Astrophysics and Cosmology Research within the JBCA 2017-2020
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Manchester
Department Name: Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
This grant supports the research of the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics at the University of Manchester. Our research is a divided into 3 groups. There are too many specific proposals to describe in detail, do below we have given a brief layman's explanation of the work being carried out by the three groups.
Cosmology: This is the study of the Universe as a whole. The main aim is to understand the processes by which the large scale feature of the Universe formed and to constrain the various different kinds of matter that existed within it. These include dark matter and dark energy which are thought to constitute more than 95% of the total. We do this by comparison to observations of weak and strong gravitational lensing which is the distortion of light predicted to be caused by massive objects in Einstein' Theory of General Relativity, the cosmic microwave background which is the faint emission of radiation created at the time when protons and electrons come together to form hydrogen and the emission given off by neutral hydrogen atoms in galaxies. The research we propose here involves both theory and observation as well as the development of the technology necessary to make the observations possible.
Sun, Stars and Galaxies: The researchers in this group study a wide range of astrophysical processes that are reasonable for the formation and evolution of the objects in the name of the group. Specific key areas that the group is interested in are the formation of stars much larger than the Sun and the subsequent evolution, the properties of the so-called interstellar medium (ISM) which comprises molecules not bound to stars and the magnetic fields that permeate space.
Pulsars and Time Domain Astrophysics: The focus of this group is astrophysical signatures that are change with time: things which come on and off, often with some kind of regularity. These include Pulsars which are non-standard star time, known as a neutron star, which is a dead star supported by the quantum pressure of neutrons. The radio emission from these objects pulses on an off with extraordinary regularity allowing them to acts cosmic clocks. The constantly measuring these clocks as the neutron stars spin and move through space, often impacted on by a companion star, allows the most precise constraints on the nature of gravity outside the solar system. Other phenomena studied by this group include Nova explosions, other variable stars, and variability induced by the lensing effects of one star passing in front of another, called microlensing.
Cosmology: This is the study of the Universe as a whole. The main aim is to understand the processes by which the large scale feature of the Universe formed and to constrain the various different kinds of matter that existed within it. These include dark matter and dark energy which are thought to constitute more than 95% of the total. We do this by comparison to observations of weak and strong gravitational lensing which is the distortion of light predicted to be caused by massive objects in Einstein' Theory of General Relativity, the cosmic microwave background which is the faint emission of radiation created at the time when protons and electrons come together to form hydrogen and the emission given off by neutral hydrogen atoms in galaxies. The research we propose here involves both theory and observation as well as the development of the technology necessary to make the observations possible.
Sun, Stars and Galaxies: The researchers in this group study a wide range of astrophysical processes that are reasonable for the formation and evolution of the objects in the name of the group. Specific key areas that the group is interested in are the formation of stars much larger than the Sun and the subsequent evolution, the properties of the so-called interstellar medium (ISM) which comprises molecules not bound to stars and the magnetic fields that permeate space.
Pulsars and Time Domain Astrophysics: The focus of this group is astrophysical signatures that are change with time: things which come on and off, often with some kind of regularity. These include Pulsars which are non-standard star time, known as a neutron star, which is a dead star supported by the quantum pressure of neutrons. The radio emission from these objects pulses on an off with extraordinary regularity allowing them to acts cosmic clocks. The constantly measuring these clocks as the neutron stars spin and move through space, often impacted on by a companion star, allows the most precise constraints on the nature of gravity outside the solar system. Other phenomena studied by this group include Nova explosions, other variable stars, and variability induced by the lensing effects of one star passing in front of another, called microlensing.
