 4 coevolution of BCGs with their hot, metal enriched atmospheres.

  PublisherDOI

• Towards constraining cosmological parameters with SPT-3G observations of 25% of the sky

  ArXiv.org · 2025-10-28

  articleOpen access

  International audience

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• A Large Molecular Gas Reservoir in the Protocluster SPT2349−56 at <i>z</i> = 4.3

  The Astrophysical Journal Letters · 2025-03-17 · 6 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract We present Atacama Compact Array (ACA) Band-3 observations of the protocluster SPT2349−56, an extreme system hosting &gt;10 ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs; L IR ≳ 10 12 L ⊙ ) in a 200 kpc diameter region at z = 4.3, to study its integrated molecular gas content via CO(4–3) and the long-wavelength dust continuum. The ∼30 hr integration represents one of the longest exposures yet taken on a single pointing with the ACA 7 m. The low-resolution ACA data (21 <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:mover> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo>.</mml:mo> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mtext>″</mml:mtext> </mml:mrow> </mml:mover> </mml:math> 0 × 12 <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:mover> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo>.</mml:mo> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mtext>″</mml:mtext> </mml:mrow> </mml:mover> </mml:math> 2) reveal a 75% excess CO(4–3) flux compared to the sum of individual sources detected in higher-resolution Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) data (1 <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:mover> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo>.</mml:mo> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mtext>″</mml:mtext> </mml:mrow> </mml:mover> </mml:math> 0 × 0 <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:mover> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo>.</mml:mo> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mtext>″</mml:mtext> </mml:mrow> </mml:mover> </mml:math> 8). Our work also reveals a similar result by tapering the ALMA data to 10″. In contrast, the 3.2 mm dust continuum shows little discrepancy between ACA and ALMA. A single-dish [C ii ] spectrum obtained by APEX/FLASH supports the ACA CO(4–3) result, revealing a large excess in [C ii ] emission relative to ALMA. The missing flux is unlikely due to undetected faint sources but instead suggests that high-resolution ALMA observations might miss extended and low-surface-brightness gas. Such emission could originate from the circumgalactic medium or the preheated protointracluster medium (proto-ICM). If this molecular gas reservoir replenishes the star formation fuel, the overall depletion timescale will exceed 400 Myr, reducing the requirement for the simultaneous ULIRG activity in SPT2349−56. Our results highlight the role of an extended gas reservoir in sustaining a high star formation rate in SPT2349−56 and potentially establishing the ICM during the transition phase to a mature cluster.

  PublisherDOI

• Evidence for Environmental Effects in the <i>z</i> = 4.3 Protocluster Core SPT2349–56

  The Astrophysical Journal Letters · 2025-04-04 · 5 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array observations of the [C I ] 492 and 806 GHz fine-structure lines in 25 dusty star-forming galaxies (DSFGs) at z = 4.3 in the core of the SPT2349–56 protocluster. The protocluster galaxies exhibit a median <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:msubsup> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>L</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo stretchy="false">[</mml:mo> <mml:mspace width="0.1em"/> <mml:mtext>C</mml:mtext> <mml:mspace width="0.1em"/> <mml:mi mathsize="small" mathvariant="normal">I</mml:mi> <mml:mo stretchy="false">]</mml:mo> <mml:mo stretchy="false">(</mml:mo> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> <mml:mo>−</mml:mo> <mml:mn>1</mml:mn> <mml:mo stretchy="false">)</mml:mo> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>′</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> </mml:msubsup> <mml:mo>/</mml:mo> <mml:msubsup> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>L</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo stretchy="false">[</mml:mo> <mml:mspace width="0.1em"/> <mml:mtext>C</mml:mtext> <mml:mspace width="0.1em"/> <mml:mi mathsize="small" mathvariant="normal">I</mml:mi> <mml:mo stretchy="false">]</mml:mo> <mml:mo stretchy="false">(</mml:mo> <mml:mn>1</mml:mn> <mml:mo>−</mml:mo> <mml:mn>0</mml:mn> <mml:mo stretchy="false">)</mml:mo> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>′</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> </mml:msubsup> </mml:math> ratio of 0.94, with an interquartile range of 0.81–1.24. These ratios are markedly different to those observed in DSFGs in the field (across a comparable redshift and 850 μ m flux density range), where the median is 0.55, with an interquartile range of 0.50–0.76, and we show that this difference is driven by an excess of [C i ](2–1) in the protocluster galaxies for a given 850 μ m flux density. Assuming local thermal equilibrium, we estimate gas excitation temperatures of <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:msub> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>T</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi mathvariant="normal">ex</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> </mml:msub> <mml:mo>=</mml:mo> <mml:mn>59</mml:mn> <mml:mo>.</mml:mo> <mml:msubsup> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>1</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo>−</mml:mo> <mml:mn>6.8</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo>+</mml:mo> <mml:mn>8.1</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msubsup> <mml:mspace width="0.25em"/> </mml:math> K for our protocluster sample and <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:msub> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>T</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi mathvariant="normal">ex</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> </mml:msub> <mml:mo>=</mml:mo> <mml:mn>33</mml:mn> <mml:mo>.</mml:mo> <mml:msubsup> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>9</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo>−</mml:mo> <mml:mn>2.2</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo>+</mml:mo> <mml:mn>2.4</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msubsup> <mml:mspace width="0.25em"/> </mml:math> K for the field sample. Our main interpretation of this result is that the protocluster galaxies have had their cold gas driven to their cores via close-by interactions within the dense environment, leading to an overall increase in the average gas density and excitation temperature, as well as an elevated [C i ](2–1) luminosity-to-far-infrared-luminosity ratio.

