Links & Things

Here I share some links to media work, science outputs, and a few random extras. You can also find me tweeting (mainly, but not exclusively, about science) at the handle @Tessa_M_Baker.

Media and Outreach work

Here's a few things I've been up to recently:

Science Materials & Lecture Notes

As part of my research I often produce materials that aren't themselves scientific papers per se. These might be plots, slides from a talk I gave, lecture material or a set of notes. And just occasionally someone else wants to use these, and asks me "How can I cite you?"

I've put some of those materials here, to act a reference point for those occasions. You are welcome to use the materials here: if you do so, please a) cite this webpage, and b) if there is a related paper, cite that too (I'll state below if there is one). It's also really appreciated if you can drop me a quick email (see contact details on landing page of this site) so that I know how far these items have travelled! Thanks :)

The Gravity Landscape

A slide I made a few years back that aims to represent different the 'landscape' of modified gravity theories, showing it's leading families and prominent members. It's certainly not complete, and is somewhat biased towards cosmological gravity theories. Note that since I made this, some of these theories have been strongly constrained by observations, e.g. this paper following the binary neutron star merger GW170817.

Where have we tested gravity?

Two companion plots showing how strong-field, Solar System and cosmological tests of gravity can be framed on a single set of axes. The first plot shows the astrophysical systems themselves, and the second plot indicates the regions probed by experiments.

These plots are published, so please cite this paper, arXiv 1412.3455. You can find all the gory details explaining the plots there, too.

SIGRAV Lectures on Cosmology Beyond General Relativity

In February 2020 I gave a course of eight lectures on `Cosmology Beyond General Relativity' at the SIGRAV International School in Vietri sul Mare, Italy. There's some accompanying material in this GitHub repo.

Introduction to Weak Gravitational Lensing

Some notes for two lectures on weak gravitational lensing, given in spring 2017 in the Oxford MMathPhys cosmology module. CMB lensing is also touched upon briefly.

Notes on Horndeski Gravity

Some notes on the key equations on Horndeski gravity. Much of the material is drawn from this paper by E. Bellini & I. Sawicki, this paper by J. Gleyzes et al. and this DESC Collaboration article, so please include a citation to them also if you use these. Typos and slips are always possible, so caveat emptor!

Links etc.

Coeliac Disease

I was diagnosed with coeliac disease in my twenties. Coeliac disease (celiac disease in US parlance) is an autoimmune condition that causes damage to the digestive system, with serious implications for long-term health. The trigger for these automimmune responses is weirdly specific -- it is gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, rye and some other grains. There is no cure for coeliac disease, though there is a single, effective treatment: to remove gluten completely from the diet. You can find out more about coeliac disease on the website of the Coeliac UK charity.
Gluten is ubiquitous in a western diet, so avoiding it entirely is no easy task. In my experience, the greatest challenge is eating outside of the home, particularly whilst travelling abroad. Here are some of my favourite places for gluten-free food in London:

  • Indigo: If you're after the full fine-dining experience but gluten-free, Indigo at the One Aldwych Hotel is a must. It's not cheap, but worth it (and centrally located too). Reguar gluten-eaters won't notice the difference.
  • Borough 22: gluten-free doughnuts! Available for delivery too.
  • Niche: Classic bistro food, particularly handy for the Sadler's Wells theatre.
  • Lola's Cupcakes: My recommendation if you need to order an allergen-friendly celebration cake (note Lola's isn't a 100% gf franchise).