Planned Impact
The range of research we undertake and the world-class facilities within and in close association with JBCA (the Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre, e-MERLIN, the Lovell Telescope, the ALMA ARC and the SKA HQ) will provide key pathways to increasing our already strong impact on UK and global industry, the next generation of scientists and engineers, and the general public. The University's investment in the Jodrell Bank site combined with significant external funding (e.g. from Heritage Lottery Fund) will enable us to expand its use as an iconic venue for public and industrial engagement. The programme described here formed a key part of the School's submission for REF2014, helping it to be ranked highest in the REF for physics impact with 83% at 4* and 17% at 3*. Our outreach \& public engagement programme is extremely strong and continues to grow, particularly through its work with the University's award-winning Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre and the BBC. With the recent decision on SKA HQ location and our strong research work in this area, there is also growing impact in both outreach and industrial engagement in this area.
Our "Pathways to Impact" statement in the case for support outlines things that we have done in recent times under the headings of "Outreach and Public Engagement" and "Industrial and economic impact". We list some highlights below.
- Jodcast: Podcast run by students with 7000 regular listeners.
- 230000 Twitter followers
- Stargazing live
- JB Discovery centre with 150000 visitors per year
- Award winning "Live from Jodrell Bank" rock concerts
- Industry contracts for SKA work including CISCO, AASL, NPL, GEANT
- Newton programme for Radio Astronomy in Africa.
Our "Pathways to Impact" statement in the case for support outlines things that we have done in recent times under the headings of "Outreach and Public Engagement" and "Industrial and economic impact". We list some highlights below.
- Jodcast: Podcast run by students with 7000 regular listeners.
- 230000 Twitter followers
- Stargazing live
- JB Discovery centre with 150000 visitors per year
- Award winning "Live from Jodrell Bank" rock concerts
- Industry contracts for SKA work including CISCO, AASL, NPL, GEANT
- Newton programme for Radio Astronomy in Africa.
Organisations
Publications
Fragkou V
(2019)
A high-mass planetary nebula in a Galactic open cluster
in Nature Astronomy
Freire P
(2017)
Long-term observations of the pulsars in 47 Tucanae - II. Proper motions, accelerations and jerks
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Frusciante N
(2020)
Growth of non-linear structures and spherical collapse in the Galileon Ghost Condensate model
in Physics of the Dark Universe
Fuentes J
(2017)
The glitch activity of neutron stars
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Fuentes J
(2018)
The glitch activity of neutron stars (Corrigendum)
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Gesicki K
(2018)
The mysterious age invariance of the planetary nebula luminosity function bright cut-off
in Nature Astronomy
Geyer M
(2017)
Scattering analysis of LOFAR pulsar observations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ginsburg A
(2017)
Thermal Feedback in the High-mass Star- and Cluster-forming Region W51
in The Astrophysical Journal
Goldman S
(2019)
Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars in the Nearby Dwarf Galaxy Leo P
Goldman S
(2018)
A dearth of OH/IR stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Goldman S
(2019)
An Infrared Census of DUST in Nearby Galaxies with Spitzer (DUSTiNGS). V. The Period-Luminosity Relation for Dusty Metal-poor AGB Stars
in The Astrophysical Journal
Goldman S
(2019)
Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars in the Nearby Dwarf Galaxy Leo P
in The Astrophysical Journal
Goldstraw E
(2018)
Comparison of methods for modelling coronal magnetic fields
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Gordovskyy M
(2018)
Analysis of unresolved photospheric magnetic field structure using Fe I 6301 and 6302 lines
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Gordovskyy M
(2017)
Polarisation of microwave emission from reconnecting twisted coronal loops
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Gordovskyy M
(2020)
Using the Stokes V widths of Fe I lines for diagnostics of the intrinsic solar photospheric magnetic field
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Gordovskyy M
(2019)
Frequency-Distance Structure of Solar Radio Sources Observed by LOFAR
in The Astrophysical Journal
Gottlieb C
(2022)
ATOMIUM: ALMA tracing the origins of molecules in dust forming oxygen rich M-type stars Motivation, sample, calibration, and initial results
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Govoni F
(2019)
A radio ridge connecting two galaxy clusters in a filament of the cosmic web.
in Science (New York, N.Y.)
