IoA Theoretical and X-ray Astronomy consolidation
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Cambridge
Department Name: Institute of Astronomy
Abstract
This proposal is for an interim grant to support research in Theoretical Astrophysics and X-ray Astronomy at the Institute of Astronomy (IoA), as part of a transition to a fully consolidated IoA Astronomy grant proposal in 2012.
The Theory theme addresses a wide range of astrophysical phenomena ranging from the origin of the Universe itself to the formation and evolution of galaxies, stars and planets. One of the main areas of investigation is cosmology. Members of the IoA are playing a leading role in the European Space Agency Planck mission, and will lead a definitive determination of the cosmological parameters including the age, size, dark matter, dark energy and baryonic contents of the Universe. Another project will carry out theoretical simulations and analysis of the subsequent evolution of cosmic structure during the epoch of reionisation, when the first stars and galaxies were formed.
Star formation is another major focus of the grant, on scales ranging from galaxies, where the molecular clouds giving birth to stars are formed, to the formation of stars and star clusters within these molecular clouds. These investigations will combine state-of-the-art numerical simulations with analytical theory and a rich new set of multi-wavelength observations of nearby galaxies being obtained with the Herschel and Spitzer space observatories under IoA leadership.
The understanding of planetary systems around stars and their formation is another goal of the Theory theme. One project will focus on modelling the properties of debris discs, discs of asteroids, cometary objects, and dust surrounding stars, using a complete IoA-led survey of nearby stars with the Herschel observatory (DEBRIS project). Another project is directed at modelling the evolution of the planetary orbits themselves in different stellar environments and stellar evolutionary stages.
The final component of the Theoretical Astronomy theme is the modelling of binary star systems, and improving our understanding of how double star systems evolve when the component stars are immersed in a common envelope. This phase of evolution is important for understanding a wide range of observed stellar systems including cataclysmic variables, X-ray binaries, and the progenitors of supernovae, including the Type Ia supernovae which are used as cosmological standard candles.
The second theme of the proposal is X-ray Astronomy. The research will exploit a large body of observations of galaxies, galaxy clusters, and Galactic X-ray binary systems being obtained by the X-ray group on the Chandra, XMM-Newton, Suzaku and ASTRO-H X-ray observatories to carry out three projects.
One project will carry out measurements of the spin of black holes, both the supermassive black holes which power the enormous energy emissions from quasars and other active galactic nuclei, and the stellar-mass black holes in binary star systems. This work, based on spectroscopy of relativistically-broadened iron lines, will also provide insights into the accretion phenomena that power the systems.
Another project will combine deep X-ray imaging and spectroscopy of the cores of galaxy clusters to study the physical conditions, turbulence, and acoustic waves and shocks in the intracluster medium, and constrain the physical nature of the feedback of radiative and mechanical energy from the galaxies in the cores of the cluster and the surrounding intergalactic gas in the clusters.
A related project will combine these X-ray data with multi-wavelength measurements of the intergalactic filaments and other gas components in the clusters, to understand the feedback processes linking cooling of intergalactic gas into the central galaxies and the subsequent heating of the surroundings by the central galaxies and their embedded black holes.
The Theory theme addresses a wide range of astrophysical phenomena ranging from the origin of the Universe itself to the formation and evolution of galaxies, stars and planets. One of the main areas of investigation is cosmology. Members of the IoA are playing a leading role in the European Space Agency Planck mission, and will lead a definitive determination of the cosmological parameters including the age, size, dark matter, dark energy and baryonic contents of the Universe. Another project will carry out theoretical simulations and analysis of the subsequent evolution of cosmic structure during the epoch of reionisation, when the first stars and galaxies were formed.
Star formation is another major focus of the grant, on scales ranging from galaxies, where the molecular clouds giving birth to stars are formed, to the formation of stars and star clusters within these molecular clouds. These investigations will combine state-of-the-art numerical simulations with analytical theory and a rich new set of multi-wavelength observations of nearby galaxies being obtained with the Herschel and Spitzer space observatories under IoA leadership.
