Astrophysics and Cosmology Research at the JBCA 2020-2023
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 changing with time- things which come on and off, often with some kind of regularity. These include Pulsars which are a non-standard star type, 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 changing with time- things which come on and off, often with some kind of regularity. These include Pulsars which are a non-standard star type, 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.
- 215000 Twitter and 18000 Facebook followers
- Stargazing live, Pulsar Hunters, Science Programmes presented by Danielle George
- JB Discovery centre with 190000 visitors per year
- Award winning Bluedot Festivals
- Industry contracts for SKA work including CISCO, AASL, NPL, AEON, Critical Software, MMI, 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.
- 215000 Twitter and 18000 Facebook followers
- Stargazing live, Pulsar Hunters, Science Programmes presented by Danielle George
- JB Discovery centre with 190000 visitors per year
- Award winning Bluedot Festivals
- Industry contracts for SKA work including CISCO, AASL, NPL, AEON, Critical Software, MMI, GEANT
- Newton programme for Radio Astronomy in Africa.
Organisations
Publications
Pineda J
(2020)
A SOFIA Survey of [C ii] in the Galaxy M51. II. [C ii] and CO Kinematics across the Spiral Arms
in The Astrophysical Journal
Ignesti A
(2020)
The great Kite in the sky: A LOFAR observation of the radio source in Abell 2626
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Szary A
(2020)
Single-pulse Modeling and the Bi-drifting Subpulses of Radio Pulsar B1839-04
in The Astrophysical Journal
Xu ?? X
(2020)
Rotation of Two Micron All Sky Survey Clumps in Molecular Clouds
in The Astrophysical Journal
Jackson N
(2020)
Erratum: "The Faintest Radio Source Yet: Expanded Very Large Array Observations of the Gravitational Lens SDSS J1004+4112" (2011, ApJL, 739, L28)
in The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Van der Werf P
(2020)
An ALMA survey of the SCUBA-2 CLS UDS field: physical properties of 707 sub-millimetre galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Gordovskyy M
(2020)
Forward Modeling of Particle Acceleration and Transport in an Individual Solar Flare
in The Astrophysical Journal
Levin L
(2020)
The radio pulsar population of the Small Magellanic Cloud
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Reale F
(2020)
Predicting the time variation of radio emission from MHD simulations of a flaring T-Tauri star
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ding H
(2020)
Very Long Baseline Astrometry of PSR J1012+5307 and its Implications on Alternative Theories of Gravity
in The Astrophysical Journal
Aad G
(2020)
Measurements of the Higgs boson inclusive and differential fiducial cross sections in the 4$$\ell $$ decay channel at $$\sqrt{s}$$ = 13 TeV
in The European Physical Journal C
Hajduk M
(2020)
The cooling-down central star of the planetary nebula SwSt 1: a late thermal pulse in a massive post-AGB star?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Wlodarczyk-Sroka B
(2020)
Extending the Breakthrough Listen nearby star survey to other stellar objects in the field
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Noutsos A
(2020)
Understanding and improving the timing of PSR J0737-3039B
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Schisano E
(2020)
The evolutionary status of protostellar clumps hosting class II methanol masers
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Hansen S
(2020)
Retrieving Internal Kinematics of Galaxies with Deep Learning Using Single-band Optical Images
in Research Notes of the AAS
Aad G
(2020)
Measurement of the Lund Jet Plane Using Charged Particles in 13 TeV Proton-Proton Collisions with the ATLAS Detector
in Physical Review Letters
McEwen A
(2020)
The Green Bank North Celestial Cap Pulsar Survey. V. Pulsar Census and Survey Sensitivity
in The Astrophysical Journal
Grylls P
(2020)
The significant effects of stellar mass estimation on galaxy pair fractions.