Gozzard D
(2017)
Astronomical Verification of a Stabilized Frequency Reference Transfer System for the Square Kilometer Array
in The Astronomical Journal
Graham M
(2018)
SDSS-IV MaNGA: stellar angular momentum of about 2300 galaxies: unveiling the bimodality of massive galaxy properties
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Graikou E
(2017)
Limits on the mass, velocity and orbit of PSR J1933-6211
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Grainge K
(2017)
Square Kilometre Array: The radio telescope of the XXI century
in Astronomy Reports
Gray M
(2022)
Collisional and radiative pumping in 22-GHz water masers
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Gray M
(2020)
Analysis of methanol maser flares in G107.298+5.63 and S255-NIRS3
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Gray M
(2018)
A new 3D maser code applied to flaring events
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Gray M
(2018)
A New 3D Maser Code Applied to Flaring Events
Gray M
(2019)
Maser flare simulations from oblate and prolate clouds
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Gray M
(2019)
Maser Flare Simulations from Oblate and Prolate Clouds
Greaves J
(2018)
Anomalous microwave emission from spinning nanodiamonds around stars
in Nature Astronomy
Green J
(2017)
The 6-GHz multibeam maser survey - II. Statistical analysis and Galactic distribution of 6668-MHz methanol masers
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Greene J
(2018)
SDSS-IV MaNGA: Uncovering the Angular Momentum Content of Central and Satellite Early-type Galaxies
in The Astrophysical Journal
Grumitt R
(2020)
The C-Band All-Sky Survey: total intensity point-source detection over the northern sky
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Guidetti D
(2017)
The eMERGE Survey - I: Very Large Array 5.5 GHz observations of the GOODS-North Field
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Gullberg B
(2019)
An ALMA survey of the SCUBA-2 Cosmology Legacy Survey UKIDSS/UDS field: high-resolution dust continuum morphologies and the link between sub-millimetre galaxies and spheroid formation
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Gullberg B
(2018)
The Dust and [C ii] Morphologies of Redshift ~4.5 Sub-millimeter Galaxies at ~200 pc Resolution: The Absence of Large Clumps in the Interstellar Medium at High-redshift
in The Astrophysical Journal
Guzman-Ramirez L
(2018)
Opening PANDORA's box: APEX observations of CO in PNe
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Gómez-Ruiz A
(2017)
Early science with the Large Millimeter Telescope: molecules in the extreme outflow of a protoplanetary nebula
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Han C
(2019)
OGLE-2018-BLG-1011Lb,c: Microlensing Planetary System with Two Giant Planets Orbiting a Low-mass Star
in The Astronomical Journal
Hardy L
(2017)
A search for optical bursts from the repeating fast radio burst FRB 121102
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Harper G
(2017)
An Updated 2017 Astrometric Solution for Betelgeuse
in The Astronomical Journal
Harper S
(2022)
The C-Band All-Sky Survey (C-BASS): template fitting of diffuse galactic microwave emission in the northern sky
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Harper S
(2018)
Potential impact of global navigation satellite services on total power H i intensity mapping surveys
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Harper S
(2023)
The C-Band All-Sky Survey (C-BASS): new constraints on the integrated radio spectrum of M 31
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Harper S.E.
(2020)
Simulation of systematics in future single-dish HI intensity mapping experiments
in Proceedings of the 53rd Rencontres de Moriond on Cosmology 2018
Description | The consolidated grant supported a wide range of activities in astrophysics and cosmology at the JBCA. This was based around three areas: cosmology - the study of the Universe as a single entity, pulsars - spinning neutron stars which emit pulse of radio waves at regular intervals, astrophysical processes - the study of galaxy and star formation in the universe. Progress was made in all these areas. |
Exploitation Route | The wide range of work produce by the grant has been published in journals. These papers have received significant citations indicating that all the areas have had an impact within the academic research community. |
Sectors | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Other |
Description | The research has been used extensively in the outreach program of the Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre, which attracts 160,000 visitors per annum and focusses on hard-to-reach audiences. |
First Year Of Impact | 2020 |
Sector | Education |
Impact Types | Cultural,Societal |