The understanding of planetary systems around stars and their formation is another goal of the Theory theme. One project will focus on modelling the properties of debris discs, discs of asteroids, cometary objects, and dust surrounding stars, using a complete IoA-led survey of nearby stars with the Herschel observatory (DEBRIS project). Another project is directed at modelling the evolution of the planetary orbits themselves in different stellar environments and stellar evolutionary stages.
The final component of the Theoretical Astronomy theme is the modelling of binary star systems, and improving our understanding of how double star systems evolve when the component stars are immersed in a common envelope. This phase of evolution is important for understanding a wide range of observed stellar systems including cataclysmic variables, X-ray binaries, and the progenitors of supernovae, including the Type Ia supernovae which are used as cosmological standard candles.
The second theme of the proposal is X-ray Astronomy. The research will exploit a large body of observations of galaxies, galaxy clusters, and Galactic X-ray binary systems being obtained by the X-ray group on the Chandra, XMM-Newton, Suzaku and ASTRO-H X-ray observatories to carry out three projects.
One project will carry out measurements of the spin of black holes, both the supermassive black holes which power the enormous energy emissions from quasars and other active galactic nuclei, and the stellar-mass black holes in binary star systems. This work, based on spectroscopy of relativistically-broadened iron lines, will also provide insights into the accretion phenomena that power the systems.
Another project will combine deep X-ray imaging and spectroscopy of the cores of galaxy clusters to study the physical conditions, turbulence, and acoustic waves and shocks in the intracluster medium, and constrain the physical nature of the feedback of radiative and mechanical energy from the galaxies in the cores of the cluster and the surrounding intergalactic gas in the clusters.
A related project will combine these X-ray data with multi-wavelength measurements of the intergalactic filaments and other gas components in the clusters, to understand the feedback processes linking cooling of intergalactic gas into the central galaxies and the subsequent heating of the surroundings by the central galaxies and their embedded black holes.
Planned Impact
The main societal impacts of this research are in the areas of public engagement and inspiration of future young scientists. Many of the proposed projects are coupled to high-profile missions and investigations,
which will impact the public through press and image releases, public lectures, interviews with the print, radio, and television media, popular articles and books, and formally organised outreach activities.
Projects which are sure to produce high-impact science in the public area include the announcement of first full results on cosmological parameters from the ESA Planck mission in early 2013, work on deep X-ray imaging and spectroscopy of clusters with the XMM-Newton and Chandra missions, and the interpretations of data from the Herschel Space Observatory on star formation in galaxies and debris discs. The Co-Applicants and their collaborators have established a heritage of high-visibility results in these and related areas, and will coordinate closely with media and outreach offices of the STFC, ESA, and relevant mission offices.
The Institute of Astronomy fully embraces the outreach agenda of the STFC, and the research activities in the Theoretical Astronomy and X-ray Astronomy themes form core components feeding these activities. Impacts will arise from a combination of IoA-organised efforts and individual activities by the Co-Applicants and PDRAs.
The wide range of outreach activity is made possible by the critical mass of astronomy activity at IoA and through contributions from our major research grants and from Departmental resources. These include weekly public evening lectures and (weather permitting) observing sessions in the winter which attract more than 1500 people per year, an annual open day which attracts comparable numbers in a single afternoon and evening, one-day schools workshops, on-line newsletters, podcasts, and an informal website, and an Artist-in-Residence programme.