  PublisherDOI

• Constraints on Inflationary Gravitational Waves with Two Years of SPT-3G Data

  ArXiv.org · 2025-05-05

  preprintOpen access

  We present a measurement of the $B$-mode polarization power spectrum of the cosmic microwave background anisotropies at 32 $\le$ $\ell$ $&lt;$ 502 for three bands centered at 95, 150, and 220 GHz using data from the SPT-3G receiver on the South Pole Telescope. This work uses SPT-3G observations from the 2019 and 2020 winter observing seasons of a $\sim$1500 deg$^2$ patch of sky that directly overlaps with fields observed with the BICEP/Keck family of telescopes, and covers part of the proposed Simons Observatory and CMB-S4 deep fields. Employing new techniques for mitigating polarized atmospheric noise, the SPT-3G data demonstrates a white noise level of 9.3 (6.7) $μ$K-arcmin at $\ell \sim 500$ for the 95 GHz (150 GHz) data, with a $1/\ell$ noise knee at $\ell$=128 (182). We fit the observed six auto- and cross-frequency $B$-mode power spectra to a model including lensed $Λ$CDM $B$-modes and a combination of Galactic and extragalactic foregrounds. This work characterizes foregrounds in the vicinity of the BICEP/Keck survey area, finding foreground power consistent with that reported by the BICEP/Keck collaboration within the same region, and a factor of $\sim$ 3 higher power over the full SPT-3G survey area. Using SPT-3G data over the BICEP/Keck survey area, we place a 95% upper limit on the tensor-to-scalar ratio of $r &lt; 0.25$ and find the statistical uncertainty on $r$ to be $σ(r) = 0.067$.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A large thermal energy reservoir in the nascent intracluster medium at a redshift of 4.3

  Nature · 2025-07-25 · 2 citations

  preprintOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Pointing Accuracy Improvements for the South Pole Telescope with Machine Learning

  Journal of Astronomical Instrumentation · 2025-05-09 · 1 citations

  article

  In this paper, we present improvements to the pointing accuracy of the South Pole Telescope (SPT) using machine learning. The ability of the SPT to point accurately at the sky is limited by its structural imperfections, which are impacted by the extreme weather at the South Pole. Pointing accuracy is particularly important during SPT participation in observing campaigns with the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), which requires stricter accuracy than typical observations with the SPT. We compile a training dataset of historical observations of astronomical sources made with the SPT-3G and EHT receivers on the SPT. We train two XGBoost models to learn a mapping from current weather conditions to two telescope drive control arguments — one which corrects for errors in azimuth and the other for errors in elevation. Our trained models achieve root mean squared errors on withheld test data of 2[Formula: see text]14 in cross-elevation and 3[Formula: see text]57 in elevation, well below our goal of 5[Formula: see text] along each axis. We deploy our models on the telescope control system and perform further in situ test observations during the EHT observing campaign in April 2024. Our models result in significantly improved pointing accuracy: for sources within the range of input variables where the models are best trained, average combined pointing error improved 33%, from 15[Formula: see text]9 to 10[Formula: see text]6. These improvements, while significant, fall shy of our ultimate goal, but they serve as a proof of concept for the development of future models. Planned upgrades to the EHT receiver on the SPT will necessitate even stricter pointing accuracy which will be achievable with our methods.