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Hewitt D
(2020)
A MeerKAT survey of nearby nova-like cataclysmic variables
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Wang L
(2020)
Discovery and Timing of Pulsars in the Globular Cluster M13 with FAST
in The Astrophysical Journal
Whitney A
(2020)
Surface Brightness Evolution of Galaxies in the CANDELS GOODS Fields up to z ~ 6: High-z Galaxies Are Unique or Remain Undetected
in The Astrophysical Journal
Ding H
(2020)
Erratum: "Very Long Baseline Astrometry of PSR J1012+5307 and its Implications on Alternative Theories of Gravity" (2020, ApJ, 896, 85)
in The Astrophysical Journal
Aad G
(2020)
Higgs boson production cross-section measurements and their EFT interpretation in the $$4\ell $$ decay channel at $$\sqrt{s}=$$13 TeV with the ATLAS detector
in The European Physical Journal C
Decin L
(2020)
(Sub)stellar companions shape the winds of evolved stars
Stappers B
(2020)
Study of spider pulsar binary eclipses and discovery of an eclipse mechanism transition
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Saremi E
(2020)
The Isaac Newton Telescope Monitoring Survey of Local Group Dwarf Galaxies. I. Survey Overview and First Results for Andromeda I
in The Astrophysical Journal
De Blok W
(2020)
MeerKAT HI commissioning observations of MHONGOOSE galaxy ESO 302-G014
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Chen H
(2020)
Searching for obscured AGN in z ~ 2 submillimetre galaxies
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Stankowiak G
(2020)
Detection chain and electronic readout of the QUBIC instrument
Aad G
(2020)
Reconstruction and identification of boosted di-t systems in a search for Higgs boson pairs using 13 TeV proton-proton collision data in ATLAS
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Schilizzi R
(2020)
Letter
in Astronomy & Geophysics
Mele L
(2020)
The QUBIC instrument for CMB polarization measurements
in Journal of Physics: Conference Series
Tatematsu K
(2020)
ALMA ACA and Nobeyama Observations of Two Orion Cores in Deuterated Molecular Lines
in The Astrophysical Journal
Abbate F
(2020)
Giant pulses from J1823-3021A observed with the MeerKAT telescope
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Kudale S
(2020)
Study of Eclipses for Redback Pulsar J1227-4853
in The Astrophysical Journal
Barnes D
(2020)
Relativistic SZ temperature scaling relations of groups and clusters derived from the BAHAMAS and MACSIS simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Harrison I
(2020)
SuperCLASS - III. Weak lensing from radio and optical observations in Data Release 1
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Wuensche C
(2020)
Baryon acoustic oscillations from Integrated Neutral Gas Observations: Broadband corrugated horn construction and testing
in Experimental Astronomy
Johnson S
(2020)
Predictions of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Galactic Exoplanet Survey. II. Free-floating Planet Detection Rates*
in The Astronomical Journal
Ramstedt S
(2020)
DEATHSTAR: Nearby AGB stars with the Atacama Compact Array I. CO envelope sizes and asymmetries: A new hope for accurate mass-loss-rate estimates
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Aad G
(2020)
Measurement of the transverse momentum distribution of Drell-Yan lepton pairs in proton-proton collisions at $$\sqrt{s}=13\,$$TeV with the ATLAS detector
in The European Physical Journal C
Aad G
(2020)
Evidence for electroweak production of two jets in association with a Z? pair in pp collisions at s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector
in Physics Letters B
McBride V
(2020)
Imbalance learning for variable star classification
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
| Title | Comparing recent PTA results on the nanohertz stochastic gravitational wave background - full noise and GWB parameter comparison plots |
| Description | A full collection of plots comparing the noise properties of individual pulsars and gravitational wave background parameters discussed in the companion paper Comparing recent PTA results on the nanohertz stochastic gravitational wave background (IPTA 2024). Section4_GWB_comparison.zip supplements and expands section 4.1, "Comparing the published GWB measurements," of IPTA (2024). It contains parameter difference distributions for GWB model parameters. There are four different models included. The HD correlated powerlaw (PL) model make up the basis for Figure 2. Additionally, there are three comparisons not included in IPTA (2024). First, comparisons the common uncorrelated red noise (CURN) PL model are included. Finally, comparisons of two free spectral (FS) models (HD and CURN) are included. These comparisons fit the HD and CURN FS posteriors using the ceffyl software package, and then compare the parameters of the resulting powerlaw fits. Section5_Noise_comparison.zip supplements section 5, "Comparing Pulsar Noice Properties," of IPTA (2024). It contains plots for 27 pulsars timed by more than one PTA collaboration, including the plots for PSR J1012+5307, which are presented in Figure 7. The plots include noise parameter posteriors, time domain GP realizations, TOA residuals, and TOA radio frequency. |