Virtually every Co-Applicant and PDRA also undertakes public engagement and outreach activities individually, and many (e.g., Crawford, Efstathiou, Fabian, Kennicutt, Rees) have engaged in scores of activities over the past five years, via named and national public lectures, speaking at national amateur astronomy meetings and festivals, radio and television interviews and programmes, and by writing popular articles and books. Worth of special mention is the recent work by Fabian with the STFC in developing a booklet "A New View of the Universe: Big Science for a Big Society" which presents the scientific and Council objectives for astronomy in the coming decade, and documents the many broader economic and societal impacts of astronomy, ranging from technology transfer (e.g., WIFI, GPS, detectors, adaptive optics) to major societal priorities (e.g., climate change, energy sustainability). Co-Applicant C. Crawford, in addition to leading the IoA outreach programme, is an active spokesperson for astronomy in her own right, and in 2009 was received a UKRC Woman of Outstanding Achievement award in recognition of her work in fostering engagement between scientists and the public. Last but hardly least Co-Applicant and Astronomer Royal M. Rees continues to serve as one of the UK's leaders in the scientific community, and has engaged with the public on countless occasions through books and popular articles, public lectures, and most recently through is service as President of the Royal Society.
The effectiveness of this collection of activities owes much of its success to the work of the IoA Outreach Officer, Co-Applicant Carolin Crawford. This work is supported by an 0.5 FTE appointment, and this proposal requests funding for 40% of this work (0.2 FTE), which we estimate represents the fraction of activities relating to the work of the Applicants and PDRAs on this grant.
which will impact the public through press and image releases, public lectures, interviews with the print, radio, and television media, popular articles and books, and formally organised outreach activities.
Projects which are sure to produce high-impact science in the public area include the announcement of first full results on cosmological parameters from the ESA Planck mission in early 2013, work on deep X-ray imaging and spectroscopy of clusters with the XMM-Newton and Chandra missions, and the interpretations of data from the Herschel Space Observatory on star formation in galaxies and debris discs. The Co-Applicants and their collaborators have established a heritage of high-visibility results in these and related areas, and will coordinate closely with media and outreach offices of the STFC, ESA, and relevant mission offices.
The Institute of Astronomy fully embraces the outreach agenda of the STFC, and the research activities in the Theoretical Astronomy and X-ray Astronomy themes form core components feeding these activities. Impacts will arise from a combination of IoA-organised efforts and individual activities by the Co-Applicants and PDRAs.
The wide range of outreach activity is made possible by the critical mass of astronomy activity at IoA and through contributions from our major research grants and from Departmental resources. These include weekly public evening lectures and (weather permitting) observing sessions in the winter which attract more than 1500 people per year, an annual open day which attracts comparable numbers in a single afternoon and evening, one-day schools workshops, on-line newsletters, podcasts, and an informal website, and an Artist-in-Residence programme.
Virtually every Co-Applicant and PDRA also undertakes public engagement and outreach activities individually, and many (e.g., Crawford, Efstathiou, Fabian, Kennicutt, Rees) have engaged in scores of activities over the past five years, via named and national public lectures, speaking at national amateur astronomy meetings and festivals, radio and television interviews and programmes, and by writing popular articles and books. Worth of special mention is the recent work by Fabian with the STFC in developing a booklet "A New View of the Universe: Big Science for a Big Society" which presents the scientific and Council objectives for astronomy in the coming decade, and documents the many broader economic and societal impacts of astronomy, ranging from technology transfer (e.g., WIFI, GPS, detectors, adaptive optics) to major societal priorities (e.g., climate change, energy sustainability). Co-Applicant C. Crawford, in addition to leading the IoA outreach programme, is an active spokesperson for astronomy in her own right, and in 2009 was received a UKRC Woman of Outstanding Achievement award in recognition of her work in fostering engagement between scientists and the public. Last but hardly least Co-Applicant and Astronomer Royal M. Rees continues to serve as one of the UK's leaders in the scientific community, and has engaged with the public on countless occasions through books and popular articles, public lectures, and most recently through is service as President of the Royal Society.
The effectiveness of this collection of activities owes much of its success to the work of the IoA Outreach Officer, Co-Applicant Carolin Crawford. This work is supported by an 0.5 FTE appointment, and this proposal requests funding for 40% of this work (0.2 FTE), which we estimate represents the fraction of activities relating to the work of the Applicants and PDRAs on this grant.