  PublisherDOI

• Detection of Thermal Emission at Millimeter Wavelengths from Low-Earth Orbit Satellites

  The Open Journal of Astrophysics · 2025-05-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  The detection of satellite thermal emission at millimeter wavelengths is presented using data from the 3rd-Generation receiver on the South Pole Telescope (SPT-3G). This represents the first reported detection of thermal emission from artificial satellites at millimeter wavelengths. Satellite thermal emission is shown to be detectable at high signal-to-noise on timescales as short as a few tens of milliseconds. An algorithm for downloading orbital information and tracking known satellites given observer constraints and time-ordered observatory pointing is described. Consequences for cosmological surveys and short-duration transient searches are discussed, revealing that the integrated thermal emission from all large satellites does not contribute significantly to the SPT-3G survey intensity map. Measured satellite positions are found to be discrepant from their two-line element (TLE) derived ephemerides up to several arcminutes which may present a difficulty in cross-checking or masking satellites from short-duration transient searches.

  PublisherDOI

• Brightest Cluster Galaxy Formation in the z = 4.3 Protocluster SPT 2349-56: Discovery of a Radio-loud Active Galactic Nucleus

  The Astrophysical Journal · 2024-01-01 · 17 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract We have observed the z = 4.3 protocluster SPT2349−56 with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) with the aim of detecting radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGNs) among the ∼30 submillimeter (submm) galaxies (SMGs) identified in the structure. We detect the central complex of submm sources at 2.2 GHz with a luminosity of L 2.2 = (4.42 ± 0.56) × 10 25 W Hz −1 . MeerKAT and the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder also detect the source at 816 MHz and 888 MHz, respectively, constraining the radio spectral index to α = −1.45 ± 0.16, implying L 1.4,rest = (2.2 ± 0.2) × 10 26 W Hz −1 . The radio observations do not have sufficient spatial resolution to uniquely identify one of the three Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) galaxies as the AGN, however the ALMA source properties themselves suggest a likely host. This radio luminosity is ∼100× higher than expected from star formation, assuming the usual far-infrared–radio correlation, indicating an AGN driven by a forming brightest cluster galaxy. None of the SMGs in SPT2349−56 show signs of AGNs in any other diagnostics available to us, highlighting the radio continuum as a powerful probe of obscured AGNs. We compare these results to field samples of radio sources and SMGs, along with the 22 gravitationally lensed SPT-SMGs also observed in the ATCA program, as well as powerful radio galaxies at high redshifts. The (3.3 ± 0.7) × 10 38 W of power from the radio-loud AGN sustained over 100 Myr is comparable to the binding energy of the gas mass of the central halo, and similar to the instantaneous energy injection from supernova feedback from the SMGs in the core region. The SPT2349−56 radio-loud AGNs may be providing strong feedback on a nascent intracluster medium.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• Collaborative Research: Exploring Galaxy Evolution at High Resolution with Gravitational Lensing and ALMA

  NSF · $335k · 2017–2021

Frequent coauthors

• J. E. Carlstrom

  358 shared

• C. L. Chang

  Argonne National Laboratory

  341 shared

• B. A. Benson

  Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy

  336 shared

• K. K. Schaffer

  University of Chicago

  300 shared

• S. S. Meyer

  270 shared

• L. E. Bleem

  University of Chicago

  268 shared

• J. J. Mohr

  262 shared

• M. Dobbs

  Canadian Institute for Advanced Research

  243 shared

Education

• PhD, Physics

  The University of Chicago

  2009

Awards & honors

• Antarctic Service Medal of the United States of America (201…
• Center for Advanced Studies Fellow and Beckman Fellow (2015-…
• National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) Fello…
• Sloan Research Fellowship (2017)