| Type Of Art | Image |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| URL | https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.10809659 |
| Title | Comparing recent PTA results on the nanohertz stochastic gravitational wave background - full noise and GWB parameter comparison plots |
| Description | A full collection of plots comparing the noise properties of individual pulsars and gravitational wave background parameters discussed in the companion paper Comparing recent PTA results on the nanohertz stochastic gravitational wave background (IPTA 2024). Section4_GWB_comparison.zip supplements and expands section 4.1, "Comparing the published GWB measurements," of IPTA (2024). It contains parameter difference distributions for GWB model parameters. There are four different models included. The HD correlated powerlaw (PL) model make up the basis for Figure 2. Additionally, there are three comparisons not included in IPTA (2024). First, comparisons the common uncorrelated red noise (CURN) PL model are included. Finally, comparisons of two free spectral (FS) models (HD and CURN) are included. These comparisons fit the HD and CURN FS posteriors using the ceffyl software package, and then compare the parameters of the resulting powerlaw fits. Section5_Noise_comparison.zip supplements section 5, "Comparing Pulsar Noice Properties," of IPTA (2024). It contains plots for 27 pulsars timed by more than one PTA collaboration, including the plots for PSR J1012+5307, which are presented in Figure 7. The plots include noise parameter posteriors, time domain GP realizations, TOA residuals, and TOA radio frequency. |
| Type Of Art | Image |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| URL | https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.10809660 |
| Title | IPTA DR2 - GWB analysis MCMC output |
| Description | IPTA DR2 common red noise, MCMC output These files are the primary output from a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling process. They are samples from the posterior probability distribution for a particular model described in the companion paper. Each zipped tarball contains four files. The "chain" file has several tab-separated columns, each of which corresponds to a model parameter, except the last four which are metadata. The parameter names (including metadata) are listed in the companion "params" file. The frequencies used in the common red noise models are listed in the "crn_frequencies" file. Additional information is provided in a README file. Each row of the chain file is one sample from the model posterior. The first samples at the beginning of the MCMC are the "burn-in" phase, before the chain has converged to the posterior. We recommend discarding the first ~25% of samples before using them to make inferences. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| URL | https://zenodo.org/record/5787556 |
| Title | IPTA DR2 - GWB analysis MCMC output |
| Description | IPTA DR2 common red noise, MCMC output These files are the primary output from a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling process. They are samples from the posterior probability distribution for a particular model described in the companion paper. Each zipped tarball contains four files. The "chain" file has several tab-separated columns, each of which corresponds to a model parameter, except the last four which are metadata. The parameter names (including metadata) are listed in the companion "params" file. The frequencies used in the common red noise models are listed in the "crn_frequencies" file. Additional information is provided in a README file. Each row of the chain file is one sample from the model posterior. The first samples at the beginning of the MCMC are the "burn-in" phase, before the chain has converged to the posterior. We recommend discarding the first ~25% of samples before using them to make inferences. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| URL | https://zenodo.org/record/5787557 |
| Title | PN chemical abundances in Galactic Bulge |
| Description | VizieR online Data Catalogue associated with article published in journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society with title ' A catalogue of planetary nebulae chemical abundances in the Galactic bulge.' (bibcode: 2024MNRAS.527.6363T) |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| URL | https://cdsarc.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/cat/J/MNRAS/527/6363 |