Organisations
Publications
Mofiz U
(2011)
Growing electrostatic modes in the isothermal pair plasma of the pulsar magnetosphere
in Astrophysics and Space Science
Nandra K
(2011)
GRAVITAS: general relativistic astrophysics via timing and spectroscopy
in Experimental Astronomy
Smith M
(2012)
SLICING AND DICING THE MILKY WAY DISK IN THE SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY
in The Astrophysical Journal
Eales S
(2012)
CAN DUST EMISSION BE USED TO ESTIMATE THE MASS OF THE INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM IN GALAXIES-A PILOT PROJECT WITH THE HERSCHEL REFERENCE SURVEY
in The Astrophysical Journal
Simionescu A
(2012)
LARGE-SCALE MOTIONS IN THE PERSEUS GALAXY CLUSTER
in The Astrophysical Journal
Ponti G
(2012)
Multiwavelength campaign on Mrk 509 XI. Reverberation of the Fe K a line
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Sánchez S
(2012)
CALIFA, the Calar Alto Legacy Integral Field Area survey I. Survey presentation?
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Jackson A
(2012)
Debris from terrestrial planet formation: the Moon-forming collision Debris from terrestrial planet formation
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Mao Y
(2012)
CHARACTERIZING ULTRAVIOLET AND INFRARED OBSERVATIONAL PROPERTIES FOR GALAXIES. I. INFLUENCES OF DUST ATTENUATION AND STELLAR POPULATION AGE
in The Astrophysical Journal
Cantalupo S
(2012)
Detection of dark galaxies and circum-galactic filaments fluorescently illuminated by a quasar at z = 2.4 Dark galaxies and CGM illuminated by a QSO
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Casewell S
(2012)
A photometric and astrometric investigation of the brown dwarfs in Blanco 1 Blanco 1 brown dwarfs
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Evans P
(2012)
SWIFT FOLLOW-UP OBSERVATIONS OF CANDIDATE GRAVITATIONAL-WAVE TRANSIENT EVENTS
in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
Cormier D
(2012)
The nature of the interstellar medium of the starburst low-metallicity galaxy Haro 11: a multi-phase model of the infrared emission
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Canizares P
(2012)
Testing Chern-Simons modified gravity with observations of extreme-mass-ratio binaries
in Journal of Physics: Conference Series
Tremblay G
(2012)
Multiphase signatures of active galactic nucleus feedback in Abell 2597 AGN feedback in Abell 2597
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Deason A
(2012)
The cold veil of the Milky Way stellar halo The cold veil of the Milky Way stellar halo
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Budzynski J
(2012)
The radial distribution of galaxies in groups and clusters Satellite profiles in groups and clusters
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Pinto C
(2012)
Multiwavelength campaign on Mrk 509 IX. The Galactic foreground
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Vegetti S
(2012)
Gravitational detection of a low-mass dark satellite galaxy at cosmological distance
in Nature
Carswell R
(2012)
The kinetic temperature in a damped Lyman a absorption system in Q2206-199 - an example of the warm neutral medium Warm neutral gas towards Q2206-199
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Sanders J
(2012)
Deep Chandra and XMM-Newton X-ray observations of AWM 7 - I. Investigating X-ray surface brightness fluctuations X-ray surface brightness fluctuations in AWM 7
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Trenti M
(2012)
OVERDENSITIES OF Y -DROPOUT GALAXIES FROM THE BRIGHTEST-OF-REIONIZING GALAXIES SURVEY: A CANDIDATE PROTOCLUSTER AT REDSHIFT z ˜ 8
in The Astrophysical Journal
Venemans B
(2012)
DETECTION OF ATOMIC CARBON [C II] 158 µm AND DUST EMISSION FROM A z = 7.1 QUASAR HOST GALAXY
in The Astrophysical Journal
Abadie J
(2012)
First low-latency LIGO+Virgo search for binary inspirals and their electromagnetic counterparts
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Niederste-Ostholt M
(2012)
A tale twice told: the luminosity profiles of the Sagittarius tails The luminosity profiles of the Sagittarius tails
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Cappetta M
(2012)
The first planet detected in the WTS: an inflated hot Jupiter in a 3.35 d orbit around a late F star Inflated HJ in close orbit around a late-F-star
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Fabian A
(2012)
On the determination of the spin of the black hole in Cyg X-1 from X-ray reflection spectra Reflection and spin in Cyg X-1
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Johnson B
(2012)
A SELF-CONSISTENT MODEL OF THE CIRCUMSTELLAR DEBRIS CREATED BY A GIANT HYPERVELOCITY IMPACT IN THE HD 172555 SYSTEM
in The Astrophysical Journal
Dubois Y
(2012)
Feeding compact bulges and supermassive black holes with low angular momentum cosmic gas at high redshift Feeding supermassive BHs with cosmic gas
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Veras D
(2012)
Identifying non-resonant Kepler planetary systems
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Ammar M
(2012)
Third-order secular Solution of the variational equations of motion of a satellite in orbit around a non-spherical planet
in Astrophysics and Space Science
Nardini E
(2012)
Investigating the reflection contribution to the X-ray emission of Ton S180 X-ray reflection in Ton S180
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Potter A
(2012)
Stellar evolution of massive stars with a radiative a-O dynamo Stellar evolution with a radiative dynamo
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Battaglia G
(2012)
THE EXTENSIVE AGE GRADIENT OF THE CARINA DWARF GALAXY
in The Astrophysical Journal
Pinto C
(2012)
A phenomenological model for the X-ray spectrum of nova V2491 Cygni
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Abadie J
(2012)
Search for gravitational waves from intermediate mass binary black holes
in Physical Review D
Croxall K
(2012)
RESOLVING THE FAR-IR LINE DEFICIT: PHOTOELECTRIC HEATING AND FAR-IR LINE COOLING IN NGC 1097 AND NGC 4559
in The Astrophysical Journal
Zoghbi A
(2012)
Relativistic iron K X-ray reverberation in NGC 4151 Iron K reverberation in NGC 4151
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ross N
(2012)
THE SDSS-III BARYON OSCILLATION SPECTROSCOPIC SURVEY: QUASAR TARGET SELECTION FOR DATA RELEASE NINE
in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
Jonker P
(2012)
THE NATURE OF THE BRIGHT ULX X-2 IN NGC 3921: A CHANDRA POSITION AND HST CANDIDATE COUNTERPART
in The Astrophysical Journal
Walker S
(2012)
Galaxy cluster outskirts: a universal entropy profile for relaxed clusters?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Weisz D
(2012)
THE STAR FORMATION HISTORY OF LEO T FROM HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE IMAGING
in The Astrophysical Journal
Xia J
(2012)
Constraints on massive neutrinos from the CFHTLS angular power spectrum
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Tremblay G
(2012)
Residual cooling and persistent star formation amid active galactic nucleus feedback in Abell 2597 Residual cooling amid AGN feedback in A2597
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Abadie J
(2012)
Upper limits on a stochastic gravitational-wave background using LIGO and Virgo interferometers at 600-1000 Hz
in Physical Review D
Bovy J
(2012)
PHOTOMETRIC REDSHIFTS AND QUASAR PROBABILITIES FROM A SINGLE, DATA-DRIVEN GENERATIVE MODEL
in The Astrophysical Journal
Mosleh M
(2012)
THE EVOLUTION OF MASS-SIZE RELATION FOR LYMAN BREAK GALAXIES FROM z = 1 to z = 7
in The Astrophysical Journal
Greiss S
(2012)
INITIAL DATA RELEASE OF THE KEPLER -INT SURVEY
in The Astronomical Journal
Kennedy G
(2012)
99 Herculis: host to a circumbinary polar-ring debris disc A circumbinary polar-ring debris disc
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Nicuesa Guelbenzu A
(2012)
The late-time afterglow of the extremely energetic short burst GRB 090510 revisited
in Astronomy & Astrophysics